Earlier today, group member Joe Whitmore presented his Ph.D. thesis proposal “Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) on Non-traditional Substrates for Aerospace and Separation Process Applications,” research that is co-advised by Prof. Chen Zhang of our ChBE Department. Joe’s research will demonstrate the use of ALD on novel substrate materials and geometries for two applications: tunably permeable coatings for high efficiency separation membranes and single-element metal films for aerospace component fabrication. Connecting both applications is the need to fundamentally understand ALD nucleation and bulk film growth mechanisms. Joe’s research will take place both in our on-campus thin-film lab as well as NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. His work is supported by NASA and NSF.