Impurity optimized silicon is needed for the advancement of terrestrial photovoltaic power generation. In this study the possibility of producing solar grade silicon from rice husks has been pursued. An integrated process flowsheet was developed and practiced that included initial leaching, reduction of Rice husk ash (RHA) and post-reduction purification of silicon. Metallothermic reduction of purified RHA with magnesium was investigated within the temperature range of 500-950 oC. The reduction product was purified by two stage acid leaching sequence. Analysis of the final silicon powder product by XRD and ICP-OES showed crystalline silicon with boron content to be less than 3ppm- corresponding to reduction by a factor greater than 10, whilst the phosphorus content was reduced by a factor of over 20 and reaching less than 73ppm. The effects of temperature, magnesium amount and leaching agents were optimized in this study. A one step test melting was also carried out to convert the silicon powder into silicon chunks.

Impurity optimized silicon is needed for the advancement of terrestrial photovoltaic power generation. In this study the possibility of producing solar grade silicon from rice husks has been pursued. An integrated process flowsheet was developed and practiced that included initial leaching, reduction of Rice husk ash (RHA) and post-reduction purification of silicon. Metallothermic reduction of purified RHA with magnesium was investigated within the temperature range of 500-950 oC. The reduction product was purified by two stage acid leaching sequence. Analysis of the final silicon powder product by XRD and ICP-OES showed crystalline silicon with boron content to be less than 3ppm- corresponding to reduction by a factor greater than 10, whilst the phosphorus content was reduced by a factor of over 20 and reaching less than 73ppm. The effects of temperature, magnesium amount and leaching agents were optimized in this study. A one step test melting was also carried out to convert the silicon powder into silicon chunks.

Des carbones dérivés de carbures à porosité monodisperse et nanocentrée autour de 0,6 nm ont été préparés par fluoration de carbures via l’arrachement sélectif de l’élément métallique et le maintien de l’empreinte carbonée initiale. Les carbures précurseurs ont été choisis parmi deux des classes de carbures à savoir interstitiels pour le carbure de titane et de niobium et covalents pour le carbure de silicium. La fluoration directe procédant sous flux d’une atmosphère de fluor pur apparait comme étant la seule méthode de fluoration apte à déstabiliser les poudres cristallisées. Appliquée au carbure de titane, des matériaux à teneur variable en carbone et en trifluorure de titane ont été obtenus et caractérisés structuralement par Diffraction des Rayons X quantitative, spectroscopies IR et Raman et leur texture sondée par Microscopie Electronique à Balayage et à Transmission et isothermes d’adsorption à l’azote à 77K. Ils ont aussi été évalués comme matériau d’électrode de supercondensateurs. La fluoration du carbure de silicium pour la stabilisation d’une phase carbonée est plus difficile et seule l’abaissement de la cristallinité du carbure par l’utilisation d’une mise en forme de type couche mince combinée à une méthode de fluoration alternative par décomposition de l’agent fluorant XeF2 ont permis d’obtenir une couche mince de carbone nanostructurée valorisable comme lubrifiant solide et aux propriétés de mouillabilité modulables. / Carbide-derived Carbons (CDC) with monodisperse ultramicroporosity have been prepared by carbide fluorination thanks to selective etching of metallic element. The chosen carbides precursors were titanium and niobium carbides, and silicon carbides from interstitial and covalent carbide family, respectively. Direct fluorination proceeding by a pure flow of 1 atm. of molecular fluorine is the only fluorination way which leads to the transformation of the powdered and highly crystallized carbide into some carbons. Materials with different ratio of carbon and solid titanium trifluoride were successfully obtained by direct fluorination of titanium carbide, characterized by quantitative XRD, IR and Raman spectroscopies and Scanning and Transmission Electronic Microscopies and used in supercapacitors. The direct fluorination of silicon carbide in order to form carbon is more difficult because of the competition between carbon formation and its degradation into gaseous carbon fluorides. To success in our goal, thin film morphology was used as precursor. However, an accurate fluorination way is needed and decomposition of XeF2 fluorinating agent was chosen. Thin films with variable thickness of nanostructured carbon at the surface were obtained and used as solid lubricant with tunable wettability properties.