The instability of silicene on Ag(111)
- Physics of Interfaces and Nanomaterials, MESA Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede (Netherlands)
We have used low energy electron microscopy to directly visualize the formation and stability of silicene layers on a Ag(111) substrate. Theoretical calculations call into question the stability of this graphene-like analog of silicon. We find that silicene layers are intrinsically unstable against the formation of an “sp{sup 3}-like” hybridized, bulk-like silicon structure. The irreversible formation of this bulk-like structure is triggered by thermal Si adatoms that are created by the silicene layer itself. To add injury to insult, this same instability prevents the formation of a fully closed silicene layer or a thicker bilayer, rendering the future large-scale fabrication of silicene layers on Ag substrates unlikely.
- OSTI ID:
- 22253155
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 103, Issue 26; Other Information: (c) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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