The self-ordering behavior of anodic porous alumina that was formed by anodizing in selenic acid electrolyte (H2SeO4) at various concentrations and voltages was investigated with SEM and AFM imaging. A high purity aluminum foil was anodized in 0.1-3.0M selenic acid solutions at 273 K and at constant cell voltages in the range of 37 to 51V. The regularity of the cell arrangement increased with increasing anodizing voltage and selenic acid concentration under conditions of steady oxide growth without burning. Anodizing at 42-46V in 3.0M selenic acid produced highly ordered porous alumina. By selective dissolution of the anodic porous alumina, highly ordered convex nanostructures of aluminum with diameters of 20nm and heights of 40nm were exposed at the apexes of each hexagonal dimple array. Highly ordered anodic porous alumina with a cell size of 102nm from top to bottom can be fabricated by a two-step selenic acid anodizing process, that includes the first anodizing step, the selective oxide dissolution, and the second anodizing step. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.