The chain-shaped coordination polymers based on the bowl-like Ln18Ni24(23.5) clusters exhibiting favorable low-field magnetocaloric effect

The design of assembling high-nuclearity transition-lanthanide (3d-4f) clusters along with excellent magnetocaloric effect (MCE) is one of the most prominent fields but is extremely challenging. Herein, two heterometallic metal coordination polymers are constructed via the “carbonate-template” method, formulated as {Gd₁₈Ni₂₄(IDA)₂₂(CO₃)₇(μ₃-OH)₃₂(μ₂-OH)₃(H₂O)₅Cl]·Cl₈·(H₂O)₁₄}_n and {Eu₁₈Ni_23.5(IDA)₂₂(CO₃)₇(μ₃-OH)₃₂(H₂O)₅(IN)(CH₃COO)₂(NH₂CH₂COO)Cl]·Cl₆·(H₂O)₁₇}_n abbreviated as 1-(Gd₁₈Ni₂₄)_n and 2-(Eu₁₈Ni_23.5)_n respectively; H₂IDA = iminodiacetic acid; HIN = isonicotinic acid]. Concerning the structures, compounds 1-(Gd₁₈Ni₂₄)_n and 2-(Eu₁₈Ni_23.5)_n both feature the one-dimensional (1D) chain-like structure which is rarely reported in high-nuclearity metal complexes. Meanwhile, the large presences of Gd³⁺ ions in compound 1-(Gd₁₈Ni₂₄)_n are conducive to the fantastic MCE, and the value of −∆S_m is 35.30 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹ at 3.0 K and ∆H = 7.0 T. And more significantly, compound 1-(Gd₁₈Ni₂₄)_n shows the large low-field magnetic entropy change (−∆S_m = 20.95 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹ at 2.0 K and ∆H = 2.0 T) among the published 3d-4f mixed metal clusters.