Electrochemical methods for making silicon nanopowder, silicon nanowires and silicon nanotubes

Abstract

An electrochemical method for producing Si nanopowder, Si nanowires and/or Si nanotubes directly from compound SiX or a mixture containing a silicon compound SiX, the method comprises: providing an electrolysis cell having a cathode, an anode and an electrolyte, using the compound SiX or the mixture containing compound SiX as a cathode and immersing the cathode in an electrolyte comprising a metal compound molten salt, applying a potential between the cathode and the anode in the electrolysis cell, and forming one or more of Si nanopowder, Si nanowires and Si nanotubes on the cathode electrode. The method has advantages of: 1) shorter production processing, 2) inexpensive equipment, 3) convenient operation, 4) reduction of contaminate, 5) easily available feed materials, and 6) easy to achieve continuous production. This is a new field of using electrochemical method for producing one-dimensional Si nano material, and a new method of producing Si nanopowder, Si nanowires and Si nanotubes.

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