November 24, 2009
ALD NanoSolutions, Inc. has announced the award of a $150,000 Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant from the Department of Energy for “Scale-up of the Nanomanufacturing of Coated Powders for Superior Battery Electrode Materials.” This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The award, effective December 7, 2009 – June 7 2010, will be used to develop nanoscale ceramic films on fine and ultrafine particles for use in battery electrodes, where electrode corrosion can be mitigated without detrimental effects to the electrical and ionic transport properties of the system. ALD provides an opportunity to deposit nano-scale films on primary particles to allow for the manufacture of superior performance battery materials, in terms of power, weight, lifetime, and safety. This technology has been demonstrated and can be successfully integrated into batteries, ranging from ones that power small consumer devices (e.g. cell phones, flashlights, radios, laptops) to those that can enable the electric car.
“In order to realize the promise of novel electrode nanomaterials, ALD coatings are needed to passivate these particulate electrode materials with conformal ultrathin films. Such novel nano-engineered electrodes will address not only capacity retention and power issues, but also the safety problems associated with Li-ion batteries,” said Dr. Karen Buechler, President of ALD NanoSolutions.
The patented process of depositing ALD films on particles will allow the company to improve electrode materials preventing corrosion and improving conductivity. The composition and thickness of the ALD films can also be customized to functionalize particle surfaces for other benefits such as improved dispersion and reduced aggregation during fabrication. The research, done in partnership with the Weimer Laboratories at the University of Colorado at Boulder, is an important part in the company’s continuing effort to demonstrate the value of atomic layer deposition for custom designed composite materials.
About ALD NanoSolutions
As the leader in digital coating solutions for composite materials, ALD NanoSolutions (ALDN) is dedicated to bringing next generation performance to materials used across a wide range of industries. ALDN’s mission is to accelerate the commercial success of its customers by delivering superior materials solutions based on its proprietary atomic layer deposition platform. The ALDN web site is www.aldnanosolutions.com.
For More Information:
Karen Buechler
President and CTO
ALD NanoSolutions, Inc.
E-mail: kbuechler@aldnanosolutions.com
Phone: +1-303-318-4145