Cooperative Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Self-Assembled Monolayers

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of organic dipolar molecules have new electronic and magnetic properties that result from their organization, despite the relatively weak interaction among the molecules themselves. Here we review the origin of this cooperative effect and summarize work performed on spin selective electron transmission through SAMs. The spin selectivity observed, in some cases, is consistent with a model in which a SAM containing chiral dipolar molecules behaves like a magnetic layer. The magnetic properties result in the SAMs behaving as spin filters, even without applying an external magnetic field to the layer.