Synthesis of Nanosilicon from Natural Sand

Oct 13, 2025 by windailys.com 100 views

The synthesis of nanosilicon from natural sand has been a topic of interest in recent years due to its potential applications in various fields, including electronics, photonics, and energy storage. One of the key challenges in synthesizing nanosilicon is the need to control its physical and chemical characteristics, such as purity, particle size, and porosity. In this study, we investigated the effect of adding potassium halide salt (KCl and KBR) on the characteristics of nanosilicon synthesized from natural sand through the magnesiothermic process.

Synthesis of Nanosilicon from Natural Sand

The synthesis of nanosilicon from natural sand involves several steps, including extracting silica from natural sand using 10 N NaOH and HCl 6 N solution, followed by analysis using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The ultrasound procedure is carried out by the ratio of mole SiO2 to salt (KCl and KBR) of 1:10. After that, silica is reduced to silicon through the magnesiotermic process with a mole ratio of SiO2 to Magnesium (Mg) of 1: 2, at 800ºC for 6 hours. Purification of nanosililicon is done by adding a mixture of water deionization and ethanol, as well as HCl 5 N and HF 10%.

Effect of KCl and KBR on Nanosilicon Characteristics

The addition of KCl and KBR salt has a significant impact on the physical and chemical characteristics of nanosililicon. The XRD analysis shows that the addition of KCL and KBR each reached the purity level of 86.6% and 77.7%, respectively. The distribution of nanosililic particle size produced with the addition of KCl ranging from 49.43 Nm to 83.95 Nm, while the addition of KBR ranges from 43.21 Nm to 153.89 Nm. In addition, the EDX spectrum of the Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) scanning shows the existence of a significant amount of silicone elements in nanosililicon with the addition of KCL.

Isotherm Adsorption Analysis

The isotherm adsorption analysis uses the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method in both salt shows the type IV isotherm curve, with an average pore size of 3,178 Nm for KCL and 4,266 Nm for KBR. This indicates that the addition of KCL and KBR has a significant impact on the porosity of nanosililicon.

Discussion and Conclusion

The use of potassium halide salt, such as KCL and KBR, in nanosililone synthesis through the magnesiotermic method has a significant impact on the physical and chemical characteristics of the resulting nanosililone. KCL has a higher level of purity than KBR, this can be caused by differences in reactivity and the ability of chloride ions in facilitating the silica reduction process into silicon. KCL as a more ionic salt may be more effective in regulating the crystallization process during the magnesiotermic process.

The distribution of nanosililicon particle size also shows an interesting difference between the two salt. The addition of KCl produces smaller particle sizes compared to KBR. This can have an impact on the properties of nanosilicon reactivity, where smaller particle size usually provides a broader surface, so that it can increase its effectiveness in various applications, including in electronic and photonic fields.

In addition, the results of the analysis of the bet which showed a different pore size between KCL and KBR also provided important information about the structure of nanosililic porosity. A good pore structure is very important in the application of catalysis, energy storage, and gas separation. Higher porosity in nanosililicon with KBR can indicate different application potential compared to nanosililicon obtained by adding KCl.

Overall, the addition of potassium halide salt in the synthesis of nanosililon from natural sand magnesiothermic shows an important role in modifying the characteristics of nanosililicon. This finding can open new opportunities in developing nanosililic-based materials for various advanced technology applications.

Future Work

Future work should focus on optimizing the synthesis conditions to improve the purity and particle size of nanosililicon. Additionally, the effect of different potassium halide salts on the characteristics of nanosililicon should be investigated. Furthermore, the application potential of nanosililicon synthesized with KCL and KBR should be explored in various fields, including electronics, photonics, and energy storage.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the addition of potassium halide salt (KCl and KBR) has a significant impact on the physical and chemical characteristics of nanosililicon synthesized from natural sand through the magnesiothermic process. The results of this study provide important information about the effect of KCL and KBR on the characteristics of nanosililicon and can open new opportunities in developing nanosililic-based materials for various advanced technology applications.

Recommendations

Based on the results of this study, the following recommendations are made:

The use of KCL is recommended for synthesizing nanosililicon with high purity and small particle size.
The use of KBR is recommended for synthesizing nanosililicon with high porosity and potential application in catalysis, energy storage, and gas separation.
Further research is needed to optimize the synthesis conditions and explore the application potential of nanosililicon synthesized with KCL and KBR.

Limitations

This study has several limitations, including:

The synthesis conditions used in this study may not be optimal for all types of potassium halide salts.
The effect of different potassium halide salts on the characteristics of nanosililicon has not been investigated in this study.
The application potential of nanosililicon synthesized with KCL and KBR has not been explored in this study.

Future Directions

Future directions for this research include:

Investigating the effect of different potassium halide salts on the characteristics of nanosililicon.
Exploring the application potential of nanosililicon synthesized with KCL and KBR in various fields, including electronics, photonics, and energy storage.
Optimizing the synthesis conditions to improve the purity and particle size of nanosililicon.

Conclusion

In this article, we will answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the effect of addition of potassium halide salt (KCl and KBR) on the characteristics of nanosilicon from natural sand magnesiothermic.

Q: What is the purpose of adding potassium halide salt (KCl and KBR) in the synthesis of nanosilicon from natural sand magnesiothermic?

A: The purpose of adding potassium halide salt (KCl and KBR) in the synthesis of nanosilicon from natural sand magnesiothermic is to modify the physical and chemical characteristics of nanosililicon. The addition of KCl and KBR has a significant impact on the purity, particle size, and porosity of nanosililicon.

Q: What is the difference between KCl and KBR in terms of their effect on the characteristics of nanosililicon?

A: The main difference between KCl and KBR is their effect on the purity and particle size of nanosililicon. KCl has a higher level of purity than KBR, and it produces smaller particle sizes compared to KBR. Additionally, the pore size of nanosililicon synthesized with KCl is smaller than that synthesized with KBR.

Q: What is the significance of the purity level of nanosililicon?

A: The purity level of nanosililicon is significant because it affects its reactivity and application potential. Higher purity levels of nanosililicon can provide better performance in various applications, including electronics, photonics, and energy storage.

Q: What is the significance of the particle size of nanosililicon?

A: The particle size of nanosililicon is significant because it affects its reactivity and application potential. Smaller particle sizes of nanosililicon can provide a broader surface area, which can increase its effectiveness in various applications.

Q: What is the significance of the porosity of nanosililicon?

A: The porosity of nanosililicon is significant because it affects its application potential in various fields, including catalysis, energy storage, and gas separation. Higher porosity in nanosililicon can indicate different application potential compared to nanosililicon with lower porosity.

Q: What are the potential applications of nanosililicon synthesized with KCl and KBR?

A: The potential applications of nanosililicon synthesized with KCl and KBR include electronics, photonics, energy storage, catalysis, and gas separation. The specific application potential of nanosililicon synthesized with KCl and KBR depends on its purity, particle size, and porosity.

Q: What are the limitations of this study?

A: The limitations of this study include the use of a limited number of potassium halide salts, the lack of investigation of the effect of different synthesis conditions on the characteristics of nanosililicon, and the limited exploration of the application potential of nanosililicon synthesized with KCl and KBR.

Q: What are the future directions for this research?

A: The future directions for this research include investigating the effect of different potassium halide salts on the characteristics of nanosililicon, optimizing the synthesis conditions to improve the purity and particle size of nanosililicon, and exploring the application potential of nanosililicon synthesized with KCl and KBR in various fields.

Q: What are the potential implications of this research?

A: The potential implications of this research include the development of new nanosililic-based materials with improved characteristics, which can be used in various advanced technology applications. Additionally, this research can provide new insights into the synthesis and characterization of nanosililicon, which can be used to improve its performance and application potential.

Q: What are the potential challenges and opportunities of this research?

A: The potential challenges of this research include the need to optimize the synthesis conditions to improve the purity and particle size of nanosililicon, the need to explore the application potential of nanosililicon synthesized with KCl and KBR in various fields, and the need to address the limitations of this study. The potential opportunities of this research include the development of new nanosililic-based materials with improved characteristics, which can be used in various advanced technology applications.