| Abstract |
Silicene, the silicon analogue for graphene, has recently been discovered. It retains many of the interesting phenomena of graphene (2D geometry, strength, durability, the Dirac cone at the Fermi level), however it displays a significant buckling out of plane relating to the preference of silicon to form sp3, rather than sp2, hybridised bonds. This buckling is predicted to allow greater control over the electronic properties of silicene than has been traditionally been found in graphene, with silicene predicted to have a quantum spin Hall-effect and applications in valleytronics. Additionally, the use of silicon, rather than carbon, will allow silicene devices to be more readily integrated into current electronic technology.
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