Mechanism of Polishing Aluminum Optical Components

Abstract

As a result of studying the regularities inherent in the process of treated material removal and the formation of a polished surface nanoprofile during the polishing of aluminum optical components with a disperse system of copper metaborate micro- and nanopowders, it has been established that the formation and elimination of sludge nanoparticles occurs due to energy transfer from the polishing powder particles to the treated surface by the QD-FRET mechanism of Förster resonance energy transfer mediated by Al₂O₃ quantum dots (QDs) formed on the surface of aluminum. It has been shown that the rate of treated material removal in the process of aluminum polishing with a disperse copper metaborate–kerosene based system depends on the quality factor of the microresonator formed by the surfaces of a treated material and a polishing powder particle and the lifetime of the excited state of quantum dots on the treated surface according to the general regularities of the polishing process. It has been established that the results of theoretical calculation for the treated material removal rate are in good agreement with the experimental data of measuring the aluminum polishing rate at an error of 1–5%. It has been demonstrated that, in terms of polishing rate and polished surface roughness for aluminum optical components, it is advisable to use a disperse system of copper metaborate micro- and nanopowders.