Mechanochemical functionalization of silicon

1. A process of mechanochemically functionalizing silicon nanoparticles, comprising:

shearing silicon metal in the presence of a liquid alkane and/or liquid hetero-alkane by applying shear forces to the silicon metal to expose a sheared silicon surface,

forming an alkyl-functionalization on the sheared silicon surface; and

continuing to shear the silicon metal in the presence of the alkane and/or hetero-alkane until the silicon metal is reduced to a plurality of functionalized silicon nanoparticles.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein shearing the silicon metal exposes silicon radicals on the sheared silicon surface, the process then including reacting the silicon radicals with the alkane and/or hetero-alkane to provide the alkyl-functionalization.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the alkane and/or hetero-alkane, individually, have a melting point below about 150° C.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the alkane has a molecular formula of C x H y where x is in the range of 4 to about 25 and where y=2x+2, 2x, 2x−2, or 2x−4; and wherein the hetero-alkane has a molecular formula of C n H m X o where n is in the range of 3 to about 40 and where X is selected from the group consisting of an oxygen atom, a nitrogen atom, a sulfur atom, a phosphorous atom, a fluorine atom, a chlorine atom, a boron atom, and a combination thereof.

5. The process of claim 4 , wherein X is selected from an oxygen atom, a nitrogen atom, and a combination thereof.

6. A process comprising:

repeatedly applying sufficient shear forces to silicon metal in the presence of an admixture of an alkane and/or hetero-alkane with an alkene, hetero-alkene, alkyne, and/or hetero-alkyne thereby mechanochemically functionalizing the silicon metal and providing a functionalization derived from the alkane and/or hetero-alkane and the alkene, hetero-alkene, alkyne, and/or hetero-alkyne on the surface of the silicon; and

continuing to apply the shear forces to the silicon in the presence of the alkane and/or hetero-alkane and the alkene, hetero-alkene, alkyne, and/or hetero-alkyne until the silicon metal is reduced to a plurality of functionalized silicon nanoparticles.

7. The process of claim 6 , wherein the alkane has a molecular formula of C x H y where x is in the range of 4 to about 25 and where y=2x+2, 2x, 2x−2, or 2x−4;

wherein the hetero-alkane has a molecular formula of C n H m X o where n is in the range of 3 to about 40 and where X is selected from the group consisting of an oxygen atom, a nitrogen atom, a sulfur atom, a phosphorous atom, a fluorine atom, a chlorine atom, a boron atom, and a combination thereof;

wherein the alkene has a molecular formula of C x H y , where x is in the range of 5-25,

wherein the hetero-alkene has the molecular formula C n H m X o , where n is an integer from about 3 to about 40, o is an integer selected from 1, 2, and 3, and X is selected from the group consisting of an oxygen atom, a nitrogen atom, a sulfur atom, a phosphorous atom, a fluorine atom, a chlorine atom, a boron atom, and a combination thereof;

wherein the alkyne has a molecular formula of C x H y , where x is in the range of 5-25, and

wherein the hetero-alkyne ne has a molecular formula of C n H m X o where n is in the range of 3 to about 25 and where X is selected from the group consisting of an oxygen atom, a nitrogen atom, a sulfur atom, a phosphorous atom, a fluorine atom, a chlorine atom, a boron atom, and a combination thereof.

8. The process of claim 6 , wherein the hetero-alkane includes a heteroatom functionality selected from an alcohol and an amine

wherein the hetero-alkene includes a heteroatom functionality selected from an alcohol and an amine; and

wherein the hetero-alkyne includes a heteroatom functionality selected from an alcohol and an amine.

9. The process of claim 6 , wherein the functionalized silicon nanoparticles are polycrystalline silicon nanocrystals.

10. A process comprising:

shearing silicon metal thereby exposing a silicon surface having a Miller index other than a (111) plane or a (100) plane, the silicon surface carrying at least one silicon radical; where the silicon radical is of sufficient energy to react with an alkane;

mechanochemically functionalizing the silicon surface by reacting the silicon radical with an organic coating agent having a molecular weight of less than about 600 amu, thereby covalently bonding the organic coating agent to the silicon surface via a Si—C sigma bond.

11. The process of claim 10 , wherein at least 25 atom % of the silicon metal has a diamond-cubic crystal structure.

12. The process of claim 10 , wherein the organic coating agent is an admixture of at least two different compounds, each individually selected from an alkane, an alkene, an alkyne, an arene, an alkyl halide, an aryl halide, an aldehyde, a ketone, an ester, an amide, an amine, and a nitrile.

13. The process of claim 10 , wherein reacting the silicon radical with the organic coating agent provides an organic radical, thereafter quenching the organic radical.

14. The process of claim 10 , wherein the process comprises:

repeatedly shearing the silicon metal in the presence the organic coating agent until the silicon metal is reduced to a plurality of functionalized silicon nanoparticles, wherein the functionalized silicon nanoparticles include an organic coating functionality covalently bound via the Si—C sigma bond to the silicon surface.

15. The process of claim 14 , wherein the organic coating agent includes an alkene, an alkyne, or an aryl.

16. The process of claim 14 , wherein the organic coating functionality is free of Si—O—R bonding to the silicon nanoparticle.

17. The process of claim 14 , wherein the organic coating agent includes an alkane and/or hetero-alkane.

18. The process of claim 17 , wherein the organic coating agent consists essentially of an alkane and/or hetero-alkane.