Mixed-lanthanide clusters: A bridging approach that permits the design of molecular magnetic materials by introducing heavy lanthanides into the 3d-light lanthanide clusters without breaking structural integrity

Abstract

Theoretical studies suggest that the ring 3d-4f clusters {MnIII4Ln4} may be a good material for magnetic refrigeration. However, only {MnIII4Ln4} constructed from light lanthanide ions have been obtained, while the attempt for their analogue containing the magnetically isotropic Gd(III) ions has failed. By applying the strategy of synthesizing mixed-lanthanide clusters, mixed-lanthanide clusters {MnIII4LaxGd4-x} and {MnIII4NdxGd4-x} without breaking structural integrity of {MnIII4Ln4} have been successfully made. It is found that smaller ionic radius difference between the lanthanides tends to increase the introduction of Gd(III) when applying the strategy. Moreover, the magnetic property measurements show that the obtained mixed-lanthanide clusters exhibit magnetothermal effect as predicted.