Unconventional spin valve based on normal metal/chiral molecule/altermagnet junctions
Phys. Rev. B 114, 065412 – Published 13 July, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/cb58-jw6p
Abstract
Chiral molecules have attracted broad interdisciplinary interest for their ability to produce highly spin-polarized current. This phenomenon, known as the chiral-induced spin-selectivity effect, holds great potential in the field of spintronics. Here, we propose combining chiral molecules with altermagnets (AMs) to construct highly efficient and tunable spin valves. Using the nonequilibrium Green’s function method and the Landauer-Büttiker formula, we obtain the conductance and the magnetoresistance (MR) of a normal metal/chiral molecule/AM spin valve. Our theoretical results reveal that the conductance of the spin valve can be effectively tuned by reorienting the Néel vector of the AM, and the MR of the spin valve increases with molecular length and AM anisotropy. Moreover, the MR vanishes for achiral molecules or in the absence of molecular spin-orbit coupling. Our work paves the way for developing efficient, controllable, and stray-field-free spintronic devices.
