The formation of silicon powder by pyrolysis of silane diluted in argon at
different concentrations has been studied. A hot wall gasphase reactor was
used for the thermal decomposition of SiH4 at 1000 degreesC and atmospheric
pressure. The composition, morphology, size, and shape of the particles pr
oduced has been studied utilizing electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, i
nfrared spectroscopy, and BET gas adsorption. Depending on the experimental
conditions, agglomerates of polycrystalline, sintered particles have been
obtained, which are composed of nanocrystallites of about 25 nm in size.