Silicon metal, also known as silicon metal, is a form of elemental silicon. The symbol is Si and the atomic sequence is 14. At room temperature, silicon is a solid, but does not have a significant metallic luster or malleability like other metals. In the molten state, however, silicon forms a liquid and has some unique physical and chemical properties.
Structurally, metallic silicon has a crystalline structure, consisting of tetrahedrons in which each silicon atom forms bonds with four neighboring atoms. This structure makes silicon highly stable in chemical reactions. This chemical stability of silicon, as well as its high heat resistance and electrical insulation, has led to important applications in many fields, including electronics, semiconductors, solar energy, ceramics, and metallurgy.
Metal silicon carbonothermal reduction:
Silicon smelting is usually carried out through a carbothermal reduction reaction, which reduces silicon dioxide (the main component of sand) to silicon metal.
Metal silicon reaction equation: SiO2 + 2C → Si + 2CO
This process needs to be carried out at high temperatures (about 1200-1300 ° C). At this temperature, carbon is able to rob the oxygen in the silicon dioxide, resulting in silicon and carbon monoxide. The melting point of silicon is in this temperature range, so the silicon liquid formed can be further processed. It is worth noting that a lot of energy is required in this process, so the production of metallic silicon usually has a high energy cost.
Metal silicon electrolysis process:
In this process, molten silicon oxide (SiO) is electrolyzed into silicon and oxygen. This process generates electricity and can be used for electricity production or green energy applications. However, the energy cost of this method is still high, and the waste disposal problem is also more complex.
In general, silicon metal is an important element, which has a wide range of applications in the fields of electronics, semiconductors, solar energy, ceramics and metallurgy. However, its production process requires a lot of energy and a high degree of technology, making it expensive. Future research on the production and utilization of silicon metal will focus on how to improve production efficiency, reduce energy consumption and develop new application areas.
In addition, metallic silicon also has some environmental impact considerations. Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions from its production are one of the main sources of greenhouse gases. In addition, most of the energy used to produce silicon metal comes from fossil fuels, which not only exacerbates the problem of global warming, but also leads to an over-reliance on non-renewable resources. Therefore, future research needs to focus not only on how to improve the efficiency of silicon metal production, but also on how to reduce the environmental impact of its production process, including finding greener energy sources and developing new production technologies.
Finally, demand for metallic silicon is expected to continue to increase due to its wide application in various fields. Therefore, finding new application areas and improving the existing production process will be an important direction of future research. At the same time, with the continuous progress of science and technology and the continuous development of research methods, our understanding and control of metal silicon will be further improved. This will help us make better use of this important element resource to meet the growing needs of mankind and promote the development and progress of society.
ZX can produce different grades of industrial silicon. At the same time, there are also different categories and different particle sizes of silicon metal powder. And support the customization of silicon metal blocks, silicon metal particles and silicon metal powder products according to customer needs.
