Unveiling the electronic origin of lanthanide based Metal Organic Framework with ideal spin filtering capacity

• Published in: Communications physics Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 158 - 6
• Main Authors: Gastearena, Xuban, Ugalde, Jesus M., Pieslinger, German E., San Sebastian, Eider, Jimenez-Izal, Elisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 17.05.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/301/1034/1038; 639/638/563/979; Asymmetry; Conduction bands; Dysprosium; Electrical resistivity; Electron spin; Electron states; Electronic structure; Electrons; Fermi level; Filtration; Hydroxyl groups; Ligands; Metal-organic frameworks; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Polarization (spin alignment); Room temperature
• ISSN: 2399-3650; 2399-3650
• DOI: 10.1038/s42005-024-01651-4

Recently, a three dimensional metal-organic framework (MOF) based on Dy(III) and the L-tartrate ligand was experimentally shown to exhibit a spin polarization (SP) power of 100% at room temperature. The material’s spin filtering ability was ascribed to the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. In this work, we computationally characterize the electronic structure of this MOF, revealing that the high SP of the material is linked to the asymmetric arrangement, around the Fermi level, of the alpha- and beta-spin electron states arising from the 4f-states of the lanthanide Dy atom, which results in two different conduction channels (band gaps) for each spin state. Based on the understanding gathered in this work, we propose that the substitution of the hydroxyl groups of the ligand by mercaptan groups should boost the electrical conductivity, while retaining the spin filtering power of the material. Recently ideal spin filtering ability was demonstrated in the Dy-L-Tar metal-organic framework. In this work the authors show that this unusual effect emerges from the asymmetric display of alpha and beta spin states around the Fermi level, composed of the f states of the lanthanide.