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EUROPEAN researchers have created silicene, by turning silicon into a one-atom-thick sheet (just as graphene is one-atom-thick carbon).
Silicene is theorised to have similar electronic properties to graphene, but would be more compatible with silicon-based electronic devices, allowing easier integration with existing silicon production lines.
Patrick Vogt of Berlin's Technical University in Germany, and colleagues at Aix-Marseille University in France created silicene by condensing silicon vapour onto a silver plate to form a single layer of atoms.
The optical, chemical and electronic properties of the silicene layer was found to closely match the theorised values.
Silicene may turn out to be a better bet than graphene for smaller and cheaper electronic devices because it can be integrated more easily into silicon chip production lines.
The next step for the researchers is to grow silicene on insulating substrates, so the material can be tested for its electrical properties.