Isolation and Characterisation of High Grade Nanosilicon from Coastal Landform in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria.

Abstract

The application of silicon and silicon based materials in industries and optoelectronic devices cannot be over emphasized due to their unique properties. The availability of high grade silicon has been subject of interest for manufacturers and industrialist as the material has from discovery been very much insufficient to cater for the numerous demands for different uses and utilization. Numerous efforts have been put together to adapt the properties of silicon through the manufacture and fabrication of semiconductor compounds to replace silicon in functionality. Notwithstanding, the quest for more silicon in the environment is yet unabated. This research centers on the isolation and characterisation of high grade nanosilicon from coastal landform in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria due to the attractive nature of the landforms in terms of colour and texture. Sand from the selected study area were categorised into different forms according to their colour and silicon isolated using the magnesiothermic reduction while the nanosilicon was obtained using an appropriate ball milling process. The morphology of nanosilicon from Zion, Micheal-Ugbonla, and Oluwa Glass coastal landforms shows an agglomeration of particles with irregular shapes having average particle sizes of 58.98 nm, 77.82 nm, and 37.27 nm, respectively. The XRD spectra of the nanosilicon showed sharp, distinct peaks that indicate crystallinity of the samples. The percentages of nanosilicon value obtained ranges from 65.23%-80.30% and considered high enough to find specific useful industrial applications in lithium ion batteries, biomedical devices, opto electronic device utilization and computer industries.