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ALD for clean energy conversion, utilization, and storage

  • Progress and future directions for atomic layer deposition and ALD-based chemistry
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Abstract

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) uses self-limiting chemical reactions between gaseous precursors and a solid surface to deposit materials in a layer-by-layer fashion. This process results in a unique combination of attributes, including sub-nm precision, the capability to engineer surfaces and interfaces, and unparalleled conformality over high-aspect ratio and nanoporous structures. Given these capabilities, ALD could play a central role in achieving the technological advances necessary to redirect our economy from fossil-based energy to clean, renewable energy. This article will survey some of the recent work applying ALD to clean energy conversion, utilization, and storage, including research in solid oxide fuel cells, thin-film photovoltaics, lithium-ion batteries, and heterogenous catalysts. Throughout the manuscript, we will emphasize how the unique qualities of ALD can enhance device performance and enable radical new designs.

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Acknowledgments

F.B.P. and N.P.D. acknowledge support from the Center on Nanostructuring for Efficient Energy Conversion (CNEEC) at Stanford University, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Award Number DE-SC0001060. J.W.E. acknowledges that the catalysis section of this work was supported as part of the Institute for Atom-efficient Chemical Transformations (IACT), an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, and Office of Basic Energy Sciences; the battery section was supported as part of the center for Electrical Energy Storage: Tailored Interfaces, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, and Office of Basic Energy Sciences; and the photovoltaics section was supported as part of the ANSER Center, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Award Number DE-SC0001059.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA

    Jeffrey W. Elam

  2. Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Neil P. Dasgupta

  3. Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Fritz B. Prinz

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  1. Jeffrey W. Elam
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Correspondence to Jeffrey W. Elam.

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Elam, J.W., Dasgupta, N.P. & Prinz, F.B. ALD for clean energy conversion, utilization, and storage. MRS Bulletin 36, 899–906 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2011.265

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