Films of Mn12-acetate by pulsed laser evaporation

Films of the molecular nanomagnet, Mn12-acetate, have been deposited using pulsed laser deposition and its novel variant, matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation. The films have been characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and magnetic hysteresis. The results indicate that an increase in laser energy and/or pulse frequency leads to fragmentation of Mn12-acetate, whereas its chemical and magnetic integrity is preserved at low laser energy (200 mJ). This technique allows for the fabrication of patterned thin films of molecular nanomagnets for fundamental and applied experiments.