Silicon electrochemistry has the potential to advance sustainable energy solutions by offering environmentally friendly and secure technologies that can contribute to the low-carbon economy. Electrochemical methods use electrons directly as reducing agents, eliminating the need for harmful chemicals and offering simpler, one-step, process control. Silicon itself is the second most abundant element in the earth's crust, is nontoxic, and is a robust material offering high efficiencies in solar photovoltaics. As such, silicon currently dominates the solar energy market and could continue to do so for the next few decades. This review summarizes recent achievements in the molten salt electrochemistry of silicon, highlighting subjects of technological significance such as the production of silicon by silica electro-deoxidation, the formation of photoactive layers, silicon electrorefining, and the synthesis of semiconductors as well as nanostructures for energy storage applications. The review highlights future opportunities and challenges such as the production of highly pure silicon, the creation of carbon-free anodes for oxygen production, and silicon electrodeposition from gaseous precursors.

中文翻译：

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熔盐中的硅电化学。

硅电化学通过提供对低碳经济有贡献的环保和安全技术，有潜力推动可持续能源解决方案的发展。电化学方法直接将电子用作还原剂，从而消除了对有害化学物质的需求，并提供了更简单的一步式过程控制。硅本身是地壳中含量第二高的元素，无毒，是一种坚固的材料，可在太阳能光伏中提供高效率。因此，硅目前在太阳能市场上占主导地位，并且在接下来的几十年中可能会继续如此。这篇综述总结了硅熔融盐电化学的最新成就，重点介绍了具有技术意义的主题，例如通过二氧化硅电脱氧生产硅，光敏层的形成，硅的电精炼，半导体的合成以及用于储能应用的纳米结构。该评论强调了未来的机遇和挑战，例如生产高纯硅，创建用于氧气生产的无碳阳极以及从气态前体中进行硅电沉积。