Direct visualization of the charge transfer in Graphene/$\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$ heterostructure

Abstract

We investigate the electronic properties of a graphene and $\alpha$-ruthenium trichloride (hereafter RuCl${}_3$) heterostructure, using a combination of experimental and theoretical techniques. RuCl${}_3$ is a Mott insulator and a Kitaev material, and its combination with graphene has gained increasing attention due to its potential applicability in novel electronic and optoelectronic devices. By using a combination of spatially resolved photoemission spectroscopy, low energy electron microscopy, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations we are able to provide a first direct visualization of the massive charge transfer from graphene to RuCl${}_3$, which can modify the electronic properties of both materials, leading to novel electronic phenomena at their interface. The electronic band structure is compared to DFT calculations that confirm the occurrence of a Mott transition for RuCl${}_3$. Finally, a measurement of spatially resolved work function allows for a direct estimate of the interface dipole between graphene and RuCl${}_3$. The strong coupling between graphene and RuCl${}_3$ could lead to new ways of manipulating electronic properties of two-dimensional lateral heterojunction. Understanding the electronic properties of this structure is pivotal for designing next generation low-power opto-electronics devices.

References in corpus (11)

• 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures
• $\alpha$-RuCl3: a Spin-Orbit Assisted Mott Insulator on a Honeycomb Lattice
• Van der Waals heterostructures for spintronics and opto-spintronics
• Scattering Continuum and Possible Fractionalized Excitations in $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$
• Magnetic order in $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$: a honeycomb lattice quantum magnet with strong spin-orbit coupling
• Graphene-Based Integrated Photonics For Next-Generation Datacom And Telecom
• Spin-split band hybridization in graphene proximitized with $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$ nanosheets
• Electronic Structure of the Kitaev Material $\alpha$-${\text{RuCl}}_3$ Probed by Photoemission and Inverse Photoemission Spectroscopies
• Optically Driven Magnetic Phase Transition of Monolayer RuCl3
• Visualizing the Effect of an Electrostatic Gate with Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy
• Ultra-sharp lateral $p\text{-}n$ junctions in modulation-doped graphene

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Probing quantum spin liquids with a quantum twisting microscope
• Insulator-to-metal Mott transition facilitated by lattice deformation in monolayer $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$ on graphite
• On the origin of anomalous hysteresis in graphite/boron nitride transistors
• Mott Gap Softening Coinciding with Spin Correlations Collapse in a-RuCl3
• Graphene-driven correlated electronic states in one dimensional defects within WS${}_2$
• Spin nematic order and superconductivity in $J_1$-$J_2$ Kondo lattice model on square lattice
• Ferroelectric switching of interfacial dipoles in $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$/graphene heterostructure