In situ rapid growth of fluorescent silicon nanoparticles at room temperature and under atmospheric pressure.

Herein, we demonstrate that at room temperature (20-25 °C) and under atmospheric pressure, small-sized (∼3.1 nm) SiNPs can be rapidly formed in aqueous phase within 60 min, with high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of ∼50%. This approach is readily scalable and could potentially be used to produce high-quality SiNPs at an industrial level.