Nanotubular metal–insulator–metal capacitor arrays for energy storage

Abstract

Nanostructured devices have the potential to serve as the basis for next-generation energy systems that make use of densely packed interfaces and thin films. One approach to making such devices is to build multilayer structures of large area inside the open volume of a nanostructured template. Here, we report the use of atomic layer deposition to fabricate arrays of metal-insulator-metal nanocapacitors in anodic aluminium oxide nanopores. These highly regular arrays have a capacitance per unit planar area of approximately 10 microF cm-2 for 1-microm-thick anodic aluminium oxide and approximately 100 microF cm-2 for 10-microm-thick anodic aluminium oxide, significantly exceeding previously reported values for metal-insulator-metal capacitors in porous templates. It should be possible to scale devices fabricated with this approach to make viable energy storage systems that provide both high energy density and high power density.

Aluminum-based materials for advanced battery systems

“…In the past decade, the size-dependent breakdowns of superconductivity have drawn particular attention in small diameter NWs [166][167][168]. Nowadays, potential application prospect of metal NWs becomes broader and more attractive, including sensors [172], interconnects [173], ultra-high-density magnetic recording and spintronics [174], transparent current collectors for touch screens and organic solar cells [175], fuel cells [176], current collectors for LIBs [177,178], active anodes for LIBs [179], catalysis [180], hydrogen storage [181], capacitors [182] and supercapacitors [183,184].…”

Protecting silver cultural heritage objects with atomic layer deposited corrosion barriers

“…The RMS roughness determined from the hazy area is 50.7 ± 4.9 nm, or roughly twice that from the clear area, where we measured a value of 24.0 ± 3.9 nm. Typically, minimal changes to the RMS roughness are observed after applying ALD Al 2 O 3 films [33]; indeed this type of coating produces extreme conformality [23,24]. As an uncoated sterling silver had a RMS roughness of 19.5 ± 2.4 nm and after a 100 nm thick Al 2 O 3 ALD film was applied, the RMS roughness was not significantly changed at 18.7 ± 0.8 nm.…”

“…The self-limiting nature of the chemistries implemented in ALD process produce high quality, dense and nearly pinhole-free films with thickness control at the atomic level, excellent thickness uniformity and unequalled conformality. ALD has been demonstrated to produce films that are nearly perfectly conformal even for nanoporous substrates whose pore depth to diameter ratio far exceeds ten to one [22][23][24].…”

Understanding the Mechanisms that Affect the Quality of Electrochemically Grown Semiconducting Nanowires

“…AAO is also optically transparent, electrically insulating, thermally and mechanically robust and chemically inert. Nanowire arrays that are grown in AAO template pores are used in many applications such as energy conversion [1], energy-storage devices [2,3], electronics [4], metamaterials [5], optoelectronics [6], photonics [7], and piezoelectrics [8]. Template-assisted electrochemical growth of large-scale nanowire arrays is attractive because they are readily scalable to mass production.…”