Two-dimensional materials of group-IVA boosting the development of energy storage and conversion

Graphene, an emerging fabric of carbon atoms, has manifested its versatility in all kinds of fields encompassing electronics, optoelectronics, thermoelectrics, taking advantage of its excellent mechanical strength, exceptional electronic and thermal conductivities, high surface specific area, and so forth. The prosperity of graphene never seen before has led the attention to silicene, siloxene, germanene, stanene, and plumbene due to their promising applications in the quantum spin Hall effect, topological insulator, batteries, capacitors, catalysis, and topological superconductivity. Herein, we review the existing production methods, numerous applications of two-dimensional group-IVA materials, and critically discuss the challenges of these materials, providing potential implications to the exploration of uncharted material systems.