An argument why the spinterface model cannot explain the chirality induced spin selectivity effect

Abstract

In the context of chirality induced spin selectivity effect, it has been argued that a chiral molecule when adsorbed on a metal facilitates the formation of a local spin moment at the interface between the metal and molecule, given a strong spin–orbit coupling in the metal. The possibility for such spin moment formation is analyzed in terms of general arguments and effective modeling of a pertinent setup. The conclusion from this analysis is that a strong spin–orbit coupling in the metal does not provide a sufficient mechanism to sustain a stabilized spin moment at the interface. It is, moreover, shown that an electron flux into or out of the molecule does not provide conditions for a spin moment formation, regardless of whether the flux is spin-polarized or not.