Silicene nanoribbons grown on a silver (110) substrate have been studied by reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy as a function of the electron beam incidence angle α. The spectra, taken at the Si K absorption edge (1.840 keV), reveal the presence of two distinct loss structures attributed to transitions 1s→π∗ and 1s→σ∗, according to their intensity dependence on α. Such behavior, when compared to graphite, attests the sp2-like hybridization of the silicon valence orbitals in the silicene nanoribbons as is, indeed, for carbon atomic bonds of graphene.

In-situ X-ray diffraction studies have been performed on a Li 4/3 Ti 5/3 O 4 electrode upon cycling in a Li cell, by using a very high energy (87.5 keV) synchrotron beam. The real time structural changes of its crystalline lattice were observed over two complete cycles of the cell. The high-resolution measurements allowed us to precisely monitor the extremely small breathing movement of the structure and to plot the curve of the lattice parameter as a function of the lithiation degree. The investigation revealed an unexpected behavior in the structural evolution upon cycling, which was attributed to the reversible passage from a monophasic to a biphasic domain upon insertion. Furthermore, the structural evolution turned out to be slightly different in the first and in the second cycle. This suggests that irreversible rearrangements, like the ones observed for every other insertion compound, occur also in this case, although on an extremely smaller scale.

In the quest of nano-objects for future electronics, silicon nanowires could possibly take over carbon nanotubes. Here we show the growth by self-organization of straight, massively parallel silicon nanowires having a width of 1.6 nm, which are atomically perfect and highly metallic conductors. Surprisingly, these silicon nanowires display a strong symmetry breaking across their widths with two chiral species that self-assemble in large left-handed and right-handed magnetic-like domains.