Author(s): Bai, T (Bai, Te); Ai, J (Ai, Jing); Liao, LY (Liao, Liyang); Luo, JW (Luo, Junwei); Song, C (Song, Cheng); Duan, YY (Duan, Yingying); Han, L (Han, Lu); Che, SA (Che, Shunai)

Source: ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION DOI: 10.1002/anie.202101069 Early Access Date: MAR 2021

Abstract: Spin polarisation is found in the centrosymmetric nonferromagnetic crystals, chiral mesostructured NiO films (CMNFs), fabricated through the symmetry-breaking effect of a chiral molecule. Two levels of chirality were identified: primary nanoflakes with atomically twisted crystal lattices and secondary helical stacking of the nanoflakes. Spin polarisation of the CMNFs was confirmed by chirality-dependent magnetic-tip conducting atomic force microscopy (mc-AFM) and magnetic field-independent magnetic circular dichroism (MCD). Electron transfer in the symmetry-breaking electric field was speculated to create chirality-dependent effective magnetic fields. The asymmetric spin-orbit coupling (SOC) generated by effective magnetic fields selectively modifies the opposite spin motion in the antipodal CMNFs. Our findings provide fundamental insights for directional spin control in unprecedented functional inorganic materials.

Accession Number: WOS:000629209300001

PubMed ID: 33554464

ISSN: 1433-7851

eISSN: 1521-3773

Full Text: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.202101069