Preparation and Properties of Y2O3-Doped ZrO2 Films on Etched Al Foil by Sol-Gel Process

The oxide films formed on etched aluminum foils play an important role as dielectric layers in aluminum electrolytic capacitors. $Y_2O_3$-doped $ZrO_2$ (YZ) films were coated on the etched aluminum foils by sol-gel dip coating, and the electrical properties of YZ-coated Al foils were characterized. YZ films annealed at $450^{\circ}C$ were crystallized into a cubic phase, and as the $Y_2O_3$ doping content increased, the unit cell of $ZrO_2$ expanded and the grain size decreased. The etch pits of Al foils were filled by YZ sol when it dried at atmospheric pressure after repeating for several times, but this step could essentially be avoided when being dried in a vacuum. YZ-coated foils indicated that the specific capacitance and dissipation factor were $2-2.5{\mu}F/cm^2$ and 2-4 at 1 kHz, respectively, and the leakage current and withstanding voltage of films approximately 200 nm thick were $5{\times}10^{-4}A$ at 21 V and 22 V, respectively. After being anodized at 500 V, the foils exhibited a specific capacitance and dissipation factor of $0.6-0.7{\mu}F/cm^2$ and 0.1-0.2, respectively, at 1 kHz, while the leakage current and withstanding voltage were $2{\times}10^{-4}-3{\times}10^{-5}A$ at 400 V and 420-450 V, respectively. This suggests that YZ film is a promising dielectric that can be used in high voltage Al electrolytic capacitors.