The Problem Addressed
Nano silicon is a highly valuable material in various industries due to its stable and heat-resistant properties. One of its most abundant natural sources is quartz sand, which is rich in silica (SiO2). The magnesiothermal method, which uses magnesium (Mg) powder to reduce silica, is an energy-efficient technique. However, the ratio of SiO2 to Mg can influence the purity and characteristics of the resulting nano silicon.
What Was Done and Found
The research team extracted nano silicon from quartz sand using the magnesiothermal reduction method. Two different mass ratios of silica (SiO₂) to magnesium (Mg) were tested: 1:1 (Sample A) and 1:1.5 (Sample B). The process was conducted at 800°C, a significantly lower temperature than other methods. The results were then analyzed using various characterization techniques (XRD, SEM, TEM, XRF). It was found that both ratios successfully produced nano silicon. The key finding was that the 1:1.5 mass ratio (Sample B), which utilizes more magnesium, produced nano silicon with a higher purity level, reaching 99.44%, compared to Sample A’s purity of 97.92%.
Impact and Significance
This research successfully demonstrates that the magnesiothermal method is an effective and energy-efficient way to produce nano silicon from quartz sand. The key finding is that increasing the magnesium ratio can significantly improve silicon purity up to a certain limit. This knowledge opens up potential for developing high-quality nano silicon materials at a lower production cost, which is crucial for applications in the electronics and battery industries.
Citation and Link to Original Source
For technical details and complete data, please read our official publication:
Prabowo, S., Daulay, A., Yassaroh, Y., Cahyono, S. I., & Fadhil, N. H. (2025). Extraction of Quartz Sand to Derive Nano Silicon by Magnesiothermal Method with Different Ratio of Silica () and Magnesium (Mg) Powder. Silicon, 17, 2293–2298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-025-03342-3
