Germanene on Al(111): Interface Electronic States and Charge Transfer

The electronic structure of germanene is investigated by high resolution photoemission and density functional theory calculations. The core level Al 2p and Ge 3d lines are measured on germanene grown on Al(111) by using synchrotron radiation. The Ge 3d line is shifted toward the low binding energies with respect to bulk Ge, and shows three components, reflecting the sites multiplicity of the germanene atomic structure. The calculations reveal a sizable charge localization at the germanene/Al(111) interface, a charge transfer from the Al surface atoms to the germanene, and the existence of three nonequivalent Ge sites with three different atomic Bader charges, in agreement with the photoemission measurements.