Silicon nanotube (Si-NT) is an ideal architecture for energy and optoelectronic devices. The state-of-the-art preparation of Si-NT via expensive chemical vapor deposition using toxic SiH4/SiCl4 as feedstock retards the large-scale deployment. we recently develop a direct electrochemical method in molten salts for template-free preparation and in-situ surface modification of Si-NT from silica. By simply varying the introduction of solid AgCl or soluble AgCl in electrochemical reduction of solid silica, Si-NT and Ag-coated Si-NT could controllably be prepared. Importantly, the in-situ generated liquid Ag-Si governs the formation of hollow nanotubes via the liquid-solid mechanism and the automatic separation/recovery of Ag from Si. The present strategy increases the current efficiency, decreases the energy consumption and enhances the lithium storage capability of the electrolytic silicon, which might advance the novel extraction of silicon toward large-scale application. The above results are now accepted for publication in Advanced Science (Template-free Electrochemical Formation of Silicon Nanotube from Silica, 10.1002/advs.202001492).

Author: Prof. Xiao