Fabrication of p-type Porous Silicon Powder via Facile and Economic Preparation Method

This study demonstrates the use of powder technology manufacturing as an innovative, affordable, easy, and secure technique for the creation of p-type nano-porous silicon powder (p-NPS powder). NPS powder doped with B, Ni, and Cd using a combination of alkali chemical etching and the hydrothermal technique. Structural analysis via X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) confirmed NPS crystal has a cubic structure, and there was some distortion in the structure after doping, while Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis verified elemental incorporation. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images revealed morphological changes due to doping, and a 3D model of the crystal lattice, generated using VESTA software, illustrated the structural modifications induced by dopant atoms. Optical absorption studies using UV-Vis spectroscopy demonstrated a decrease in band gap for NPS-B (2.0 eV), NPS-Ni (1.7 eV), and NPS-Cd (1.6 eV) compared to un-doped NPS (2.4 Ev). The reduction in band gap is attributed to impurity-induced states, quantum confinement reduction, and defect formation, which modify the electronic structure of the material. These findings highlight the potential of doped NPS for applications in optoelectronic devices and sensors.