Preparation of high purity crystalline silicon by electro-catalytic reduction of sodium hexafluorosilicate with sodium below 180 °C.
The growing field of silicon solar cells requires a substantial reduction in the cost of semiconductor grade silicon, which has been mainly produced by the rod-based Siemens method. Because silicon can react with almost all of the elements and form a number of alloys at high temperatures, it is high...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2014-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/25153509/pdf/?tool=EBI |
| Summary: | The growing field of silicon solar cells requires a substantial reduction in the cost of semiconductor grade silicon, which has been mainly produced by the rod-based Siemens method. Because silicon can react with almost all of the elements and form a number of alloys at high temperatures, it is highly desired to obtain high purity crystalline silicon at relatively low temperatures through low cost process. Here we report a fast, complete and inexpensive reduction method for converting sodium hexafluorosilicate into silicon at a relatively low reaction temperature (∼ 200 °C). This temperature could be further decreased to less than 180 °C in combination with an electrochemical approach. The residue sodium fluoride is dissolved away by pure water and hydrochloric acid solution in later purifying processes below 15 °C. High purity silicon in particle form can be obtained. The relative simplicity of this method might lead to a low cost process in producing high purity silicon. |
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| ISSN: | 1932-6203 |