Investigation of iron-silicon powder system reactions

Iron silicates exhibit metallic, semiconductor, or insulating behavior depending on their structure. The magnetic properties are more pronounced in iron-rich phases. FeSi acts as an insulator in which the conductivity increases with temperature. β-FeSi۲ is a semiconductor and has the potential to be used as a photovoltaic material. FeSi۲ α - has a metallic state and is potentially useful for silicon-based solar cells. Fe۳Si is also a good candidate for a magnetic electrode device. To predict which compounds will be thermodynamically stable in the different molar ratios of iron and silicon, HSC software was used for the thermodynamic prediction. Then the results were compared with the experimental values. It was found that iron-silicon powder system reactions largely conforms to thermodynamic predictions.

Keywords:

Iron silicate , Thermodynamics , Iron , Silicon , Powders.