Patent ID: 7381367

Claim:
A method for producing an anode for an aluminum electrolytic capacitor, which method comprising: (i) placing a mask on top of a suitable substrate, which mask contains openings of a predetermined pattern and substantially uniform size and which substrate is one that will decompose at about the same conditions as graphite; (ii) applying a catalytic metal particles of a desired average particle size onto the mask; (iii) removing said mask from said substrate resulting in a predetermined pattern of catalytic metal sites on the substrate; (iv) growing carbon nanofibers from the catalytic metal particles on said substrate, which carbon nanofibers are grown substantially perpendicular to the surface of the substrate; and which carbon nanofibers are grown by reacting the catalytic metal particles with a carbon-containing gas in at temperatures at which the carbon-containing gas will decompose, but not cause a deleterious affect to the carbon nanofibers; (v) depositing aluminum powder onto said carbon nanofiber-containing substrate; (vi) sintering said aluminum powder; and (vii) decomposing the carbon nanofibers and substrate and resulting in an aluminum foil having a predetermined pattern of holes of substantially uniform size.