Advances on structuring, integration and magnetic characterization of molecular nanomagnets on surfaces and devices.

This critical review represents a concise revision of the different experimental approaches so far followed for the structuration of molecular nanomagnets on surfaces, since the first reports on the field more than ten years ago. Afterwards, a presentation of the different experimental approaches followed for their integration in sensors is described. Such work involves mainly two families of sensors and devices, microSQUIDs sensors and three-terminal devices for single-molecule detection. Finally the last section is devoted to a detailed revision of the different experimental techniques that can be used for the magnetic characterization of these systems on surfaces, ranging from magnetic circular dichroism to magnetic force microscopy. The use of these techniques to characterize other nanostructured magnetic materials, such as nanoparticles, is also revised. The aim is to give a broad overview of the last advances achieved with these techniques and their potential and evolution over the next years. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012