Development at the nanoscale has established diverse and complex structures with the help of a growing selection of materials to choose from. Among the major developments that has led to these creations is the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique that allows precise linear stepwise synthesis of various nanomaterials, which is the defining feature of ALD. Recent research activities have recorded an upsurge in the synthesis and applications of metal sulfides created via this technique. This rise in research on ALD of metal sulfides has established varying methods to deposit each metal sulfide, which necessitates a review that can analyze the major and minor advancements that have been made in the field. Hence, this comprehensive review encompasses the various ALD techniques with which metal sulfides have been synthesized, followed by a thorough account of reported chemistry and parameters by which various kinds of metal and sulfide precursors react, and finally the existing, emerging, and potential applications that incorporate metal sulfide ALD.
Rechargeable
batteries have emerged as the most promising energy
storage devices in response to continually growing modern demands
and are still being researched to attain higher energy densities,
structural stability, and longer cycling and calendar life. Owing
to the fact that battery electrodes are developed from various types
of powders, incorporation of functional nanocoating of suitable materials
on powder materials and/or nanosynthesis of active powder constituents
have shown promising results regarding the aforementioned challenges
associated with modern battery technology. Atomic layer deposition
(ALD) has been demonstrated to be highly effective in fabricating
inorganic films even at the subnanoscale, not only on flat surfaces
but also on individual particles with high conformity, uniformity,
and self-limiting growth, thus providing exceptional control over
film thickness. Unlike conventional wet-chemical processes, powder
ALD offers a unique opportunity to develop nano- and subnanoscale
films of various compositions over a variety of substrate particles
regardless of their size, morphology, and composition. Proper modifications
made by powder ALD process are known to induce improvements in structural
stability, electronic and ionic conductivity at the interface, and
consequent charge–discharge properties of the batteries. This
review comprehensively covers the main strategies and materials used
over time to improve the performance of various types of batteries
utilizing the powder ALD process.
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