Graphene Analogues: Elemental Analogues of Graphene: Silicene, Germanene, Stanene, and Phosphorene (Small 6/2015)

Layered 2D materials are attracting significant interest, as quantum confinement enables exceptional functionalities. While graphene dominates this research, there are a number of elemental analogues that are potentially better due to their inherent semiconducting properties. On page 640, S. Balendhran, M. Bhaskaran, and co-workers review such a class of materials – silicene, germanene, stanene, and phosphorene – with an emphasis on their fundamental properties, synthesis techniques, and future prospects. Image courtesy of Ella Marushchenko (Scientific Illustrations).