Silicon nanoparticles: fabrication, characterization, application and perspectives

Micro and Nano Systems Letters

Table 1 Advantages and challenges of silicon nanoparticle fabrication method

Method		Advantages	Challenges
Top-down	Etching and grinding	Relativiely simple fabrication process	Reduced sphericity of the resulting silicon nanoparticles
	Laser ablation	Spherical silicon nanoparticles	Broad size distribution
	Laser printing	Spherical silicon nanoparticles positioned at desired location	Production volume limitation
Bottom-up	Pyrolysis of silane	Mass production	Difficulty in controlling the nanoparticle size
Bottom-up	Reduction of silicon tetrachlorid	Mass production with low cost	Difficulty in controlling the nanoparticle size and generation of by-products
Reduction of silica particles	Carbothermal reduction	Reduction of relatively inexpensive silica for silicon nanoparticle production	Reaction at temperatures above 2000 °C
Reduction of silica particles	Magnesiothermic reduction	Reduction of relatively inexpensive silica for silicon nanoparticle production at temperatures around 650 °C	Incomplete reduction resulting in the formation of unreacted silica or magnesium silicide