A new approach was adopted to improve the corrosion resistance of CrN hard coatings by inserting a Al2O3 layer through atomic layer deposition. The influence of the addition of a Al2O3 interlayer, its thickness, and the position of its insertion on the microstructure, surface roughness, corrosion behavior, and mechanical properties of the coatings was investigated. The results indicated that addition of a dense atomic layer deposited Al2O3 interlayer led to a significant decrease in the average grain size and surface roughness and to greatly improved corrosion resistance and corrosion durability of CrN coatings while maintaining their mechanical properties. Increasing the thickness of the Al2O3 interlayer and altering its insertion position so that it was near the surface of the coating also resulted in superior performance of the coating. The mechanism of this effect can be explained by the dense Al2O3 interlayer acting as a good sealing layer that inhibits charge transfer, diffusion of corrosive substances, and dislocation motion.

Reported herein is comprehensive study of a highly active and stable cobalt catalyst for overall water splitting. This composite SFCNF/Co1−xS@CoN, consisting of S‐doped flexible carbon nanofiber (SFCNF) matrix, Co1−xS nanoparticles, and CoN coatings, is prepared by integration of electrospinning and atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. Representative results include the following: 1) ultrathin CoN layer is deposited by ALD on the surface of flexible substrate without any sacrifice of SFCNF and Co1−xS; 2) the composite exhibits strong electrocatalytic activity in both acidic and basic solutions. The overpotentials of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are 20 and 180 mV, respectively, at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in basic medium. A small Tafel slope of 54.4 mV dec−1 is observed in 0.5 m H2SO4 electrolyte; 3) tested as overall water splitting electrode, the composite records a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at a relative low cell voltage of 1.58 V and long‐term stability for 20 h at a current density of up to 50 mA cm−2. The superior performance for overall water splitting is probably attributed to the synergistic effect of Co1−xS and ALD CoN. Specifically, implementation of ALD can be extended to innovate nanostructured materials for overall water splitting and even other renewable energy aspects.

Pt thin films, using the Pt precursor, dimethyl­(N,N-dimethyl-3-butene-1-amine-N)­platinum (DDAP, C8H19NPt), were deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The growth characteristics of the Pt thin films were systemically investigated. A saturated growth rate was obtained with an increase in precursor and reactant pulse times, revealing the nature of the ALD self-limiting process. The growth rate increased with increasing deposition temperature and finally became saturated above 280 °C, showing a high growth rate of 0.85 Å/cycle. The short incubation time for Pt nucleation promoted the growth characteristics, which can be favorable for catalytic applications. The high reactivity and small adsorbate size produced the relatively high growth rate of the Pt thin films deposited with the DDAP precursor. A very low resistivity, close to the value of bulk Pt, was obtained for all Pt thin films deposited at various temperatures. The low resistivity was due to the similar crystalline structure and very high purity of the Pt thin films at all deposition temperatures explored in this study. In addition, Pt thin films were also deposited on a high-aspect-ratio substrate and showed good uniformity and step coverage, with a constant work function, which can be promising for electrode applications. Synthesis of Pt films by ALD using the DDAP Pt precursor and O2 is a noteworthy approach for obtaining films with a high growth rate and low resistivity.

Reported herein is an active and durable CoN‐containing oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst which efficiently functions in a neutral medium (pH ≈7). The composite material (N, S)‐RGO@CoN is synthesized by delicate atomic layer deposition (ALD) of CoN on a nitrogen and sulfur (N, S) co‐doped reduced graphene oxide (RGO) substrate. Representative results of the comprehensive study are: 1) The flower‐like sphere RGO substrate prepared by spray drying method features rich physical and chemical properties, which are beneficial for rapid mass/charge transfer to improve the intrinsic OER process; 2) the optimal ALD material for OER tests is afforded by tuning spray conditions and ALD parameters. Versatile structural and compositional characterizations confirm uniform growth and strong chemical coupling of nanostructured CoN on (N, S)‐RGO matrix; 3) the material is electrocatalytically active and durable in a neutral electrolyte, recording an OER overpotential of 220 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and stability of 20 h continuous catalysis at 20 mA cm−2 with nearly 100% Faradic efficiency; 4) Upon the experimental studies and density functional theory calculations, the eventual mechanism of remarkable OER activity conforms to the structural fate of ALD CoN electronic coupling to the carbon substrate.

An efficient and durable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst consisting of TiN @ Co5.47N is constructed by the integration of plasma nitriding and a delicate atomic layer deposition (ALD) CoxN process. Representative results of comprehensive study are: 1) the material is electrocatalytically active in universal medium. The OER overpotentials are 398, 248, and 411 mV in acidic, basic, and neutral electrolyte, respectively, at a current density of 50 mA cm−2; 2) the material records an impressive long‐term stability of continuous catalysis for 1500 h, during which the overpotential increases by only 1.3%. The synergistically electronic interaction between TiN and ALD Co5.47N, as well as a protective yet active CoTi layered double hydroxides (CoTi LDH) layer formed simultaneously at the interface/surface of TiN @ Co5.47N during the electrocatalytic process, is speculated to be responsible for the superior OER performance; 3) the surface Co atoms other than Ti of CoTi LDH, exhibit electrocatalytic activity with dramatically low overpotential based on density functional theory calculations.