Novel Structures of Gallenene Intercalated in Epitaxial Graphene.

ABSTRACT: The creation of atomically thin layers of non-exfoliable materials remains a crucial challenge, requiring the development of innovative techniques. Here, confinement epitaxy is exploited to realize 2D gallium (gallenene) via intercalation in epitaxial graphene grown on silicon carbide. Both fabrication and characterization are conducted under ultra-high vacuum conditions, unlike previous works on intercalated gallenene, to avoid gallium oxidation. Gallium is deposited on the graphene substrate via molecular beam epitaxy, and the intercalation is achieved by thermal treatments, leading to a homogeneous intercalation on almost the entire surface of the samples. Novel superstructures, including a striped and a hexagonal moiré pattern, are discovered and investigated via STM and LEED measureme

SUBMITTER: Pompei E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12462587 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature