Conformation-dependent electron transport through a biphenyl molecule: circular current and related issues

We investigate the conformation-dependent electron transfer in a biphenyl molecule within a simple tight-binding framework. The overall junction current and circular currents in two benzene rings driven by applied bias voltage are calculated by using Green’s function formalism. Our analysis may provide the possibilities of using organic molecules with loop substructures to design molecular spintronic devices, indicating the emergence of molecular spintronics. Copyright EDP Sciences, SIF, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013