Exploring the relationship between light scattering and colour through anodising. 

When a layer of titanium dioxide is present on the surface of some titanium metal, light falls on the surface and scatters to make the layer look coloured. The colour we can see depends on how thick the titanium dioxide layer is. In this experiment we will ‘anodise’ (coat with an oxide layer) some titanium metal to create a titanium dioxide layer and control the thickness by varying the voltage, and therefore the colour.

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This resource was developed by The Solar Spark at the University of Edinburgh.

The Solar Spark - solar energy resources