Russian Doll-like 3d-4f Cluster Wheels with Slow Relaxation of Magnetization

The solvothermal reactions of LnCl ·6H O and MCl ·6H O (M = Co, Ni) with 2,2'-diphenol (H L ) and 5,7-dichloro-8-hydroxyquinoline (HL ) gave three 3d-4f heterometallic wheel-like nano-clusters [Ln M (L ) (L ) ( -OH) (OCH ) Cl(CH CN) ]Cl · H O (Ln = Dy, M = Co, = 3 for ; Ln = Dy, M = Ni, = 0 for ; Ln = Tb, M = Ni, = 0 for ) with similar cluster structure. The innermost Ln(III) ion is encapsulated in a planar Ln ring which is further embedded in a chair-conformation M ring, constructing a Russian doll-like 3d-4f cluster wheel Ln(III)⸦Ln ⸦M . and show obvious slow magnetic relaxation behavior with negligible opening of the magnetic hysteresis loop. Such a Russian doll-like 3d-4f cluster wheel with the lanthanide disc isolated by transition metallo-ring is rarely reported.