Observation of a possible superconducting gap in silicene on Ag(111) surface

A possible superconducting gap, about 35meV, was observed in silicene on Ag(111) substrate by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The temperature-dependence measurement reveals a superconductor-metal transition in silicene and gives a critical temperature of 35-40K. The possible mechanism of superconductivity in silicene is discussed. (C) 2013 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4793998]