Silicon Nanoparticles
Silicon Nanowire
Nano Scale (nm) Si

Silicon (Si) Nanoparticles, nanowire or Nanopowder are spherical high surface area metal particles. Nanoscale Silicon Particles are typically 5-25 nanometers (nm) with specific surface area (SSA) in the 30 - 70 m 2 /g range and also available with an average particle size of 80 -100 nm range with a specific surface area of approximately 5 - 10 m 2 /g. Thin film deposition of Silicon Nanoparticle quantum dots on the polycrystalline silicon substrate of a photovoltaic (solar) cell increases voltage output as much as 60% by fluorescing the incoming light prior to capture. Nano Silicon Particles are also available in ultra high purity and high purity and carbon coated and dispersed forms. They are also available as a nanofluid through the AE Nanofluid production group. Nanofluids are generally defined as suspended nanoparticles in solution either using surfactant or surface charge technology. Nanofluid dispersion and coating selection technical guidance is also available. Other nanostructures include nanorods, nanowhiskers, nanohorns, nanopyramids and other nanocomposites. Surface functionalized nanoparticles allow for the particles to be preferentially adsorbed at the surface interface using chemically bound polymers. Development research is underway in Nano Electronics and Photonics materials, such as MEMS and NEMS, Bio Nano Materials, such as Biomarkers, Bio Diagnostics & Bio Sensors, and Related Nano Materials, for use in Polymers, Textiles, Fuel Cell Layers, Composites and Solar Energy materials. Nanopowders are analyzed for chemical composition by ICP, particle size distribution (PSD) by laser diffraction, and for Specific Surface Area (SSA) by BET multi-point correlation techniques. Novel nanotechnology applications also include Quantum Dots. High surface areas can also be achieved using solutions and using thin film by sputtering targets and evaporation technology using pellets, rod and foil. Applications for silicon nanocrystals include in luminescent display devises due to their broader excitation spectra, as building blocks for single-nanoparticle electronic devices, in micro and integrated semiconductors, in solar energy cells, for production of silicon nanotubes and in nanowire, nanofiber and and in certain alloy applications . Further research is being done for their potential electrical, optical, imaging, and bioscience properties. Silicon Nano Particles are generally immediately available in most volumes. Additional technical, research and safety (MSDS) information is available.

Silicon Nanoparticles have been shown to dramatically expand the storage capacity of lithium ion batteries without degrading the silicon during the expansion/contraction cycle that occurs as power is charged and discharged. Silicon has long been known to have an excellent affinity for storage of positively charged lithium cations making them ideal candidates for next generation lithium ion batteries. However, the quick degradation of silicon storage units has made them commercially unfeasible for most applications. Silicon Nanowires however, cycle without significant degradation and present the potential for use in batteries with greatly expanded storage times.

Silicon for solar energy applications includes p-type and n-type silicon thin film layers which can be fabricated by deposition utilizing AE Solar Energy silicon. Silicon-based photovoltaic cells (PV Cells) for solar energy are fabricated from a positively charged or p-type silicon layer underneath a negatively charged or n-type silicon layer. See Safety information.

Silicon is a Block P, Group 14, Period 3 element. The electronic configuration is [Ne] 3s² 3p². In its elemental form silicon's CAS number is 7440-21-3. The silicon atom has a radius of 117.6.pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 210.pm. Silicon is one of man's most useful elements. It makes up 25.7% of the earth's crust, by weight, and is the second most abundant element, being exceeded only by oxygen. The Czochralski process is commonly used to produce single crystals of silicon used for solid-state or semiconductor devices. Silica, as sand, is a principal ingredient of glass, one of the most inexpensive of materials with excellent mechanical, optical, thermal, and electrical properties.