The paper by Drummond, Zólyomi, and Fal'ko investigates the electronic structure and stability of silicene, a two-dimensional (2D) honeycomb lattice of silicon atoms, under the influence of an external electric field. The authors use density functional theory (DFT) calculations to explore how the electric field can tune the band gap in silicene, which is initially Dirac-type with a high polarizability. At low electric fields, the interplay between the tunable band gap and the Kane-Mele spin-orbit coupling leads to a transition from a topological insulator to a band insulator. At higher electric fields, silicene transitions into a semimetal. The study also examines the effects of SO coupling on the electronic structure, predicting a crossover from topological to band insulating behavior as the electric field strength increases. The results highlight the potential for manipulating silicene's electronic properties using electric fields, making it a promising material for various applications.The paper by Drummond, Zólyomi, and Fal'ko investigates the electronic structure and stability of silicene, a two-dimensional (2D) honeycomb lattice of silicon atoms, under the influence of an external electric field. The authors use density functional theory (DFT) calculations to explore how the electric field can tune the band gap in silicene, which is initially Dirac-type with a high polarizability. At low electric fields, the interplay between the tunable band gap and the Kane-Mele spin-orbit coupling leads to a transition from a topological insulator to a band insulator. At higher electric fields, silicene transitions into a semimetal. The study also examines the effects of SO coupling on the electronic structure, predicting a crossover from topological to band insulating behavior as the electric field strength increases. The results highlight the potential for manipulating silicene's electronic properties using electric fields, making it a promising material for various applications.