Nanostructured silicon derived from an agricultural residue bagasse ash via magnesiothermic reduction method
Abstract
This study presents the magnesiothermic reduction of silica into silicon. This reduction
process occurs at a lower reaction temperature than its carbothermal counterpart. Furthermore, silica
was extracted from sugarcane bagasse ash via a thermo-chemical treatment method using, for the
first time, L-cysteine chloride monohydrate and used as a precursor in the production of silicon using
magnesiothermic reduction. The as-synthesized nanocrystalline silicon’s physicochemical properties
were investigated using XRD, Raman, FTIR, BET, and SEM. A peak at 2 of 28.2 with a crystallite
size of 32 nm was discovered using X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. The pronounced peak around
518 cm1 was observed from the Raman spectrum, characteristic of crystalline silicon. The FTIR
analysis showed two sharp peaks at 446 cm1 and 1056 cm1, indicative of the Si-O rocking mode
and Si-O-Si stretching mode functional groups present.