title: Migration and localization of metal atoms on strained graphene.
abstract: Reconstructed point defects in graphene are created by electron irradiation and annealing. By applying electron microscopy and density functional theory, it is shown that the strain field around these defects reaches far into the unperturbed hexagonal network and that metal atoms have a high affinity to the nonperfect and strained regions of graphene. Metal atoms are attracted by reconstructed defects and bonded with energies of about 2 eV. The increased reactivity of the distorted π-electron system in strained graphene allows us to attach metal atoms and to tailor the properties of graphene.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux, UMR 7504 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Ovidiu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cretu
authors.forename: Arkady V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Krasheninnikov
authors.forename: Julio A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Manzo
authors.forename: Litao
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Risto M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Nieminen
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Banhart