From Stripes to Hexagons : Strain-Induced 2D Pb Phases Confined Between Graphene and SiC
(2025) In Advanced Materials Interfaces- Abstract
The intercalation of metals beneath graphene offers a powerful route to stabilizing and protecting novel 2D phases. The epitaxial growth of Pb monolayers on SiC(0001), combined with the relatively large spacing of the suspended graphene, makes this system particularly distinctive. Using low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and various microscopy techniques—including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM)—the intercalation process has been investigated across multiple length scales. The analysis reveals the formation of different 2D Pb monolayer phases, such as stripes and hexagons, which emerge due to the interplay between substrate pinning and strain within... (More)
The intercalation of metals beneath graphene offers a powerful route to stabilizing and protecting novel 2D phases. The epitaxial growth of Pb monolayers on SiC(0001), combined with the relatively large spacing of the suspended graphene, makes this system particularly distinctive. Using low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and various microscopy techniques—including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM)—the intercalation process has been investigated across multiple length scales. The analysis reveals the formation of different 2D Pb monolayer phases, such as stripes and hexagons, which emerge due to the interplay between substrate pinning and strain within the Pb layer, depending on local coverage. These findings provide new insights into the strain-driven stabilization of intercalated metal layers and highlight the potential of graphene as a versatile platform for engineering low-dimensional materials.
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- author
- Gruschwitz, Markus ; Sologub, Sergii ; Mamiyev, Zamin ; Ghosal, Chitran ; Niu, Yuran LU ; Zakharov, Alexei LU and Tegenkamp, Christoph
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- keywords
- epitaxial graphene, low-energy electron diffraction, low-energy electron microscopy, Pb intercalation, scanning electron microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, strain, transition
- in
- Advanced Materials Interfaces
- publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Inc.
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105015307269
- ISSN
- 2196-7350
- DOI
- 10.1002/admi.202500617
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 9346158a-41d0-4b2f-b008-74e87c8248f5
- date added to LUP
- 2025-11-14 11:44:44
- date last changed
- 2025-11-14 11:45:22
@article{9346158a-41d0-4b2f-b008-74e87c8248f5,
abstract = {{<p>The intercalation of metals beneath graphene offers a powerful route to stabilizing and protecting novel 2D phases. The epitaxial growth of Pb monolayers on SiC(0001), combined with the relatively large spacing of the suspended graphene, makes this system particularly distinctive. Using low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and various microscopy techniques—including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM)—the intercalation process has been investigated across multiple length scales. The analysis reveals the formation of different 2D Pb monolayer phases, such as stripes and hexagons, which emerge due to the interplay between substrate pinning and strain within the Pb layer, depending on local coverage. These findings provide new insights into the strain-driven stabilization of intercalated metal layers and highlight the potential of graphene as a versatile platform for engineering low-dimensional materials.</p>}},
author = {{Gruschwitz, Markus and Sologub, Sergii and Mamiyev, Zamin and Ghosal, Chitran and Niu, Yuran and Zakharov, Alexei and Tegenkamp, Christoph}},
issn = {{2196-7350}},
keywords = {{epitaxial graphene; low-energy electron diffraction; low-energy electron microscopy; Pb intercalation; scanning electron microscopy; scanning tunneling microscopy; strain; transition}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
series = {{Advanced Materials Interfaces}},
title = {{From Stripes to Hexagons : Strain-Induced 2D Pb Phases Confined Between Graphene and SiC}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/admi.202500617}},
doi = {{10.1002/admi.202500617}},
year = {{2025}},
}