Atomic layer deposition on flexible polymeric materials for lithium-ion batteries

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Polymers offer lightweight, flexible, and cost-effective solutions with good mechanical properties.
• These characteristics make polymers suitable for diverse applications, notably in lithium-ion batteries (LiBs).
• Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is a technique for depositing thin film materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current understanding of polymer materials in ALD for lithium-ion battery fabrication.
• To highlight the importance of combining polymer materials with ALD for advanced LiBs.

Main Methods:

• ALD technique utilization on polymer substrates.
• Analysis of polymer surface characteristics (reactive sites, microporosity).
• Investigation of ALD growth mechanisms (nucleation, diffusion) on polymers.

Main Results:

• Polymer surfaces with functional groups (-OH, -C[double bond, length as m-dash]O) facilitate ALD initial growth.
• Diffusion growth mechanism allows ALD on polymers lacking polar groups.
• Polymer microporosity is advantageous for ALD material deposition.

Conclusions:

• Polymers are excellent substrates for ALD due to surface reactivity and microporous structure.
• The synergy between polymers and ALD is critical for developing high-performance lithium-ion batteries.
• This review consolidates knowledge on polymers in ALD for LiB advancements.