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Advanced Synthesis of Na4Si24

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2018

Michael Guerette ,
Timothy A. Strobel ,
Haidong Zhang ,
Stephen Juhl ,
Nasim Alem ,
Konstantin Lokshin ,
Lakshmi Krishna  and
P. Craig Taylor
Michael Guerette*
Affiliation:
Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC20015USA
Timothy A. Strobel
Affiliation:
Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC20015USA
Haidong Zhang
Affiliation:
Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC20015USA
Stephen Juhl
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Penn State, University Park, PA16802USA
Nasim Alem
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Penn State, University Park, PA16802USA
Konstantin Lokshin
Affiliation:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN37831USA
Lakshmi Krishna
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO80401USA
P. Craig Taylor
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO80401USA
*
*Corresponding author, e-mail: mguerette@ciw.edu
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Abstract

The recently discovered orthorhombic allotrope of silicon, Si24, is an exciting prospective material for the future of solar energy due to a quasi-direct bandgap near 1.3 eV, coupled with the abundance and environmental stability of silicon. Synthesized via precursor Na4Si24 at high temperature and pressure (∼850 °C, 9 GPa), typical synthesis results have yielded polycrystalline samples with crystallites on the order of 20 μm. Several approaches to increase the crystal size have yielded success, including in-situ thermal spikes and refined selection of the starting materials. Microstructural analysis suggests that coherency exists between diamond silicon (d-Si) and Na4Si24. This hypothesis has led to the successful attempts at single crystal synthesis by selecting large crystals of d-Si along with metallic Na as the precursors rather than powdered and mixed precursor material. The new synthesis approach has yielded single crystals of Na4Si24 greater than 100 μm. These results represent a breakthrough in synthesis that enables further characterization and utility. The promise of Si24 for the future of solar energy generation and efficient electronics is strengthened through these advances in synthesis.

Keywords

Siphotoconductivitysemiconducting
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Advances , Volume 3 , Issue 25: Energy and Sustainability , 2018 , pp. 1427 - 1433
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Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2018 

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References

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