Chiral molecules-ferromagnetic interfaces, an approach towards spin controlled interactions

Abstract

Chiral symmetry is ubiquitous in Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. The biomolecules essential for life on Earth—such as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), sugars, and proteins—display homochirality that affects their function in biological processes. Ten years ago, it was discovered that electron transfer through chiral molecules depends on the direction of the electron spin, and more recently, it was shown that the charge displacement in chiral molecules creates transient spin polarization. Thus, the properties of ferromagnet/chiral molecule interfaces are affected by spin exchange interactions, via the overlap of the chiral molecule with the ferromagnet's spin wave function. This effect offers a mechanism for homochiral bias in Biology, which was previously unappreciated, and an approach to enantioselective chemistry and chiral separations, which is controlled by the electron spin.