Large Magnetoresistance through a Single Molecule due to a Spin-Split Hybridized Orbital

Using organic materials in spintronic devices raises a lot of expectation for future applications due to their flexibility, low cost, long spin lifetime, and easy functionalization. However, the interfacial hybridization and spin polarization between the organic layer and the ferromagnetic electrode...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nano letters 2012-09, Vol.12 (9), p.4558-4563
Main Authors: Kawahara, S. L, Lagoute, J, Repain, V, Chacon, C, Girard, Y, Rousset, S, Smogunov, A, Barreteau, C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Buckminsterfullerene
Computer Simulation
Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties
Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science
rheology
Electric Impedance
Electrodes
Electronics
Exact sciences and technology
Ferromagnetism
Filtering
Fullerenes
Fullerenes - chemistry
Fullerenes and related materials
diamonds, graphite
Magnetic Fields
Magnetic properties and materials
Magnetoelectric, magnetostrictive, magnetoacoustic, magnetooptic and magnetothermal devices. Spintronics
Magnetoresistance
Magnetoresistivity
Materials science
Models, Chemical
Models, Molecular
Molecular orbitals
Nanostructure
Physics
Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices
Small particles and nanoscale materials
Specific materials
Studies of specific magnetic materials
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Summary:Using organic materials in spintronic devices raises a lot of expectation for future applications due to their flexibility, low cost, long spin lifetime, and easy functionalization. However, the interfacial hybridization and spin polarization between the organic layer and the ferromagnetic electrodes still has to be understood at the molecular scale. Coupling state-of-the-art spin-polarized scanning tunneling spectroscopy and spin-resolved ab initio calculations, we give the first experimental evidence of the spin splitting of a molecular orbital on a single non magnetic C60 molecule in contact with a magnetic material, namely, the Cr(001) surface. This hybridized molecular state is responsible for an inversion of sign of the tunneling magnetoresistance depending on energy. This result opens the way to spin filtering through molecular orbitals.
ISSN:1530-6984
1530-6992
DOI:10.1021/nl301802e