A silicon material can include particles with a size between about 10 nanometers and 10 micrometers, where the particles can be porous or nonporous, and a coating disposed on the particles, wherein a thickness of the coating can be between about 1 nm and 1 μm. The coating can optionally include a carbon coating, graphite coating, or a polymeric coating.

Exemplary deposition methods may include introducing hydrogen into a processing chamber, a powder disposed within a processing region of the processing chamber. The method may include striking a first plasma in the processing region, the first plasma including energetic hydrogen species. The method may include exposing the powder to the energetic hydrogen species in the processing region. The method may include chemically reducing the powder through a reaction of the powder with the energetic hydrogen species. The method may include removing process effluents including unreacted hydrogen from the processing region. The method may also include forming a layer of material on grains of the powder within the processing region.

The present invention provides various passive electronic components comprising a layer of coated particles, and methods for producing and using the same. Some of the passive electronic components of the invention include, but are not limited to conductors, resistors, current collectors, capacitors, piezoelectronic devices, inductors and transformers. The present invention also provides energy storage devices and electrode layers for such energy storage devices having passive, electrically-conductive particles coated with one or more thin film materials.

The present invention provides various passive electronic components comprising a layer of coated particles, and methods for producing and using the same. Some of the passive electronic components of the invention include, but are not limited to conductors, resistors, current collectors, capacitors, piezoelectronic devices, inductors and transformers. The present invention also provides energy storage devices and electrode layers for such energy storage devices having passive, electrically-conductive particles coated with one or more thin film materials.

An atomic layer deposition apparatus for coating on fine powders is disclosed, which includes a vacuum chamber, a shaft sealing device, and a driving unit. The shaft sealing device includes an outer tube and an inner tube arranged in an accommodating space of the outer tube. The driving unit drives the vacuum chamber to rotate through the outer tube to agitate the fine powders in a reaction space of the vacuum chamber. An air extraction line and an air intake line are arranged in a connection space of the inner tube. The air extraction line is used to extract gas from the reaction space. The air intake line is used to transport non-reactive gas to the reaction space to blow the fine powders around in the reaction space and precursor gas to the reaction space to form thin films with uniform thickness on the surface of the fine powders.

An atomic layer deposition apparatus for coating particles is disclosed. The atomic layer deposition apparatus includes a vacuum chamber, a shaft sealing device, and a driving unit. The driving unit is connected to and drives the vacuum chamber to rotate through the shaft sealing device. The vacuum chamber includes a reaction space for accommodating a plurality of particles, wherein the reaction space has a polygonal columnar shape or a wavy circular columnar shape. An air extraction line and an air intake line are fluidly connected to the vacuum chamber, and the air intake line is used to transport a precursor gas and a non-reactive gas to the reaction space. Through the special shape of the reaction space together with the non-reactive gas, the particles in the reaction space can be effectively stirred to form a thin film with a uniform thickness on the surface of each particle.

A method of coating particles includes dispensing particles into a vacuum chamber to form a particle bed in at least a lower portion of the chamber that forms a half-cylinder, evacuating the chamber through a vacuum port in an upper portion of the chamber, rotating a paddle assembly such that a plurality of paddles orbit a drive shaft to stir the particles in the particle bed, injecting a reactant or precursor gas through a plurality of channels into the lower portion of the chamber as the paddle assembly rotates to coat the particles, and injecting the reactant or precursor gas or a purge gas through the plurality of channels at a sufficiently high velocity such that the reactant or precursor a purge gas de-agglomerates particles in the particle bed.

A reactor for coating particles includes one or more motors, a rotary vacuum chamber configured to hold particles to be coated, wherein the rotary vacuum chamber is coupled to the motors, a controller configured to cause the motors to rotate the rotary vacuum chamber about an axial axis of the rotary vacuum chamber such that the particles undergo tumbling agitation, a vacuum port to exhaust gas from the rotary vacuum chamber, a paddle assembly including a rotatable drive shaft extending through the rotary vacuum chamber and coupled to the motors and at least one paddle extending radially from the drive shaft, such that rotation of the drive shaft by the motors orbits the paddle about the drive shaft in a second direction, and a chemical delivery system including a gas outlet on the paddle configured inject process gas into the particles.

A reactor for coating particles includes one or more motors, a rotary vacuum chamber configured to hold particles to be coated, wherein the rotary vacuum chamber is coupled to the motors, a controller configured to cause the motors to rotate the rotary vacuum chamber about an axial axis of the rotary vacuum chamber such that the particles undergo tumbling agitation, a vacuum port to exhaust gas from the rotary vacuum chamber, a paddle assembly including a rotatable drive shaft extending through the rotary vacuum chamber and coupled to the motors and at least one paddle extending radially from the drive shaft, such that rotation of the drive shaft by the motors orbits the paddle about the drive shaft in a second direction, and a chemical delivery system including a gas outlet on the paddle configured inject process gas into the particles.

An atomic layer deposition device for massively coating micro-nano particles, includes a reaction chamber and a particle container, in which an inlet port is provided at a lower end of the reaction chamber, and an inlet pipe for introducing a precursor or a carrier gas is provided in the inlet port; a chamber door is provided at an upper end of the reaction chamber, so that the particle container can be freely placed in or removed out of the reaction chamber; an air inlet hole is provided at a lower end of the particle container, and the inlet pipe enters the particle container through the air inlet hole.