company news about Simple Notes on The Properties of Silicon Metal

The main component of silicon metal is silicon. Therefore, it has similar properties to silicon.

Silicon has two isomers, amorphous silicon and crystalline silicon.

Amorphous silicon is a gray-black powder. It is actually a microcrystal.

Crystalline silicon has the crystal structure and semiconductor properties of diamond. The melting point is 1410 ℃.

Boiling point is 2355 ℃. Mohs hardness 7, brittle. Amorphous silicide is very active, burning violently in oxygen.

At high temperatures it reacts with halogens, nitrogen, carbon and other non-metals. It also interacts with magnesium, calcium, iron and other metals to form silicides.

Amorphous silicon is insoluble in almost all inorganic and organic acids. However, it is soluble in a mixture of nitric and hydrofluoric acids. Concentrated sodium hydroxide solution dissolves amorphous silicon and releases hydrogen gas.

Crystalline silicon is less reactive. It does not combine with oxygen even at high temperatures. It is also insoluble in any kind of inorganic and organic acids. However, it is soluble in nitric acid, hydrofluoric acid and concentrated sodium hydroxide solution.

The production of silicon metal is an energy-intensive industry. The production of one ton of silicon requires 12,500 kWh of electricity. In terms of raw materials, silica is the basic material. Petroleum coke, charcoal and low-ash bituminous coal are the reducing agents for the production of silicon metal. Each ton of silicon metal consumes 3 tons of silica. Low-ash bituminous coal is about 2 tons. At the same time, graphite electrodes are consumed in quantities of 90-100 kilograms.

The silicon metal product is in the form of silicon briquettes. The ground silicon metal powder is used downstream in aluminum alloys, silicones and photovoltaics.