Interactions of Metal Nanoparticles through Graphene

We employed ultra-high vacuum electron microscopy to investigate the interactions of metal nanoparticles through the graphene membrane. We observe that both aligning and repelling behaviors between the particles on the two sides of the graphene can happen, depending on the specific combination of Ag/Graphene/Ag, Cu/Graphene/Cu, or Au/Graphene/Au. Our findings reveal several potential mechanisms governing the interactions between the nanoparticles on and through a graphene.