RESEARCH AREAS

Jeffrey Elam

Jeffrey Elam Chemist Argonne National Laboratory P: 630-252-7979 E: jelam@anl.gov Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory B.A., Cornell; Ph.D., University of Chicago

Biographical Sketch

Jeffrey Elam is a chemist in the Energy Systems Division at Argonne National Laboratory. He performed postdoctoral work at the University of Colorado in Boulder where he investigated the surface chemistry controlling the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of ultrathin metal and metal-oxide films. Jeff has published nearly sixty articles in peer-reviewed journals and is a co-inventor on seven patent applications. 

Research Statement

At Argonne, Jeff leads a research program that focuses on ALD thin film coating technology. The goals of this program are to develop advanced ALD coating methods, to pioneer new applications for ALD technology, and to commercialize these applications.  Two of Jeff’s current research interests are the synthesis of heterogeneous catalysts and the fabrication of nanostructured dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).

As part of our research in the ANSER center and in collaboration with Northwestern University, we are developing nanostructured electrodes for DSSCs that will improve their performance. Dye-sensitized solar cells represent an attractive, low-cost alternative to conventional crystalline silicon photovoltaics because DSSCs can be manufactured using abundant and inexpensive materials and don’t require energy-intensive high temperature manufacturing.  In our lab, we are developing ALD methods to functionalize high surface area templates such as anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes and thin film aerogels using transparent conducting oxide (TCO) and wide bandgap semiconducting oxide thin films.  These new electrodes provide greater light harvesting as well as improved charge collection and charge transport as compared with conventional DSSC anodes fabricated using TiO2 nanoparticle films. 

In addition, we are developing techniques for synthesizing new TCO materials using ALD.  For instance, indium tin oxide (ITO) is the dominant commercial TCO material in use today, but indium is a scarce and expensive material, so low-cost alternatives that the maintain high transparency and conductivity of ITO are greatly needed for applications in photovoltaics, solid state lighting, commercial displays, and other industries.  Consequently, we are researching ALD methods using non-halogenated chemical precursors that allow porous materials to be infiltrated and conformally coated to enable advances in these technologies.

Publications

• “Aerogel Templated ZnO Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells”, T. W. Hamann, A. B. F. Martinson, J. W. Elam, M. J. Pellin, and J. T. Hupp, Advanced Materials, 20, 1560-1564 (2008).
• “Atomic Layer Deposition of Indium Tin Oxide Films Using Nonhalogenated Precursors”, J. W. Elam, D. A. Baker, A. J.  Hryn, A. B. F. Martinson, M. J. Pellin, and J. T. Hupp, J. Phys. Chem. C, 112, 1938-1945 (2007).
• “ZnO Nanotube Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells”, A. B. F. Martinson, J. W. Elam, J. T. Hupp, and M. J. Pellin, Nano Letters, 7 (8) 2183-2187 (2007).
• “Atomic Layer Deposition of In2O3 Using Cyclopentadienyl Indium: A New Synthetic Route to Transparent Conducting Oxide Films”, J. W. Elam, A. B. F. Martinson, M. J. Pellin, and J. T. Hupp, Chemistry of Materials, 18, 3571-3578 (2006).
• “Radial Electron Collection in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells”,  B. F. Martinson, J. W. Elam, J. Liu, J. T. Hupp, and M. J. Pellin, Nano Letters, in press (2008).

Most Significant Honors & Awards

• Seven patents