Graphene on Ru(0001): Evidence for two graphene band structures

High-resolution photoemission illustrates that the band structure of graphene on Ru(0001) exhibits a well-defined splitting. This splitting is largest with the graphene directly on the Ru(0001) substrate, whereas with a chemisorbed oxygen spacer layer between the graphene and the metal substrate, this splitting is considerably reduced. This splitting is attributed to a combination of chemical interactions between graphene and Ru(0001) and to screening of the former by the latter, not spin-orbit coupling.