Magneto-Optical Investigations of Nanostructured Materials Based on Single-Molecule Magnets Monitor Strong Environmental Effects

Although the influence of the surroundings on the magnetic properties of single molecular magnet (SMMs) has been pointed out in several theoretical and experimental works, our understanding of SMM behaviour almost totally relies on measurements performed on crystalline samples. Magnetic measurements on SMMs that lie in environments similar to those of spintronic devices have not been reported up to now, mainly because of the very high sensitivity required. In this Communication we try to fill this void by using high-sensitivity instrumentation, based on magneto- optical (MO) techniques on a variety of materials.