A review of the growth and structures of silicene on Ag (111)

Ag (111) is currently the most often used substrate for growing silicene films. Silicene forms a variety of different phases on the Ag (111) substrate. However, the structures of these phases are still not fully understood so far. In this brief review we summarize the growth condition and resulting silicene phases on Ag (111), and discuss the most plausible structural model and electronic property of individual phases. The existing debates on silicene on Ag (111) system are clarified as mush as possible.

Project supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant Nos. 2012CB921703 and 2013CB921702), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11334011), and the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDB07020100).