Aggregation‐Induced Emission and Single‐Molecule Magnet Behavior of TPE‐Based Ln(III) Complexes

Multifunctional lanthanide complexes have been studied extensively owing to their promising applications in information storage, luminescence sensors and magneto‐optical devices, etc. Here, we report the facile synthesis of two discrete highly thermally stable lanthanide compounds, Ln(hfac)3(TPE‐tz) (Ln=Eu, Dy), by the reaction of the AIE‐active organic ligand with Ln(III) β‐diketonate precursor. Due to different energy gaps between the triplet state of the ligand and the accepted level of Ln(III) ions, Eu(hfac)3(TPE‐tz) exhibited remarkably enhanced luminescence intensity upon aggregation, i. e., a typical AIE behavior, while Dy(hfac)3(TPE‐tz) displayed weak characteristic emission bands of Dy(III) ions. In addition, Dy(hfac)3(TPE‐tz) showed field‐induced SMM behavior. This work shows that careful choice of auxiliary ligands paves the way for the construction of multifunctional lanthanide smart materials. TPE‐based lanthanide complexes displayed either aggregation‐induced emission or SMM behavior depending on the 4 f‐metal ion present.