Education
- Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder (2008)
- M.S., Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University (2003)
- B.S., Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University (2001)
Fine particles have gained increased interest in a variety of fields for different applications. The performance of the particle applications could be improved when such particles are coated with ultra-thin inorganic or organic films, which can alter the surface characteristics without degrading the bulk properties of the substrate materials. These requirements exclude most thin film deposition techniques with the exception of atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD methods are based on sequential, self-limiting surface reactions, and have been employed to grow films with precise atomic layer control. ALD has focused principally on the formation of dense thin film oxides, metals, or semiconductor alloys on solid substrates. Molecular layer deposition (MLD), which is similar to ALD, can be utilized to deposit polymer films. The MLD technique offers the same advantages for polymer film deposition as ALD does for ceramic films. In addition, MLD can deposit hybrid polymer films using suitable precursors, such as trimethylaluminum (TMA) and ethylene glycol (EG) for aluminum alkoxide (alucone) hybrid polymer.