A main object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for producing an active material with a high productivity. The present disclosure achieves the object by providing a method for producing an active material, the method comprising steps of: a preparing step of preparing a dope solution including a metal ion that is an ion of a metal element M, and an aromatic hydrocarbon compound in a reduced condition, a precursor alloy producing step of producing a precursor alloy by doping the metal element M included in the dope solution to a Si raw material including a Si element, and a void forming step of forming a void by extracting the metal element M from the precursor alloy using an extracting agent.

The invention provides a method for purifying silicon by means of a phase separation dealloying reaction, including: mixing a silicon raw material containing metallic or non-metallic impurities with magnesium powder first and then fully reacting under an inert atmosphere so as to obtain a first product; placing the first product in a nitrogen-containing atmosphere to undergo a nitriding reaction to form three-dimensional porous silicon and magnesium nitride distributed in pore channels thereof so as to obtain a second product, the impurities further being separated during the precipitation and crystallization of silicon, and being dissolved in the liquid-phase magnesium nitride; treating the second product by using acid-pickling, the magnesium nitride and impurities being dissolved and converted into a solution, and a solid product being high-purity porous silicon.

The invention provides a method for purifying silicon by means of a phase separation dealloying reaction, including: mixing a silicon raw material containing metallic or non-metallic impurities with magnesium powder first and then fully reacting under an inert atmosphere so as to obtain a first product; placing the first product in a nitrogen-containing atmosphere to undergo a nitriding reaction to form three-dimensional porous silicon and magnesium nitride distributed in pore channels thereof so as to obtain a second product, the impurities further being separated during the precipitation and crystallization of silicon, and being dissolved in the liquid-phase magnesium nitride; treating the second product by using acid-pickling, the magnesium nitride and impurities being dissolved and converted into a solution, and a solid product being high-purity porous silicon.

Methods of recycling silicon from lithium-ion batteries having silicon-based electrodes are disclosed. Batteries and methods of manufacturing batteries from the recycled silicon are also disclosed. A method of recycling may include discharging each of one or more batteries to below a threshold voltage and disassembling each of the one or more batteries to collect source material from silicon-based electrodes of the one or more batteries. The source material may include silicon from the silicon-based electrodes. The method may further include rinsing the source material in alcohol to obtain a solution and extracting recycled silicon from the solution by heating the silicon for a first period of time and leaching the silicon in an acid for a second period of time. In some methods, the heating occurs before the leaching. In other embodiments, the leaching occurs before the heating.

Methods of recycling silicon from lithium-ion batteries having silicon-based electrodes are disclosed. Batteries and methods of manufacturing batteries from the recycled silicon are also disclosed. A method of recycling may include discharging each of one or more batteries to below a threshold voltage and disassembling each of the one or more batteries to collect source material from silicon-based electrodes of the one or more batteries. The source material may include silicon from the silicon-based electrodes. The method may further include rinsing the source material in alcohol to obtain a solution and extracting recycled silicon from the solution by heating the silicon for a first period of time and leaching the silicon in an acid for a second period of time. In some methods, the heating occurs before the leaching. In other embodiments, the leaching occurs before the heating.

A system for extracting liquid is provided. The system includes a vacuum source and a nozzle having a wettable plunger and a vacuum tube connected in flow communication with the vacuum source. When the plunger is partly submerged in the liquid and the vacuum source is actuated to initiate a flow of gas through the vacuum tube, droplets of the liquid separate from at least a portion of the unsubmerged part of the plunger and become suspended in the gas flow. The system also includes a cooling structure positioned adjacent to the vacuum tube to facilitate solidifying the droplets suspended in the gas flowing through the vacuum tube.

A method of the producing nanocrystalline silicon particulate from a silicate source includes removing contaminants, such as organics and heavy metals, and alumina from the silicate source by treating the silicate source with first and second acidic leaching solutions to form a first intermediate product. The first intermediate product is then reduced by reacting with a magnesium vapor to provide porous magnesiated silicon particulates as a second intermediate product. The second intermediate product is treated with a third leaching solution to remove magnesium and magnesium containing compounds form the second intermediate to thereby provide a third intermediate. The third intermediate is treated with a fourth leaching solution for removing remnant silica to thereby provide nanocrystalline porous silicon particles.

A method of the producing nanocrystalline silicon particulate from a silicate source includes removing contaminants, such as organics and heavy metals, and alumina from the silicate source by treating the silicate source with first and second acidic leaching solutions to form a first intermediate product. The first intermediate product is then reduced by reacting with a magnesium vapor to provide porous magnesiated silicon particulates as a second intermediate product. The second intermediate product is treated with a third leaching solution to remove magnesium and magnesium containing compounds form the second intermediate to thereby provide a third intermediate. The third intermediate is treated with a fourth leaching solution for removing remnant silica to thereby provide nanocrystalline porous silicon particles.

The present invention relates to a process for producing of polycrystalline silicon, and the method includes (1) preparing a silicon-containing gas; (2) storing the silicon-containing gas in a storage tank; (3) depositing polycrystalline silicon by injecting the silicon-containing gas stored in the storage tank to a CVD reactor; (4) treating an off-gas emitted in the depositing step; and (5) injecting the gas treated in the treating step to the storage tank.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for producing polycrystalline silicon having a reduced amount of boron compound impurities. Especially, the boron compounds are removed from the process for producing polycrystalline silicon, while the trichlorosilane is purified by distillation. The invention feeds condensed liquid trichlorosilane into a primary distillation tower below the liquid level inside the primary distillation tower thereby scrubbing the boron impurities upon contact inside the primary distillation tower. There result is trichlorosilane leaving the primary distillation tower with total amount of boron at least 10 times less.