Experimental and theoretical interpretation of the magnetic behavior of two Dy(III) single-ion magnets constructed through β-diketonate ligands with different substituent groups (–Cl/–OCH3)

Two Dy(III) single-ion magnets, formulated as [Dy(Phen)(Cl-tcpb)3] (Cl-1) and [Dy(Phen)(CH3O-tmpd)3] (CH3O-2) were obtained through β-diketonate ligands (Cl-tcpb = 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-4,4,4-trifluoro-1,3-butanedione and CH3O-tmpd = 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1,3-butanedione) with different substituent groups (–Cl/–OCH3) and auxiliary ligand, 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen). The Dy(III) ions in Cl-1 and CH3O-2 are eight-coordinate, with an approximately square antiprismatic (SAP, D4d) and trigonal dodecahedron (D2d) N2O6 coordination environment, respectively, in the first coordination sphere. Under zero direct-current (dc) field, magnetic investigations demonstrate that both Cl-1 and CH3O-2 display dynamic magnetic relaxation of single-molecule magnet (SMM) behavior with different effective barriers (Ueff) of 105.4 cm−1 (151.1 K) for Cl-1 and 132.5 cm−1 (190.7 K) for CH3O-2, respectively. As noted, compound CH3O-2 possesses a higher effective barrier than Cl-1. From ab initio calculations, the energies of the first excited state (KD1) are indeed close to the experimental Ueff as 126.7 cm−1 vs. 105.4 cm−1 for Cl-1 and 152.8 cm−1 vs. 132.5 cm−1 for CH3O-2. The order of the calculated energies of KD1 is same as that of the experimental Ueff. The superior SIM properties of CH3O-2 could have originated from the larger axial electrostatic potential (ESP(ax)) felt by the central Dy(III) ion when compared with Cl-1. The larger ESP(ax) of CH3O-2 arises from synergic effects of the more negative charge and shorter Dy–O distances of the axial O atoms of the first sphere. These charges and distances could be influenced by functional groups outside the first sphere, e.g., –Cl and –OCH3.