Fabrication of metal nanoclusters on graphene grown on Ru(0001)

Monolayer graphene was epitaxially grown on Ru(0001) through exposure of the Ru(0001) to ethylene at room temperature followed by annealing in ultrahigh vacuum at elevated temperatures. The resulting graphene structures were studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). The graphene/Ru(0001) surface was used as a periodic template for growth of metal nanoclusters. Highly dispersed Pt clusters with well controlled size and spatial distribution were fabricated on the surface