Freestanding doped silicon nanocrystals synthesized by plasma

Freestanding silicon nanocrystals (Si NCs) have recently gained great popularity largely due to their easily accessible surface and flexible incorporation into device structures. In the past decade plasmas have been increasingly employed to synthesize freestanding Si NCs. As freestanding Si NCs move closer to applications in a variety of fields such as electronics, thermoelectrics and lithium-ion batteries, doping becomes more imperative. Such a context explains the current great interest in plasma-synthesized doped freestanding Si NCs. In this work we review the synthesis of freestanding doped Si NCs by plasma. Doping-induced structural, electronic, optical and oxidation properties of Si NCs are discussed. We also review the applications of plasma-synthesized doped freestanding Si NCs that have been demonstrated so far. The development of freestanding doped Si NCs synthesized by plasma in the future is envisioned.