Design and Synthesis of Chiral Molecular Semiconductors for Spintronic Applications

Organic semiconductors are solution-processable, lightweight, flexible and cheap materials that potentially can be implemented in a wide range of new technologies, like organic light emitting diodes, organic field-effect transistors, organic solar cells, organic photovoltaic devices, etc. Thanks to the versatility of organic synthesis, it is easy to tune material properties through a careful molecular design. Design of smart molecules is possible by the introduction of new functionalities and the engineering of the molecular packing, in order to increase the efficiency of charge transport.<br/>Recently, chiral supramolecular structures have raised as very interesting systems in the field of spintronics since chiral and helical structures behave as spin filters due to the phenomenon of Chirality Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS) effect. The exploitation of the CISS effect can improve material properties due to a lower charge recombination and a better charge transport because the spins move preferentially in one direction. We will report on the design, synthesis and performance of a new class of chiral molecular semiconductors for potential spintronics applications.