Bandgap opening in hydrogenated germanene

We have studied the hydrogenation of germanene synthesized on Ge₂Pt crystals using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. The germanene honeycomb lattice is buckled and consists of two hexagonal sub-lattices that are slightly displaced with respect to each other. The hydrogen atoms adsorb exclusively on the Ge atoms of the upward buckled hexagonal sub-lattice. At a hydrogen exposure of about 100 L, the (1 × 1) buckled honeycomb structure of germanene converts to a (2 × 2) structure. Scanning tunneling spectra recorded on this (2 × 2) structure reveal the opening of a bandgap of about 0.2 eV. A fully (half) hydrogenated germanene surface is obtained after an exposure of about 9000 L hydrogen. The hydrogenated germanene, also referred to as germanane, has a sizeable bandgap of about 0.5 eV and is slightly n-type.