Preparation of Si nanoparticles from bamboo leaves and measurement of their photoluminescence and electroluminescence spectra

In this study, Si nanoparticles were prepared by the Mg reduction of SiO2 extracted from bamboo leaves, and their optical properties were investigated. Si nanoparticles were filtered under reduced pressure to separate the residue and filtrate specimens. Although room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) was observed for both Si nanoparticle specimens, the PL intensity of the filtrate specimens was approximately seven times higher than that of the residue specimens. An electroluminescence (EL) device was fabricated using the Si nanoparticles of the filtrate as the active layer, and its EL properties were evaluated. With an applied voltage of 15 V, red luminescence was observed in the active layer. The Si nanoparticles from the bamboo leaves had relatively broad EL spectra with a peak wavelength approximately 700 nm, similar to that of the PL spectra. These results indicated that Si nanoparticles from bamboo leaves can be recycled for light-emitting devices.