Researchers claim to have created stanene, a graphene-like structure of tin

Nature : Since the isolation in 2004 of graphene, which has many unusual and sought-after characteristics such as extraordinary strength and electrical conductivity, researchers have tried to isolate other similar two-dimensional materials. The latest is stanene, a 2D lattice of tin atoms. Among its predicted characteristics is that of being a topological insulator, a structure that conducts electrons along its surface but not through its interior. Shou-Cheng Zhang of Stanford University and his colleagues now claim to have grown stanene crystals through the use of molecular beam epitaxy by vaporizing tin and allowing the atoms to form a lattice on a surface of bismuth telluride. However, the researchers have yet to confirm that the material they created is a true topological insulator, because the bismuth telluride interacts with the stanene crystals. Further testing will be needed to confirm the discovery, and other surfaces are being investigated that might form a better substrate.