Jeffrey Elam, senior chemistry at Argonne National Laboratory, will give the lecture "Chemical vapor fictionization of battery materials" at 3:05 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, in 10 Sparks Building at Penn State University Park.
The event is part of the Penn State Department of Materials Science and Engineering's (MatSE) 590 Seminar series. The talk is free and open to the public.
Elam, an Argonne Distinguished Fellow, directs a program in atomic layer deposition (ALD) science and technology with the goal of developing new applications for ALD in fields such as energy storage, water treatment and large-area detectors.
ALD is a thin-film growth technique that offers the unique capability to coat complex, three-dimensional objects with precise, conformal layers. In addition, ALD allows atomic-level control over the thickness and composition of the deposit.
"Next-generation energy storage technologies demand superb control over interfaces, and ALD is a powerful strategy for controlling interfacial properties," Elam said. "Numerous reports have described how ALD coatings can suppress undesirable electrochemical reactions at the electrode-electrolyte interfaces to increase capacity, improve cycling stability and allow faster charging; however, the surface chemical changes induced by the individual ALD precursors are less studied and the unique surface chemistries of battery anodes, cathodes and solid-state electrolytes enable chemical vapor transformations beyond traditional layer-by-layer ALD that can lead to useful outcomes."
During his talk, Elam will discuss his recent research examining the surface chemistry of ALD precursors on lithium metal anodes, lithium metal oxide cathodes and Li-argyrodite solid-state electrolytes and how this provides new avenues to systematically control the interfaces in lithium batteries that are not possible by conventional methods.
Elam has authored more than 300 scientific publications and is an inventor on more than 100 patents and applications related to ALD. In 2018, he was named as a fellow of AVS: Science & Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and Processing, formerly known as the American Vacuum Society, and in 2024 he was named as a fellow of the Electrochemical Society.
Elam earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Cornell University and a doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of Chicago. Following postdoctoral research at the University of Colorado, he joined the Argonne National Laboratory in 2002.
About MatSE 590 Seminar Series
The Fall 2026 MatSE 590 Seminar series offer graduate students, faculty, and the general public a wide range of lectures featuring invited speakers from academia and industry, providing a platform for sharing research, exploring emerging topics and fostering interdisciplinary dialogue in materials science and engineering.
Support for the MatSE 590 Seminar series is made possible through the generous contributions of industry partners through the Friends of MatSE program.
