Liquid metal used to makes silicon crystals

A NEW way of making crystalline silicon, developed by University of Michigan  (Ann Arbor, Mich, USA) researchers, could make this crucial ingredient of computers and solar cells much cheaper and greener.

Silicon dioxide, or sand, makes up about 40% of the earth's crust, but the industrial method for converting sand into crystalline silicon is expensive and has a major environmental impact due to the extreme processing conditions.

"The crystalline silicon in modern electronics is currently made through a series of energy-intensive chemical reactions with temperatures in excess of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit that produces a lot of carbon dioxide," said Stephen Maldonado, professor of chemistry and applied physics at University of Michigan.

Recently, Professor Maldonado and chemistry graduate students Junsi Gu and Eli Fahrenkrug discovered a way to make silicon crystals directly at just 180 F, the internal temperature of a cooked turkey. And they did it by taking advantage of a phenomenon you can see right in your kitchen.

When water is super-saturated with sugar, that sugar can spontaneously form crystals, popularly known as rock candy.

"Instead of water, we're using liquid metal, and instead of sugar, we're using silicon," Professor Maldonado said.

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