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Silicon colloids: A new enabling nanomaterial

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Abstract

We have recently developed a new type of silicon structure that we refer to as a silicon colloid. This new material consists of almost perfectly spherical silicon micro- and nanoparticles with a very smooth surface. They are able to trap light very efficiently in a large-span frequency range covering the visible to the far infrared regions. Silicon colloids can be thought of as a completely new material for scientific and technological purposes, with manifold applications covering electronics, photonics, cosmetics, or paints, among others. Here, we report on the synthesis of polycrystalline, amorphous, and porous silicon colloids, as well as their optical properties, some applications concerning light filters, and photonic bonding.

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F. Meseguer et al. Silicon colloids: A new enabling nanomaterial. J. Appl. Phys. 109, 102424 (2011). DOI: 10.1063/1.3581880

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Meseguer, F. et al. Silicon colloids: A new enabling nanomaterial. J. Appl. Phys. 109, 102424 (2011).

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Figures

Figure 1. Calculated scattering efficiency (Qsca) for 2 μm diameter microspheres made of silica (n = 1.46) and silicon (n = 3.5).

Source: F. Meseguer et al., J. Appl. Phys. 109, 102424 (2011). © American Institute of Physics.

Figure 2. Optical microscopy images at 1000× magnification of (a) porous and (b) amorphous silicon colloids. They were obtained by decomposing disilane at 400 °C for 1 and 5 min, respectively.

Source: F. Meseguer et al., J. Appl. Phys. 109, 102424 (2011). © American Institute of Physics.

Figure 3. (a) SEM image of a polycrystalline silicon colloid about 2 μm diameter, illustrating its spherical perfection and smooth surface. (b) TEM image of a polycrystalline silicon colloid showing well-defined crystalline domains. Such domains can be tens of nanometers in size. The image shows the frontier between the silicon colloid and the surrounding material.

Source: F. Meseguer et al., J. Appl. Phys. 109, 102424 (2011). © American Institute of Physics.

Figure 4. Optical transmittance (black noisy curves) and Mie theory fit [gray (red) curves] for single silicon colloids of diameter (a) Φ = 1885 nm and (b) Φ = 1050 nm. The dips of transmittance correspond to WGM. They are indicated under their corresponding dips in (a) by the labels “b” and “a,” for transversal electric and transversal magnetic modes, respectively. The electric field intensity distribution is shown for modes (from left to right) a21, a31, and b41 in (b).

Source: F. Meseguer et al., J. Appl. Phys. 109, 102424 (2011). © American Institute of Physics.

Figure 5. Transmittance spectra of 2 mg/cm2 layers of o/w emulsions containing, in weight, 1% TiO2 nanoparticles (P-25 Degussa) and 1% silicon colloids (a) in the UV range and (b) in the near-IR range. Both emulsions were spread on PMMA Helioplates-HD6.

Source: F. Meseguer et al., J. Appl. Phys. 109, 102424 (2011). © American Institute of Physics.

Figure 6. The interacting photonic force between two silicon spheres (diameter = 1.5 μm) as a function of the size parameter and wavelength. The spheres’ distance (center to center) is 1.508 μm. Positive values indicate repulsive forces, and negative values indicate attractive forces. The intensity of the incident light is 10−4 W/μm2. The inset shows the geometry considered, indicating the polarization of the electric field, E, as well as the direction, k, of the incident light with respect to the dimer position.

Source: F. Meseguer et al., J. Appl. Phys. 109, 102424 (2011). © American Institute of Physics.

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