ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the various aspects of the materials science hiding behind the epitaxial growth of graphene on silicon carbide (SiC). It shows that graphite and SiC are more than just occasional friends. In addition, the parallel between SiC and carbon materials may also provide a different and fruitful insight on this topic so that it is meant to be interesting for both newcomers and specialists in the field. In graphite, each C atom is sp2 bonded to three neighbors, forming flat sheets of hexagons, which are stacked but not covalently bonded one to each other. In diamond, C atoms are sp3 bonded to four neighbors leading to a cubic structure alike the zinc blende one. In 1985 started what can be called the "carbon revolution" with the first experimental evidence of stable C60 molecule, also called Buckminsterfullerene in homage to Buckminster Fuller, whose geodesic domes it resembles.
