The stability of graphene band structures against an external periodic perturbation; Na on Graphene

TL;DR

This study investigates how external periodic potentials from sodium atoms affect graphene's electronic band structure, revealing temperature-dependent reversible changes and the formation of new bands linked to Na-induced potential effects.

Contribution

It demonstrates that Na-induced periodic potentials significantly alter graphene's band structure at low temperatures, with reversible effects and new band formation explained by first-principles calculations.

Findings

Na causes reversible changes in graphene's π band with temperature.

A new parabolic band appears at low temperature due to Na potential effects.

High Na adatom mobility at room temperature prevents charge transfer and new band formation.

Abstract

We report that the $\pi$ band of graphene sensitively changes as a function of an external potential induced by Na especially when the potential becomes periodic at low temperature. We have measured the band structures from the graphene layers formed on the 6H-SiC(0001) substrate using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with synchrotron photons. With increasing Na dose, the $\pi$ band appears to be quickly diffused into background at 85 K whereas it becomes significantly enhanced its spectral intensity at room temperature (RT). A new parabolic band centered at $k\sim$1.15 \AA$^{-1}$ also forms near Fermi energy with Na at 85 K while no such a band observed at RT. Such changes in the band structure are found to be reversible with temperature. Analysis based on our first principles calculations suggests that the changes of the $\pi$ band of graphene be mainly driven by the Na-induced potential especially at low temperature where the potential becomes periodic due to the crystallized Na overlayer. The new parabolic band turns to be the $\pi$ band of the underlying buffer layer partially filled by the charge transfer from Na adatoms. The five orders of magnitude increased hopping rate of Na adatoms at RT preventing such a charge transfer explains the absence of the new band at RT.