Seminars Archive

Molecular magnets: a challange for chemistry, a chance for physics

Abstract
In recent years a new class of magnetic molecular materials have been developed. These materials are insulating, transparent and, in principle, chemically modifiable to optimize certain properties. Several classes of molecular magnets will be analysed and their properties compared to those of conventional magnets. Molecular clusters containing a large but finite number of coupled centers have been prepared. These systems, which are also relevant as models of biological molecules, show a behaviour close to that of super-paramagnets at low temperature but with quantum effects which are observable for the first time on well defined compounds as crystals or in diluted solutions.