Spin Specific Electron Conduction through DNA Oligomers

• Published in: Nano letters Vol. 11; no. 11; pp. 4652 - 4655
• Main Authors: Xie, Zouti, Markus, Tal Z, Cohen, Sidney R, Vager, Zeev, Gutierrez, Rafael, Naaman, Ron
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 09-11-2011
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Biological; Computer Simulation; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Devices; DNA - chemistry; DNA - ultrastructure; Electric Conductivity; Electrodes; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Electronic transport in multilayers, nanoscale materials and structures; Electronics; Electrons; Exact sciences and technology; Magnetic properties; Magnetic properties and materials; Magnetic properties of nanostructures; Magnetoelectric, magnetostrictive, magnetoacoustic, magnetooptic and magnetothermal devices. Spintronics; Models, Chemical; Nanostructure; Oligomers; Physics; Selectivity; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Small particles and nanoscale materials; Spintronics; Studies of specific magnetic materials; organic electronic; spintronics; Spin; DNA; conduction; Electrical conductivity; Symmetry property; Conduction electron; Ferromagnetic materials; Electron transfer; Selectivity; Biological system; Oligomers; Organic molecule; Chirality; J-J coupling; Magnetic materials; Spin filter; Magnetoresistance; Spintronics
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/nl2021637

Spin-based properties, applications, and devices are commonly related to magnetic effects and to magnetic materials. Most of the development in spintronics is currently based on inorganic materials. Despite the fact that the magnetoresistance effect has been observed in organic materials, until now spin selectivity of organic based spintronics devices originated from an inorganic ferromagnetic electrode and was not determined by the organic molecules themselves. Here we show that conduction through double-stranded DNA oligomers is spin selective, demonstrating a true organic spin filter. The selectivity exceeds that of any known system at room temperature. The spin dependent resistivity indicates that the effect cannot result solely from the atomic spin–orbit coupling and must relate to a special property resulting from the chirality symmetry. The results may reflect on the importance of spin in determining electron transfer rates through biological systems.