Direct imaging of monovacancy-hydrogen complexes in a single graphitic layer

Understanding how foreign chemical species bond to atomic vacancies in graphene layers can advance our ability to tailor the electronic and magnetic properties of defective graphenic materials. Here, we use ultrahigh-vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (UHV-STM) and density functional theory to identify the precise structure of hydrogenated single atomic vacancies in a topmost graphene layer of graphite and establish a connection between the details of hydrogen passivation and the electronic properties of a single atomic vacancy. Monovacancy-hydrogen complexes are prepared by sputtering of the graphite surface layer with low-energy ions and then exposing it briefly to an atomic hydrogen environment. High-resolution experimental UHV-STM imaging allows us to determine unambiguously the positions of single missing atoms in the defective graphene lattice and, in combination with the ab initio calculations, provides detailed information about the distribution of low-energy electronic states on the periphery of the monovacancy-hydrogen complexes. We found that a single atomic vacancy where each sigma dangling bond is passivated with one hydrogen atom shows a well-defined signal from the nonbonding pi state, which penetrates into the bulk with a root 3 x root 3R30 degrees periodicity. However, a single atomic vacancy with full hydrogen termination of s dangling bonds and additional hydrogen passivation of the extended p state at one of the vacancy's monohydrogenated carbon atoms is characterized by complete quenching of low-energy localized states. In addition, we discuss the migration of hydrogen atoms at the periphery of the monovacancy-hydrogen complexes, which dramatically change the vacancy's low-energy electronic properties, as observed in our low-bias, high-resolution STM imaging.