Particle Coatings

Applications

Particle Coatings

Particle ALD™ for coating particles

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is shifting from being merely a research tool for coating porous substrates and particles to becoming a viable and industrial production tool for a number of specific products, including heterogeneous catalysts, nanofillers for polymer composites and thermal fillers for electronics. In lithium-ion batteries, for example, ALD has been applied in several applications. Beneq ALD is pleased to be at the forefront of this development and capable of serving its customers in this particular growing hi-tech field.

Taking ALD into particulate matter

Combining conformal coatings with particulate and porous substrates creates completely new opportunities to modify, e.g., the diffusion properties of materials. ALD has turned out to be a truly enabling technology for particle coating, and is already a proven means in the following applications:

fastening micro- and nano-sized particles to a substrate
applying diffusion and corrosion barriers for metal surfaces
controlling the diffusion properties of the surface of particles
surface passivation in general
tailoring the composition of porous materials
doping porous bulk material

Due to the “bottom up” film growth mechanism of ALD, most coatings are naturally pinhole-free. This feature is especially valuable in barrier and passivation applications. Major improvement in barrier properties can be achieved in a film thickness regime as low as of 10 nm.

Beneq and Particle ALD™ - leading the way

To further strengthen its offering in ALD of particles, Beneq has entered into a strategic partnership with ALD NanoSolutions, Inc., the pioneer and developer of Particle ALD™. Together, the two companies are developing equipment for research and industrial production for ALD with particles and powders. ALD NanoSolutions has extensive experience in developing ALD as a process for particulate matter, and holds an impressive patent portfolio in the field. Beneq draws on its acknowledged know-how in turning processes and applications into full-size production equipment.