Formation of a quasi-free-standing graphene with a band gap at the dirac point by Pb atoms intercalation under graphene on Re(0001)

The control of the graphene electronic structure is one of the most important problems in modern condensed matter physics. The graphene monolayer synthesized on the Re(0001) surface and then subjected to the intercalation of Pb atoms is studied by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and low-energy electron diffraction. The intercalation of Pb atoms under graphene takes place when the substrate is annealed above 500°C. As a result of the intercalation of Pb atoms, graphene becomes quasi-free-standing and a local band gap appears at the Dirac point. The band gap changes with the substrate temperature during the formation of the graphene/Pb/Re(0001) system. The band gap is 0.3 eV at an annealing temperature of 620°C and it increases up to 0.4 eV upon annealing at 830°C. Based on our data, we conclude that the band gap is mainly caused by the hybridization of the graphene π state with the rhenium 5d states located near the Dirac point of the graphene π state.