The Chiral-Induced Spin Selectivity Effect
Our group is studying the chirality induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect and exploring ways in which it manifests in chemistry. As first formulated, the CISS effect refers to the innate ability of chiral materials to act as spin filters for electron transport; however, more recent experiments demonstrate that displacement currents arising from charge polarization of chiral molecules lead to spin polarization without the need for net charge flow between molecules. CISS represents a fundamental connection between chiral symmetry and the electron spin in molecules and materials, and its implications for chemistry and materials science remain to be explored and mapped.