Stability and electronic properties of ultrathin films of silicon and germanium
Abstract
Recent studies have examined the possibility of growing honeycomb silicene and germanene, the silicon and germanium analogues of reconstruction are more stable than honeycomb silicene. Likewise, honeycomb germanene is less stable than germanium ultrathin films with a
or 7 × 7 arrangement.
Si and Ge single layers are metals with strong peaks at the Fermi level, and, in the case of Ge, they bear a magnetic moment. Overall, the results demonstrate that free-standing Si and Ge nano-sheets differ in key structural and electronic properties from