Hidden Kekulé ordering of adatoms on graphene

Electronic and transport properties of Graphene, a one-atom thick crystalline material, are sensitive to the presence of atoms adsorbed on its surface. An ensemble of randomly positioned adatoms, each serving as a scattering center, leads to the Boltzmann–Drude diffusion of charge determining the resistivity of the material. An important question, however, is whether the distribution of adatoms is always genuinely random. In this Communication we demonstrate that dilute adatoms on graphene may have a tendency towards a spatially correlated state with a hidden Kekulé mosaic order. This effect emerges from the interaction between the adatoms mediated by the Friedel oscillations of the electron density in graphene. The onset of the ordered state, as the system is cooled below the critical temperature, is accompanied by the opening of a gap in the electronic spectrum of the material, dramatically changing its transport properties.