Superparamagnetism and Other Magnetic Features in Granular Materials: A Review on Ideal and Real Systems

An overview on magnetic of nanostructured magnetic materials is presented, with particular emphasis on the basic features displayed by granular nanomagnetic solids. Besides a review of the basic concepts and experimental techniques, the role of structural disorder (mainly the distribution of grain sizes), interparticle magnetic interactions and surface effects are also discussed with some detail. Recent results, models and trends on the area are also discussed.