Facile and scalable synthesis of silicon nanowires from waste rice husk silica by the molten salt process

Designing nanostructured silicon, such as in the form of nanoparticles, wires, and porous structures, for high-performance Li-ion electrodes, has progressed significantly. These approaches have largely overcome the capacity fading of silicon electrodes from volume expansion during lithiation/de-lithiation. However, they involve high costs, complex processes, and hazardous precursors. Herein, we propose an electrochemical fabrication of silicon nanowires from waste rice husks via a molten salt process based on electrodeoxidation. The addition of NiO as an electric conductor improved the production efficiency and created pores in the nanowires after washing. The electrically produced high-purity silicon yielded high capacity, and the nanowires provided sufficient free volume to accommodate silicon electrode expansion, resulting in improved cycle life. The converted silicon nanowires from the molten salt process will help develop sustainable energy storage materials.