No Arabic abstract
We have performed electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) studies of Ni(111), graphene/Ni(111), and the graphene/Au/Ni(111) intercalation-like system at different primary electron energies. A reduced parabolic dispersion of the pi plasmon excitation for the graphene/Ni(111) system is observed compared to that for bulk pristine and intercalated graphite and to linear for free graphene, reflecting the strong changes in the electronic structure of graphene on Ni(111) relative to free-standing graphene. We have also found that intercalation of gold underneath a graphene layer on Ni(111) leads to the disappearance of the EELS spectral features which are characteristic of the graphene/Ni(111) interface. At the same time the shift of the pi plasmon to the lower loss-energies is observed, indicating the transition of initial system of strongly bonded graphene on Ni(111) to a quasi free-standing-like graphene state.
We have investigated the magnetism of the bare and graphene-covered (111) surface of a Ni single crystal employing three different magnetic imaging techniques and ab initio calculations, covering length scales from the nanometer regime up to several millimeters. With low temperature spinpolarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SP-STM) we find domain walls with widths of 60 - 90 nm, which can be moved by small perpendicular magnetic fields. Spin contrast is also achieved on the graphene-covered surface, which means that the electron density in the vacuum above graphene is substantially spin-polarized. In accordance with our ab initio calculations we find an enhanced atomic corrugation with respect to the bare surface, due to the presence of the carbon pz orbitals and as a result of the quenching of Ni surface states. The latter also leads to an inversion of spinpolarization with respect to the pristine surface. Room temperature Kerr microscopy shows a stripe like domain pattern with stripe widths of 3 - 6 {mu}m. Applying in-plane-fields, domain walls start to move at about 13 mT and a single domain state is achieved at 140 mT. Via scanning electron microscopy with polarization analysis (SEMPA) a second type of modulation within the stripes is found and identified as 330 nm wide V-lines. Qualitatively, the observed surface domain pattern originates from bulk domains and their quasi-domain branching is driven by stray field reduction.
The combination of the surface science techniques (STM, XPS, ARPES) and density-functional theory calculations was used to study the decoupling of graphene from Ni(111) by oxygen intercalation. The formation of the antiferromagnetic (AFM) NiO layer at the interface between graphene and ferromagnetic (FM) Ni is found, where graphene protects the underlying AFM/FM sandwich system. It is found that graphene is fully decoupled in this system and strongly $p$-doped via charge transfer with a position of the Dirac point of $(0.69pm0.02)$ eV above the Fermi level. Our theoretical analysis confirms all experimental findings, addressing also the interface properties between graphene and AFM NiO.
We report the structural and electronic properties of an artificial graphene/Ni(111) system obtained by the intercalation of a monoatomic layer of Ni in graphene/Ir(111). Upon intercalation, Ni grows epitaxially on Ir(111), resulting in a lattice mismatched graphene/Ni system. By performing Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) measurements and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations, we show that the intercalated Ni layer leads to a pronounced buckling of the graphene film. At the same time an enhanced interaction is measured by Angle-Resolved Photo-Emission Spectroscopy (ARPES), showing a clear transition from a nearly-undisturbed to a strongly-hybridized graphene $pi$-band. A comparison of the intercalation-like graphene system with flat graphene on bulk Ni(111), and mildly corrugated graphene on Ir(111), allows to disentangle the two key properties which lead to the observed increased interaction, namely lattice matching and electronic interaction. Although the latter determines the strength of the hybridization, we find an important influence of the local carbon configuration resulting from the lattice mismatch.
Experimental and theoretical studies of manganese deposition on graphene/Ni(111) shows that a thin ferromagnetic Ni3Mn layer, which is protected by the graphene overlayer, is formed upon Mn intercalation. The electronic bands of graphene are affected by Ni3Mn interlayer formation through a slight reduction of n-type doping compared to graphene/Ni(111) and a suppression of the interface states characteristic of graphene/Ni(111). Our DFT-based theoretical analysis of interface geometric, electronic, and magnetic structure gives strong support to our interpretation of the experimental scanning tunneling microscopy, low energy electron diffraction, and photoemission results, and shows that the magnetic structure of graphene is strongly influenced by Ni3Mn formation.
The electronic and magnetic properties of the graphene/Eu/Ni(111) intercalation-like system are studied in the framework of the GGA+U approach with dispersive interactions taken into account. Intercalation of monoatomic Eu layer underneath graphene on Ni(111) leads to the drastic changes of the electronic structure of graphene compared to free-standing graphene as well as graphene/Ni(111). The strong influence of the spin-polarised Eu 4f states, crossing the graphene-derived $pi$ states, on magnetic properties of graphene and on spin-filtering properties of the graphene/Eu/Ni(111) trilayer is discussed.