Evaluation Report Publications of the Academy of Finland 1/11

4.5  Aalto University, Inorganic Chemistry
Overview
The unit’s average personnel over the review period was 1–1.5 professors, two 
postdoctoral researchers and seven PhD students. The unit has changed its head 
during the review period and recently expanded the number of PhD students to more 
than ten. The unit’s core funding accounts for 62 per cent of the total funding and its 
external funding comes from the Academy of Finland, Tekes and industry. 
Research profile
In line with the strategy of AU, the unit’s own overall strategy is to improve and 
increase the efficiency and environmental sustainability of processes using natural 
resources and products using new materials. The unit’s projects relate to the modern 
areas of sustainable energy technologies, new materials and nanotechnology. The 
tools are principally tailored oxide synthesis combined with atomic layer deposition 
(ALD). The group is among the pioneers in this field. The unit also aims at advances 
in basic and applied science and at the education of young scientists in new materials 
research.
The group is small but productive and tackles problems in a number of significant 
areas. The research covers both the basic science of inorganic materials and the 
development of new technological useful materials. ALD is used for the formation of 
complex oxide films on a variety of substrates. New oxides are synthesised with 
potential applications in superconductivity, thermoelectrics, electrodes for fuel cells 
and batteries, oxygen separation and storage and spintronics. A recent new 
development is the use of ultra-high pressure in ALD processing.