Recent advances of novel ultrathin two-dimensional silicon carbides from a theoretical perspective

Compared to graphene with semimetallic features, two-dimensional (2D) silicon carbide (Si-C) materials constitute another highly promising family for opto-electronic applications owing to their intrinsic electronic gaps. Recent theoretical studies of 2D Si-C materials thoroughly investigated their structure and properties. Herein, we overview these high-throughput approaches aiming to theoretically design 2D Si-C crystals. Graphene-like siligraphene and non-siligraphene are described in terms of morphology, physicochemical properties and potential applications based on the insights provided by simulations. In addition, the current progress of experimental exploration of 2D Si-C materials and underlying challenges are assessed as well.