Nanocomposites including gallium arsenide and silicon

A nanocomposite comprising:

• silicon (Si);
• gallium arsenide (GaAs);
• and
• one or more additives, wherein the one or more additives are homogeneously distributed throughout the nanocomposite, the one or more additives comprise a material with greater hardness than Si or GaAs, and the one or more additives are 0.0001 wt % to 20 wt % of the nanocomposite.

A nanocomposite comprising:

• silicon (Si) that is at least about 99.99 wt % pure;
• and
• gallium arsenide (GaAs) that forms a homogeneous mixture with the Si, wherein the GaAs is at least about 99.99 wt % pure, and the nanocomposite has a molar ratio of the Si to the GaAs of about 1:9 to about 9:1;
• wherein
• the nanocomposite comprises independent phases of the Si and the GaAs that are distinct from one another,
• the nanocomposite is substantially free of phases of the Si and phases of the GaAs that are combined or indistinct from one another, and
• the independent phase of the Si and the independent phase of the GaAs independently have a largest dimension of 50 nm to 400 nm.