Role of Exchange Interactions in the Magnetic Response and Intermolecular Recognition of Chiral Molecules

TL;DR

This paper investigates how exchange interactions influence the magnetic response and intermolecular recognition of chiral molecules, providing insights into the mechanisms behind the CISS effect through computational analysis.

Contribution

It demonstrates that exchange effects significantly impact the interaction of helical molecules with magnetic surfaces, advancing understanding of the CISS phenomenon.

Findings

Exchange interactions affect molecule-surface magnetic interactions.

Differences in enantiomer interactions with magnetized surfaces explained.

Supports experimental observations of enantiomer separation and magnetic force microscopy.

Abstract

The physical origin of the so-called chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect has puzzled experimental and theoretical researchers over the past few years. Early experiments were interpreted in terms of unconventional spin-orbit interactions mediated by the helical geometry. However, more recent experimental studies have clearly revealed that electronic exchange interactions also play a key role in the magnetic response of chiral molecules in singlet states. In this investigation, we use spin-polarized closed shell density functional theory calculations to address the influence of exchange contributions to the interaction between helical molecules as well as of helical molecules with magnetized substrates. We show that exchange effects result in differences in the interaction properties with magnetized surfaces, shedding light into the possible origin of two recent important experimental results: enantiomer separation and magnetic exchange force microscopy with AFM tips functionalized with helical peptides.