Spin-Controlled Helical Quantum Sieve Chiral Spectrometer

Abstract

This article reports on a molecular-spin-sensitive-antenna (MSSA) that is based on stacked layers of organically functionalized graphene on a fibrous helical cellulose network for carrying out spatiotemporal identification of chiral enantiomers. The MSSA structures combine three complementary features: (i) chiral separation via a helical quantum sieve for chiral trapping, (ii) chiral recognition by a synthetically implanted spin-sensitive center in a graphitic lattice; and (iii) chiral selectivity by a chirality-induced-spin mechanism that polarizes the local electronic band-structure in graphene through chiral-activated Rashba spin–orbit interaction field. Combining the MSSA structures with decision-making principles based on neuromorphic artificial intelligence shows fast, portable, and wearable spectrometry for the detection and classification of pure and a mixture of chiral molecules, such as butanol (S and R), limonene (S and R), and xylene isomers, with 95–98% accuracy. These results can have a broad impact where the MSSA approach is central as a precautionary risk assessment against potential hazards impacting human health and the environment due to chiral molecules; furthermore, it acts as a dynamic monitoring tool of all parts of the chiral molecule life cycles.