Silicon Electrochemistry: Fundamentals and Modern Applications

A special issue of Electrochem (ISSN 2673-3293).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (7 July 2025) | Viewed by 4905

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Institute of High-Temperature lectrochemistry UB RAS, Ekaterinburg, Russia
Interests: high-temperature electrochemistry; molten salts; electrochemical sensors; SNF pyro-reprocessing; Al master alloys and composites
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Silicon is widely used in microelectronics and solar energy. In the context of a global increase in energy consumption and a reduction in energy resources, increasingly attention is being paid to the development of novel materials, devices and technologies for the use of renewable energy sources. In particular, the possibility of using silicon-based materials in solar energy converters and energy storage devices is being actively investigated. The efficiency of the above devices can be ensured through the use of thin (microsized) silicon films of high purity with a controlled content of microimpurities or nanosized and submicron silicon particles.

One of the cheap and promising methods for obtaining silicon of a given morphology with a controlled content of microimpurities is electrodeposition from various electrolytes (melts, organic electrolytes, ionic liquids, etc.). However, despite the abundance of proposed methods for obtaining silicon, only a limited portion of deposits has been measured for their photoelectric properties and energy characteristics in the composition of lithium-ion current sources. All of this is due to the lack of systematic studies and the ignorance of a number of factors (the semiconductor nature of silicon, the thermal instability of silicon-containing ions in molten salts, the incorporation of oxygen into the bulk of the silicon deposit, etc.) that determine the patterns of silicon electrodeposition and its practical applicability.

This Special Issue aims to analyze the current state of silicon electrochemistry and the prospects for its development in fundamental and practical terms, including an analysis of the regularities of:
  • The behavior of silicon-containing electroactive ions in electrolytes;
  • Changes in the physical and chemical properties of electrolytes with the addition of silicon-containing ions;
  • The electroreduction of silicon-containing electroactive ions;
  • Silicon electrodeposition;
  • The electrochemical texturing of thin silicon films;
  • The electrochemical doping of silicon with microimpurities;
  • The electrochemical synthesis of composite materials based on silicon, as well as an analysis of the practical use of electrodeposited silicon in devices;
  • The conversion of solar energy;
  • Lithium-ion current sources;
  • Other devices.

Dr. Suzdaltsev Andrey
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • silicon electrochemistry
  • electrodeposition
  • silicon thin films
  • silicon nanoscale deposits
  • silicon-based composites
  • solar energy conversion devices
  • energy storage devices

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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18 pages, 1837 KB  
Article
Exploring Binder–Ionic Liquid Electrolyte Systems in Silicon Oxycarbide Negative Electrodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries
by Ivonne E. Monje, Nedher Sanchez-Ramírez, Laurence Savignac, Pedro H. Camargo, Steen B. Schougaard, Daniel Bélanger and Roberto M. Torresi
Electrochem 2025, 6(3), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/electrochem6030034 - 12 Sep 2025
Viewed by 222
Abstract
Enhancing the safety of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) by replacing flammable electrolytes is a key challenge. Ionic liquid (IL)-based electrolytes are considered an interesting alternative due to their thermal and chemical stability, high voltage stability window, and tunable properties. This study investigates the electrochemical [...] Read more.
Enhancing the safety of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) by replacing flammable electrolytes is a key challenge. Ionic liquid (IL)-based electrolytes are considered an interesting alternative due to their thermal and chemical stability, high voltage stability window, and tunable properties. This study investigates the electrochemical behavior of two newly synthesized ILs, comparing them to conventional alkyl carbonate-based electrolytes. Nitrogen-doped carbon silicon oxycarbide (NC-SiOC), used as the active material in negative electrodes, was combined with two polymeric binders: poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN). NC-SiOC/PAN electrodes exhibited a significantly higher initial charge capacity—approximately 25–30% greater than their PAA-based counterparts in the first cycle at 0.1 A g−1 (850–990 mAh g−1 vs. 600–700 mAh g−1), and demonstrated an improved initial Coulombic efficiency (67% vs. 62%). Long-term cycling stability over 1000 cycles at 1.6 A g−1 retained 75–80% of the initial 0.1 A g−1 capacity. This outstanding performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of nitrogen-rich carbonaceous phases within the NC-SiOC material and the cyclized-PAN binder, which facilitate structural stability by accommodating volumetric changes and enhancing solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) stability. Notably, despite the lower ionic transport properties of the IL electrolytes, their incorporation did not compromise performance, supporting their feasibility as safer electrolyte alternatives. These findings offer one of the most promising electrochemical performances reported for SiOC materials to date. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Silicon Electrochemistry: Fundamentals and Modern Applications)
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9 pages, 24734 KB  
Perspective
Silicon Electrodeposition for Microelectronics and Distributed Energy: A Mini-Review
by Andrey Suzdaltsev
Electrochem 2022, 3(4), 760-768; https://doi.org/10.3390/electrochem3040050 - 8 Nov 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3333
Abstract
Due to its prevalence in nature and its particular properties, silicon is one of the most popular materials in various industries. Currently, metallurgical silicon is obtained by carbothermal reduction of quartz, which is then subjected to hydrochlorination and multiple chlorination in order to [...] Read more.
Due to its prevalence in nature and its particular properties, silicon is one of the most popular materials in various industries. Currently, metallurgical silicon is obtained by carbothermal reduction of quartz, which is then subjected to hydrochlorination and multiple chlorination in order to obtain solar silicon. This mini-review provides a brief analysis of alternative methods for obtaining silicon by electrolysis of molten salts. The review covers factors determining the choice of composition of molten salts, typical silicon precipitates obtained by electrolysis of molten salts, assessment of the possibility of using electrolytic silicon in microelectronics, representative test results for the use of electrolytic silicon in the composition of lithium-ion current sources, and representative test results for the use of electrolytic silicon for solar energy conversion. This paper concludes by noting the tasks that need to be solved for the practical implementation of methods for the electrolytic production of silicon, for the development of new devices and materials for energy distribution and microelectronic application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Silicon Electrochemistry: Fundamentals and Modern Applications)
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