Progress in epitaxial growth of stanene

Abstract

Abstract With the rise of graphene, other elemental 2D materials have received a massive increase in interest in recent years. However, while theoretical models of free-standing materials predict exotic properties, often outshining those of graphene, the experimental field struggles with the synthesis of such materials. Epitaxial growth has become the main method used in experiments, as the consensus in the scientific community is that such materials require a stabilizing support. In this context, a substrate material suitable for supporting a 2D layer while preserving its topological properties is a key factor in the process. In this review article, our focus is directed to substrates for an elemental topological 2D material from group IV – stanene. We present the current state of the experimental field and give an outlook on future possibilities investigated in density functional theory (DFT) calculations.