Conversion of Silicon Micropowder Into Nanoparticles by Electric Discharge Modification in Ethanol

Nanosized crystalline silicon material with particle diameter 2–5 nm was synthesized by plasma treatment of commercial silicon micropowder consisting of submicron amorphous spherical particles with average diameter 250 nm by means of electric discharge in ethanol. The properties of the resultant nanomaterials were studied by optical absorption and Raman spectroscopy as well as electron microscopy. The feasibility of additional laserinduced modification of these nanostructures was considered. The silicon-containing nanomaterial synthesized in this work was tested for its electrochemical characteristics as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries and showed a specific capacitance of ~800 mAh/g with stable coulombic efficiency of almost 100% over 55 cycles.