Alkali metal adsorption on graphite: a review

The adsorption of alkali metals on graphite has been the subject of various studies for the past two decades. Briefly, two main reasons can be offered to justify the persisting interest in these adsorption systems. First, experiments have pointed out intriguing structural phase transitions of the adsorbed species, and, second, in an attempt to explain the experimental results, the more complicated question of the nature of alkali metal-graphite bonding arose. Despite the relative simplicity of the electronic structure of the alkali metals, their interaction with the graphite surface is still the subject of current debate. This review paper presents relevant experimental data and results of selected theoretical calculations that, in time, guided the process of scientific discovery towards the current understanding of the alkali metals/graphite adsorption systems.