Micellar cubic liquid crystals prepared at room temperature by seven-coordinated lanthanide complexes

Abstract

In this study, we focused on holmium (Ho), one of the lanthanide elements with excellent magnetic properties, and prepared a liquid crystalline metal complex with Ho as the central metal. The seven-coordinated Ho complexes, consisting of three β-diketone-type ligands with alkoxy side chains and one water molecule, exhibited a micellar cubic liquid crystal phase at room temperature, which is composed of a supramolecular sphere based on three Ho complex molecules. The obtained Ho complex exhibited an excellent magnetic response to a neodymium magnet and was shown paramagnetic by SQUID measurements.