Elam named as a Fellow of the Electrochemical Society

Elam’s contributions to thin film coating science and technology have advanced the field as it develops into a major factor in modern materials science

2024-09-19

(Press-News.org) Jeffrey Elam, senior chemist, Distinguished Fellow, and founder of the atomic layer deposition (ALD) research program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, was named as a fellow of the Electrochemical Society (ECS), which focuses on advancing theory and practice at the forefront of electrochemical and solid-state science and technology. Elam, who has been with the lab since 2002, has been a trailblazer in thin film coating science and technology for over 20 years, with contributions including more than 300 scientific publications and 50 U.S. patents that have earned numerous prestigious awards.

When Elam arrived at Argonne in 2002, he brought with him a wealth of knowledge and experience gained through his postdoctoral research at the University of Colorado in a relatively new technology for synthesizing thin film coatings, ALD.

“When I came to Argonne it was a new field,” he said. “Not many people were working in this area, but it had lots of potential because these ultra-thin film coatings can be used to enhance or improve a broad range of devices. For instance, coatings with a thickness of only a few atoms can improve the performance and lifetime of lithium batteries, prevent fouling of polymer membranes used in water treatment, or increase the efficiency of low-cost solar cells.”

In the years since Elam started at Argonne, he has seen the field grow with more scientists and engineers using ALD in their research and ALD coatings being integrated into a wide variety of commercial products. ALD is playing a critical and growing role in microelectronics manufacturing and is being utilized in many steps of the chip making process. Elam is currently working on the ALD of 2D materials that will enable ultra-low power microelectronics.

“When I came to Argonne […] not many people were working in this area, but it had lots of potential because these ultra-thin film coatings can be used to enhance or improve a broad range of devices.” — Jeff Elam, Argonne National Laboratory

Elam has not only advanced his expertise in ALD but also earned five R&D 100 Awards. Known as the “Oscars of Innovation,” these prestigious awards recognize 100 pioneering researchers each year for their groundbreaking contributions to science and technology. The awards recognize his development of innovations including durable diamond-based seals, advanced particle detection plates, anti-static coatings for electronics, precise patterning methods for microelectronics and a reusable sponge for oil spill cleanup.

Elam also helped develop the world’s largest microchannel plate (MCP), a solid-state, 2-dimensional electron amplifier critical to a variety of imaging and sensing applications. He used nanocomposite coatings to create a manufacturing strategy for MCPs that drove down cost, improved performance and widened applications. Elam received a B.A. in Chemistry from Cornell University and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Chicago. His work in the George Lab at UColorado focused on surface science and thin film growth, which set him on the path toward his ongoing research programs in ALD.

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology by conducting leading-edge basic and applied research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science.

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