Thin-film Energy Systems at the Sustainability Frontier: Integrating Performance, Manufacturing Burden and Circularity
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Thin-film technologies have become indispensable to modern energy systems, underpinning thermoelectric generators, electrochemical energy-storage devices, photovoltaics, electrocatalysts and advanced thermal-management platforms. Their appeal extends beyond miniaturization. Thin films provide access to interfaces, transport pathways, heterostructures and device geometries that cannot be achieved readily in bulk materials. Historically, progress in these fields has been assessed through isolated performance metrics, such as thermoelectric figure of merit, photovoltaic power-conversion efficiency, catalytic activity or electrochemical cycling stability. Although these metrics remain essential, they are increasingly insufficient to predict real-world technological impact. System-level performance is now governed by the coupling between material selection, deposition strategy, interface quality, device architecture, manufacturing intensity, resource security and end-of-life recovery.
Institution: Brigham Young University
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7170140815