Inserting and Removing Chiral Molecules from a Semiconductor, Researchers Achieve 99% Spin-Selectivity Switching Using Electricity Alone (Institute of Science Tokyo)

Explanation

On August 11, 2026, a research team led by Professor Koji Taniguchi of the Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Institute of Science Tokyo, announced a method for repeatedly switching between chiral and non-chiral states by using electrical force to insert and remove small chiral molecules into and from the layered semiconductor molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂).

Until now, although chiral materials could be created by incorporating chiral molecules into layered materials, once incorporated the chirality became fixed, and the state could not be switched without destroying the material. Inspired by the mechanism by which ions move in and out of electrode layers in lithium-ion batteries, the research team developed a method for electrochemically inserting and removing chiral molecules between the layers of MoS₂.

After confirming the insertion and removal of the molecules using X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, the team also demonstrated that the ease with which current flows, depending on electron spin orientation, switches in tandem with turning the chiral state on and off. At this point, the ability to select spin orientation reached about 99%, showing spin selectivity that was said to be nearly complete.

Challenging the conventional wisdom that a material's properties do not change once it is made, this achievement demonstrates that chirality can be repeatedly switched using electricity alone, and applications are expected in next-generation "spintronics" devices.

Published paper: DOI 10.1021/acsnano.6c04758