Epitaxial growth of graphene-like silicon nano-ribbons

Graphene, a flat monolayer of carbon atoms tightly packed into a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice (a one atom thick graphite sheet), is presently the hottest material in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Its challenging hypothetical reflection in the silicon world is coined silicene; Here, we have demonstrated that the silicon nano-wires self-aligned in a massively parallel array recently observed by STM on Ag(110), are true silicene nano-ribbons. Our calculations using density functional theory clearly show that Si atoms tends to form hexagons on top the silver substrate in a honeycomb, graphene-like arrangement.