Simulation of Spin Selectivity of Electrical Conductivity of Chiral Platinum Nanotubes

Abstract

To study the electronic and spin properties of single-walled platinum nanotubes, two rows of chiral nanotubes have been calculated by the relativistic method of symmetrized linearized augmented cylindrical waves: Pt(5, n2) with 1 ≤ n2 ≤ 4 and Pt(10, n2) with 1 ≤ n2 ≤ 9 and radii from 2.24 to 7.78 Å. In all tubes, the intersection of the top of the valence band and the bottom of the conduction band with the Fermi level is observed, which is characteristic of compounds with a semi-metallic band structure. The spin–orbit coupling manifests itself as a splitting of nonrelativistic dispersion curves, which can exceed 0.5 eV for near-Fermi bands and decreases upon transition to the internal states of the valence band and nanotubes of larger diameter. The spin densities of states for electrons with spin up and down at the Fermi level are noticeably different, which can be used to create pure spin currents through nanotubes using alternating electrical voltage. The (5, 3) and (10, 7) nanotubes are the most suitable for this.