Atomic layer deposition (ALD) provides a promising route for depositing uniform thin-film electrodes for Li-ion batteries. In this work, bis(methylcyclopentadienyl) nickel(II) (Ni(MeCp)₂) and bis(cyclopentadienyl) nickel(II) (NiCp₂) were used as precursors for NiO ALD. Oxygen plasma was used as a counter-reactant. The films were studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray reflectometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results show that the optimal temperature for the deposition for NiCp₂ was 200–300 °C, but the optimal Ni(MeCp)₂ growth per ALD cycle was 0.011–0.012 nm for both precursors at 250–300 °C. The films deposited using NiCp₂ and oxygen plasma at 300 °C using optimal ALD condition consisted mainly of stoichiometric polycrystalline NiO with high density (6.6 g/cm³) and low roughness (0.34 nm). However, the films contain carbon impurities. The NiO films (thickness 28–30 nm) deposited on stainless steel showed a specific capacity above 1300 mAh/g, which is significantly more than the theoretical capacity of bulk NiO (718 mAh/g) because it includes the capacity of the NiO film and the pseudo-capacity of the gel-like solid electrolyte interface film. The presence of pseudo-capacity and its increase during cycling is discussed based on a detailed analysis of cyclic voltammograms and charge–discharge curves (U(C)).

Lithium nickelate (LiNiO₂) and materials based on it are attractive positive electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries, owing to their large capacity. In this paper, the results of atomic layer deposition (ALD) of lithium–nickel–silicon oxide thin films using lithium hexamethyldisilazide (LiHMDS) and bis(cyclopentadienyl) nickel (II) (NiCp₂) as precursors and remote oxygen plasma as a counter-reagent are reported. Two approaches were studied: ALD using supercycles and ALD of the multilayered structure of lithium oxide, lithium nickel oxide, and nickel oxides followed by annealing. The prepared films were studied by scanning electron microscopy, spectral ellipsometry, X-ray diffraction, X-ray reflectivity, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and selected-area electron diffraction. The pulse ratio of LiHMDS/Ni(Cp)₂ precursors in one supercycle ranged from 1/1 to 1/10. Silicon was observed in the deposited films, and after annealing, crystalline Li₂SiO₃ and Li₂Si₂O₅ were formed at 800 °C. Annealing of the multilayered sample caused the partial formation of LiNiO₂. The obtained cathode materials possessed electrochemical activity comparable with the results for other thin-film cathodes.

Nanostructured metal oxides (MOs) demonstrate good electrochemical properties and are regarded as promising anode materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The capacity of nickel-cobalt oxides-based materials is among the highest for binary transition metals oxide (TMOs). In the present paper, we report the investigation of Ni-Co-O (NCO) thin films obtained by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using nickel and cobalt metallocenes in a combination with oxygen plasma. The formation of NCO films with different ratios of Ni and Co was provided by ALD cycles leading to the formation of nickel oxide (a) and cobalt oxide (b) in one supercycle (linear combination of a and b cycles). The film thickness was set by the number of supercycles. The synthesized films had a uniform chemical composition over the depth with an admixture of metallic nickel and carbon up to 4 at.%. All samples were characterized by a single NixCo1-xO phase with a cubic face-centered lattice and a uniform density. The surface of the NCO films was uniform, with rare inclusions of nanoparticles 15–30 nm in diameter. The growth rates of all films on steel were higher than those on silicon substrates, and this difference increased with increasing cobalt concentration in the films. In this paper, we propose a method for processing cyclic voltammetry curves for revealing the influence of individual components (nickel oxide, cobalt oxide and solid electrolyte interface—SEI) on the electrochemical capacity. The initial capacity of NCO films was augmented with an increase of nickel oxide content.

In this work, we study the influence of the surface properties of ultrafine grained (UFG) and coarse grained (CG) titanium on the morphology, viability, proliferation and differentiation of osteoblast-like MG-63 cells. Wet chemical etching in H₂SO₄/H₂O₂ and NH₄OH/H₂O₂ solutions was used for producing surfaces with varying morphology, topography, composition and wettability. The topography and morphology have been studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The composition was determined by time of flight mass-spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that it is possible to obtain samples with different compositions, hydrophilicity, topography and nanoscale or/and microscale structures by changing the etching time and the type of etching solution. It was found that developed topography and morphology can improve spreading and proliferation rate of MG-63 cells. A significant advantage of the samples of the UFG series in comparison with CG in adhesion, proliferation at later stages of cultivation (7 days), higher alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and faster achievement of its maximum values was found. However, there is no clear benefit of the UFG series on osteopontin (OPN) expression. All studied samples showed no cytotoxicity towards MG-63 cells and promoted their osteogenic differentiation.

Due to the demand for wearable and implantable microelectronic devices (MED), there is growing interest in the development of thin-film lithium-ion microbatteries (LiBs) with high-energy density. The high cost of production is an issue restraining thin-film LiBs’ wide application. Inkjet printing is a method of applying materials to the substrate surface: ink droplets formed on piezoelectric nozzles fall on the substrate, whereafter evaporation of the solvent thin layer of film is formed. The proposed technology can simplify the production of LiBs for MED and reduce their cost. The present work reports the results of inkjet printing 3D cathode development for LiBs. The 3D printed cathodes were produced using synthesized Li-rich cathode material (Li_1.2+xMn_0.54Ni_0.13Co_0.13O₂, 0 < x < 0.05) which has a larger capacity (>250 mAh/g) in comparison with the materials used in modern lithium-ion cells. For LiB electrode printing, the non-aqueous solvent-based inks were used. The prepared cathode material was dispersed in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. The effect of various additives such as ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, propylene glycol on the viscosity and stability of the ink was studied. Inkjet printing was performed with the use of a Dimatix Material Printer 2831. Substrate temperature, number of layers and other parameters were varied to determine the optimal printing conditions.