Reversible spin storage in metal oxide-fullerene heterojunctions.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 32219155.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aax1085 and PMC identifier 7083605.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
We show that hybrid MnO<sub>x</sub>/C<sub>60</sub> heterojunctions can be used to design a storage device for spin-polarized charge: a spin capacitor. Hybridization at the carbon-metal oxide interface leads to spin-polarized charge trapping after an applied voltage or photocurrent. Strong electronic structure changes, including a 1-eV energy shift and spin polarization in the C<sub>60</sub> lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, are then revealed by x-ray absorption spectroscopy, in agreement with density functional theory simulations. Muon spin spectroscopy measurements give further independent evidence of local spin ordering and magnetic moments optically/electronically stored at the heterojunctions. These spin-polarized states dissipate when shorting the electrodes. The spin storage decay time is controlled by magnetic ordering at the interface, leading to coherence times of seconds to hours even at room temperature.