Chirality-Dependent Electron Spin Filtering by Molecular Monolayers of Helicenes

Kettner M, Maslyuk VV, Nuerenberg D, Seibel J, Gutierrez R, Cuniberti G, Ernst KH, Zacharias H (2018)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2018

Journal

Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters American Chemical Society

Book Volume: 9

Pages Range: 2025-2030

Journal Issue: 8

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b00208

Abstract

The interaction of low-energy photoelectrons with well-ordered monolayers of enantiopure helical heptahelicene molecules adsorbed on metal surfaces leads to a preferential transmission of one longitudinally polarized spin component, which is strongly coupled to the helical sense of the molecules. Heptahelicene, composed of only carbon and hydrogen atoms, exhibits only a single helical turn but shows excess in longitudinal spin polarization of about PZ = 6 to 8% after transmission of initially balanced left- and right-handed spin polarized electrons. Insight into the electronic structure, that is, the projected density of states, and the spin-dependent electron scattering in the helicene molecule is gained by using spin-resolved density functional theory calculations and a model Hamiltonian approach, respectively. Our results support the semiclassical picture of electronic transport along a helical pathway under the influence of spin-orbit coupling induced by the electrostatic molecular potential.

Involved external institutions

Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (WWU) Münster

Germany (DE) Technische Universität Dresden

Germany (DE) Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt (Empa) / Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science & Technology

Switzerland (CH)

How to cite

APA:

Kettner, M., Maslyuk, V.V., Nuerenberg, D., Seibel, J., Gutierrez, R., Cuniberti, G.,... Zacharias, H. (2018). Chirality-Dependent Electron Spin Filtering by Molecular Monolayers of Helicenes. Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 9(8), 2025-2030. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b00208

MLA:

Kettner, Matthias, et al. "Chirality-Dependent Electron Spin Filtering by Molecular Monolayers of Helicenes." Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 9.8 (2018): 2025-2030.

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