The Mechanisms and Implications of Chiral Induced Spin Selectivity in Biological Systems
Abstract
Biological systems excel at harnessing the laws of physics to enable efficient energetic, sensory, and information processing strategies, at a level yet unmatched by abiotic systems. This capability is perhaps best illustrated by the biomolecular networks that control electron flow. The role of charge movement in dictating bioenergetics and influencing biomolecule-biomolecule interactions is well appreciated. In a textbook-rewriting development, however, there is now evidence that biomolecules may exploit not only the electron’s charge but also its spin through the Chiral Induced Spin Selectivity effect. This effect couples the electron’s spin to its linear momentum in a chiral potential and has been previously demonstrated in many organic materials, but the hypothesis that it is also central to biomolecules and physiological functions is just now coming into focus. The overarching goal of this proposal is to test this hypothesis in phenomena of interest to AFOSR programmatic efforts in biosystems and the creation of novel electronic-spintronic technologies that seamlessly integrate biotic and abiotic components The collaborative groups will seize this emerging opportunity to discover (i) the structural basis of spin filtering in protein-based electron exchange conduits, (ii) the impact of this process on respiration, and (iii) the extent to which spin contributes to enantioselective interactions between molecules, with vast implications for biological processes that involve biomolecule-biomolecule recognition.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 07, 2023
- Source ID
- FA95502110418
Entities
People
- Mohamed Y El-Naggar
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Southern California