Unveiling the potential of redox chemistry to form size tunable, high index silicon particles

In the present work, the effect of changing the precursor ratio of silicon between sodium silicde and a hexacoordinated silicon complex to form various sizes of particles is studied. TEM images show the size difference between particles produced with different ratios. Particles produced with a 1:1 ratio are 45 nm in diameter and up to a 1:4 precursor ratio is used to make 230 nm particles. X-ray diffraction patterns confirm the presence of crystalline silicon for all sizes, while Raman spectroscopy shows how different degree of oxidation occurs thanks to different particle sizes, shifting the Raman peak. The surface chemistry is also studied to evidence the growth mechanism.