Stanene[1][2] is a topological insulator, theoretically predicted by Shoucheng Zhang's group at Stanford,[further explanation needed] which may display dissipationless currents at its edges near room temperature.
It is composed of tin atoms arranged in a single layer, in a manner similar to graphene.
[3] Stanene got its name by combining stannum (the Latin name for tin) with the suffix -ene used by graphene.
[4] Research is ongoing in Germany and China, as well as at laboratories at Stanford and UCLA.
[5] The addition of fluorine atoms to the tin lattice could extend the critical temperature up to 100 °C.