Recent progress in silicene growth on inert substrates*

In this review, recent studies on silicene formation on inert surfaces like highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and graphene will be reported, i) providing an efficient and simple way to produce high quality and large-scale material on an inert and well-ordered surface, ii) opening a path towards controlled intercalation of silicon atoms through graphene layers and formation of silicene nanosheets for future applications in nanotechnology.