The commercial path is presented for Particle Atomic Layer Deposition (Particle ALD) where a laboratory curiosity particle functionalization process resulted in new businesses. The technology is a platform technology and business decisions revolved around which products to develop and how to get over the proverbial valley of death. Related technical challenges revolved around making technology believers out of skeptics for the novel coating of particles to functionalize surfaces, low cost, and scalability. Particle ALD represented significant advances in the ability to control surface functionalization at the atomic scale with near-perfect films around fine particles, including nanoparticles. Key to success was an understanding of scientific and engineering fundamentals, intellectual property to protect the risk takers, and viable market opportunities for products providing for cost/performance advantages over the competition with lower cost products for the end-user. An inside perspective is provided for this success story with the hope that others with similar academic opportunities can plod forward in the face of similar inevitable headwinds. It’s easy to quit and the road from a laboratory curiosity to a commercial process/product is not an easy one. ALD NanoSolutions and Forge Nano merged in 2020 to capitalize on technology spun out of the University of Colorado Boulder. With five strategic industrial partners and support from the Department of Energy, a commercial battery plant is starting up in 2026. A process for passivating LED phosphors was commercialized and films for controlling the release of a vaccine should be commercial soon. Many future applications for the platform Particle ALD technology have most likely not yet been realized.
