The 2013 H. H. Uhlig Summer Research Fellowship -- Summary Report: Temperature-dependent Electrodeposition of Crystalline Si Prepared by an Electrochemical Liquid-Liquid-Solid Growth Process

Crystalline group IV semiconductor materials are essential components in microelectronics, solar cells, and sensor applications.1 Conventional largescale production of crystalline Si relies on energy-demanding processes necessary to chemically reduce precursors at elevated temperatures.2 Exploration of alternative non-energy-intensive synthetic methods is thus critical to reduce the massive energy input in the currently available production strategies. Electrochemical deposition provides a scalable, easy-to-access option for producing semiconductor materials. Reports have demonstrated the utilization of electrodeposition in preparation of group IV semiconductors from molten salts3 or non-aqueous solvents,4 yet the challenges remain due to high crystallization barriers of covalent semiconductors to yield crystalline group IV semiconductor as-deposited at low temperature.5 Our group has recently demonstrated an electrochemical liquid-liquid-solid (ecLLS) process to electrochemically deposit crystalline Si nanocrystals under benchtop conditions at temperatures compatible with aqueous and organic solvents.6 As depicted in Fig 1a, the key innovation in