Elongated Wells–Dawson type 24-nuclear lanthanide clusters: Luminescence and magnetic properties

•Three elongated Wells–Dawson type 24 lanthanide clusters were synthesized and characterized.•The magnetic proprieties of three 24-nuclear lanthanide clusters have been investigated.•Luminescence emission of Tb24 clusters cannot be affected by common organic solvents except water.

Three discrete and elongated Wells–Dawson type clusters [Ln24(DMC)36(μ4-CO3)18(μ3-H2O)2]·nH2O (Ln = Tb (1), n = 4.5; Ln = Ho (2), n = 6; Ln = Er (3), n = 9; DMC = N, N-dimethylcarbamic acid anions) were synthesized by solvothermal. The ligands DMC and CO32 − derived from the oxide reaction of DMF in situ. The metal skeleton of the cluster can be ascribed as an elongated Wells–Dawson type polyoxometalate (POM) polyhedron comprised of eighteen Ln4(μ4-CO3) square units and two Ln3(μ3-H2O) triangles. The magnetic properties of three clusters were explored, and all of them did not exhibit frequency-dependence. The compound 1 shows the typical luminescence of Tb3 +. Interestingly, water molecules can significantly decrease the luminescent intensity, and other organic solvents including nitrobenzene have almost no effect on emission.

Graphical abstractThree discrete and elongated Wells–Dawson type Ln24 (Ln = Tb, Ho and Er) clusters were synthesized by solvothermal, and the magnetic and luminescent properties were explored.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide