Formation of nonbonding<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mi>π</mml:mi></mml:math>electronic states of graphite due to Pt-C hybridization

Abstract

The electronic states of the graphite surface with platinum clusters have been investigated at the atomic scale by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The distinct local density of states were observed near the Fermi level for carbon atoms around the Pt clusters, which has been ascribed as nonbonding $\ensuremath{\pi}$ electronic states of graphite due to Pt-C hybridization. This is consistent with the experimentally observed weaker phonon energies of graphite near the Pt cluster as well as the results of first-principles density-functional calculations of a graphene sheet with a Pt cluster.