Effects of graphene defects on Co cluster nucleation and intercalation

Four kinds of defects are observed in graphene grown on Ru (0001) surfaces. After cobalt deposition at room temperature, the cobalt nanoclusters are preferentially located at the defect position. By annealing at 530 ℃, cobalt atoms intercalate at the interface of Graphene/Ru (0001) through the defects. Further deposition and annealing increase the sizes of intercalated Co islands. This provides a method of controlling the arrangement of cobalt nanoclusters and also the density and the sizes of intercalated cobalt islands, which would find potential applications in catalysis industries, magnetism storage, and magnetism control in future information technology.