New synthesis technique for monolayer honeycomb SiC identified.

Researchers at Lund University, Chalmers University of Technology and Linköping University have discovered a new synthesis technique to attain monolayer honeycomb SiC, a hard crystalline compound of silicon and carbon that is a semiconductor. The technique entails placing a thin film of transition metal carbide on top of a SiC substrate, which when annealed to high enough temperatures, the SiC decomposes, while the metal carbide remains intact, and the Si and C atoms migrate to the surface. The researchers were able to identify a technique that enables its synthesis, paving the way towards the experimental investigation of SiC's 2D allotrope.