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

The reaction of a compartmental ligand N, N′ ‐bis (3‐methoxysalicylidene) ‐1, 3‐diamino‐2‐propanol (LH 3) with Cu II and Ln III salts under solvothermal conditions afforded two‐dimensional coordination polymers, Cu 5 Gd 2 (L) 2 (µ 3 ‐OH) 4 (NO 3) 4 (µ‐OH 2) 2 (NO 3) 2 ∞ (1) and Cu 5 Dy 2 (L) 2 (µ 3 ‐OH) 4 (NO 3) 4 (MeOH) 2 (NO 3) 2 ∞ (2). A detailed study of the magnetic properties of the two coordination polymers reveals that the Cu 5 Dy 2 analogue shows single‐molecule magnet (SMM) behavior with an energy barrier of about 12 K with τ 0 = 10 –6 s under zero‐dc field, while the Cu 5 Gd 2 analogue shows magnetocaloric effect with a –Δ S m value of 17. 55 J kg –1 K –1 at T = 2 K (Δ B = 5 T). Interestingly, the magnetic and SMM properties of the previously reported molecular and one‐dimensional analogues containing the Cu 5 Ln 2 motif are preserved even in the two‐dimensional coordination networks.