Local property change of graphene induced by a Cu nanoparticle

Investigating the detailed impact from an individual nanoparticle on a graphene membrane is a great challenge. We employed ultra-high vacuum electron microscopy and first-principles calculations to reveal the changes in graphene morphology and electronic structure when in contact with a Cu nanoparticle. Our findings show that the significant amount of charge transfer from the individual Cu nanoparticle to graphene causes local electronic redistributions at the interface and a consequent recess of the graphene with prominent tilt angles.