Using photoelectron diffraction and spectroscopy, we explore the structural and electronic properties of the hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) monolayer epitaxially grown on the Co(0001) surface. Perfect matching of the lattice parameters allows formation of a well-defined interface where the B atoms occupy the hollow sites while the N atoms are located above the Co atoms. The corrugation of the h-BN monolayer and its distance from the substrate were determined by means of R-factor analysis. The obtained results are in perfect agreement with the density functional theory (DFT) predictions. The electronic structure of the interface is characterized by a significant mixing of the h-BN and Co states. Such hybridized states appear in the h-BN band gap. This allows to obtain atomically resolved scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images from the formally insulating 2D material being in contact with ferromagnetic metal. The STM images reveal mainly the nitrogen sublattice due to a dominating contribution of nitrogen orbitals to the electronic states at the Fermi level. We believe that the high quality, well-defined structure and interesting electronic properties make the h-BN/Co(0001) interface suitable for spintronic applications.

The modification of the graphene spin structure is of interest for novel possibilities of application of graphene in spintronics. The most exciting of them demand not only high value of spin-orbit splitting of the graphene states, but non-Rashba behavior of the splitting and spatial modulation of the spin-orbit interaction. In this work we study the spin and electronic structure of graphene on Ir(111) with intercalated Pt monolayer. Pt interlayer does not change the 9.3 × 9.3 superlattice of graphene, while the spin structure of the Dirac cone becomes modified. It is shown that the Rashba splitting of the π state is reduced, while hybridization of the graphene and substrate states leads to a spin-dependent avoided-crossing effect near the Fermi level. Such a variation of spin-orbit interaction combined with the superlattice effects can induce a topological phase in graphene.

Recrystallization of bulk materials is a well-known phenomenon, which is widely used in commercial manufacturing. However, for low-dimensional materials like graphene, this process still remains an unresolved puzzle. Thus, the understanding of the underlying mechanisms and the required conditions for recrystallization in low dimensions is essential for the elaboration of routes towards the inexpensive and reliable production of high-quality nanomaterials. Here, we unveil the details of the efficient recrystallization of one-atom-thick pure and boron-doped polycrystalline graphene layers on a Co(0001) surface. By applying photoemission and electron diffraction, we show how more than 90% of the initially misoriented graphene grains can be reconstructed into a well-oriented and single-crystalline layer. The obtained recrystallized graphene/Co interface exhibits high structural quality with a pronounced sublattice asymmetry, which is important for achieving an unbalanced sublattice doping of graphene. By exploring the kinetics of recrystallization for native and B-doped graphene on Co, we were able to estimate the activation energy and propose a mechanism of this process.

We study the effect of thermal oxygen exposure on a monolayer of h-BN grown on vicinal Ni surfaces by scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray absorption, and photoemission spectroscopies. Using a curved Ni crystal, we carry out a systematic exploration of the h-BN monolayer interfacing a full variety of vicinal orientations around the (111) high-symmetry direction. We demonstrate the occurrence of two processes upon oxygen exposure: oxygen intercalation underneath the h-BN layer, which leads to decoupling of the h-BN from the substrate, and oxidation of h-BN itself, which proceeds via substitution of nitrogen atoms. Oxygen intercalation appears to be substrate orientation dependent, while oxidation of h-BN is rather uniform over the different vicinal planes. These findings will be of importance for future applications of BN-based devices and materials under ambient conditions.

We used x-ray photoemission and absorption spectroscopies to study the influence of thermal molecular oxygen exposure on the h-BN/Co(0001) and h-BN/Au/Co(0001) systems. The spectral analysis was supported by density functional theory calculations. It is shown that oxygen can intercalate h-BN on Co(0001) and also be embedded into its lattice, replacing the nitrogen atoms. Upon substitution, the structures containing one (BN 2 O) and three (BO 3 ) oxygen atoms in the boron atom environment are formed predominantly. In the case of gold-intercalated h-BN, only the (BN 2 O) structures are formed; the long-lasting oxygen exposures lead to etching of the h-BN layer.