Synergistic Engineering of Nanostructures via Anodic Aluminum Oxide Templates and Atomic Layer Deposition: Design Principles, Mechanisms, and Applications

Abstract

Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates integrated with atomic layer deposition (ALD) provide a uniquely controllable platform for engineering functional nanostructures within highly ordered, high‐aspect‐ratio (HAR) porous architectures. AAO offers scalable, long‐range ordered nanopore arrays with independently tunable geometric parameters, while ALD enables conformal, thickness‐controlled coatings via self‐limiting surface reactions. This combination transforms AAO from a passive scaffold into an actively engineerable system in which precursor transport, nucleation, and growth kinetics can be codesigned. In this review, we establish a unified framework for the AAO‐ALD hybrid platform by connecting (i) geometry‐ and transport‐governed conformality modeling in HAR pores, (ii) AAO surface chemistry and pretreatment strategies that regulate nucleation and incubation behavior, and (iii) ALD process strategies such as exposure engineering, pulse‐sequence control, and plasma‐assisted routes that expand the accessible materials space and structural outcomes. We then critically survey application‐specific implementations across energy storage, catalysis, and sensing, highlighting key structure–property relationships enabled by ordered confinement and conformal functionalization. Finally, we discuss remaining challenges—including throughput limits in extreme HAR infiltration, precursor/material constraints, AAO‐specific integration issues, and metrology gaps—and outline computational and AI‐enabled opportunities for predictive design and autonomous optimization of AAO‐ALD nanomanufacturing.