Spin-to-charge conversion driven by inverse chiral-induced spin selectivity

Abstract: Chiral molecules have attracted significant multidisciplinary interest and extensive research owing to their remarkable ability to achieve charge-to-spin conversion, known as the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS). A recent experiment has revealed that chiral molecules also exhibit an unexpected capability for spin-to-charge conversion, referred to as the inverse CISS (ICISS), opening unprecedented avenues for the study and application of chiral molecules. Here, we propose a specific theoretical explanation, suggesting that ICISS arises from the spin-dependent deflection of electrons caused by the interaction between the spin and chiral structure. Our numerical results are in excellent agreement with experimental observations, demonstrating that ICISS persists under strong disorder. Our model also reproduces the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE) in this experiment. Comparative analysis reveals that ICISS employs an unconventional spin-to-charge conversion mechanism distinct from conventional ISHE approaches. We provide a comprehensive explanation of ICISS, elucidate experimental phenomena, and pave the way for organic-based spintronics.