Single‐Molecule Magnet and Magnetothermal Properties of Two‐Dimensional Polymers Containing Heterometallic [Cu5Ln2] (Ln = GdIII and DyIII) Motifs

Abstract

The reaction of a compartmental ligand N,N′‐bis(3‐methoxysalicylidene)‐1,3‐diamino‐2‐propanol (LH3) with CuII and LnIII salts under solvothermal conditions afforded two‐dimensional coordination polymers, [{Cu5Gd2(L)2(µ3‐OH)4(NO3)4(µ‐OH2)2}(NO3)2]∞ (1) and [{Cu5Dy2(L)2(µ3‐OH)4(NO3)4(MeOH)2}(NO3)2]∞ (2). A detailed study of the magnetic properties of the two coordination polymers reveals that the [Cu5Dy2] analogue shows single‐molecule magnet (SMM) behavior with an energy barrier of about 12 K with τ0 = 10–6 s under zero‐dc field, while the [Cu5Gd2] analogue shows magnetocaloric effect with a –ΔSm value of 17.55 J kg–1 K–1 at T = 2 K (ΔB = 5 T). Interestingly, the magnetic and SMM properties of the previously reported molecular and one‐dimensional analogues containing the [Cu5Ln2] motif are preserved even in the two‐dimensional coordination networks.