A Six-Coordinate Ytterbium Complex Exhibiting Easy-Plane Anisotropy and Field-Induced Single-Ion Magnet Behavior

The field-induced blockage of magnetization behavior was first observed in an Yb-III-based molecule with a trigonally distorted octahedral coordination environment. Ab initio calculations and micro-SQUID measurements were performed to demonstrate the exhibition of easy-plane anisotropy, suggesting the investigated complex is the first pure lanthanide field-induced single-ion magnet (field-induced SIM) of this type. Furthermore, we found the relaxation time obeys a power law instead of an exponential law, indicating that the relaxation process should be involved a direct process rather than an Orbach process.