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Spin Selectivity in Chiral Hybrid Cobalt Halide Films with Ultrasmooth Surface
Qian Wang1, Ying Lu2, Rui-Lin He3
1Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials (MOE), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
Researchers developed new lead-free chiral materials for spintronics. These hybrid organic-inorganic halides exhibit efficient spin selectivity and form ultrasmooth films, overcoming key challenges in device applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Organic Chemistry
Background:
- Chirality in low-dimensional hybrid organic-inorganic halides (HOIHs) offers potential for spintronics via chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS).
- Achieving smooth, low-roughness films of HOIHs is a significant challenge, hindering their integration into spintronic devices.
- There is a critical need for novel lead-free chiral HOIHs that combine efficient spin selectivity with high-quality film formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize new lead-free chiral metal halide crystals for spintronic applications.
- To investigate the film-forming properties and spin selectivity of these novel materials.
- To improve film quality through additive incorporation for enhanced device performance.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of cobalt-based chiral metal halide crystals, (R/S-NEA)2CoCl4, using 0D [CoCl4] tetrahedrons and 1-(1-naphtyl)ethylamine (NEA).
- Characterization of film-forming ability, chiroptical activity (gCD), and spin-polarized transport (CISS efficiency).
- Incorporation of tris(8-oxoquinoline)aluminum to enhance film smoothness and crystallinity.
Main Results:
- The synthesized (NEA)2CoCl4 crystals demonstrated good film-forming ability due to orderly NEA configuration stabilized by CH···π interactions.
- (NEA)2CoCl4 films exhibited strong chiroptical activity (gCD ≈ 0.05) and high CISS efficiency (up to 90%).
- Ultrasmooth films with sub-nanometer roughness (∼ 0.3 nm) and enhanced crystallinity were achieved by adding tris(8-oxoquinoline)aluminum.
Conclusions:
- Novel lead-free chiral HOIHs, (NEA)2CoCl4, have been successfully synthesized with excellent spin selectivity.
- The incorporation of tris(8-oxoquinoline)aluminum significantly improves film quality, enabling ultrasmooth surfaces.
- These findings pave the way for practical applications of low-dimensional HOIHs in spintronics and related fields.
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