Magnetic lanthanide-transition-metal organic-inorganic hybrid materials: From discrete clusters to extended frameworks

Magnetic lanthanide-transition-metal hybrid materials have enjoyed increasing attraction because they not only provide examples for studying magnetic coupling involving lanthanide ions but also exhibit novel magnetic behavior which render them candidates for future devices for information storage and quantum computation. Herein, we review the structures and magnetic properties of lanthanide-transition-metal hybrid materials that are categorized based on the structural features and organic ligands used. The review pays special attention to the examples which show magnetic slow relaxation since these render them to be potentially applied as devices for information storage. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.