Three new homometallic lanthanide complexes with mixed carboxylate-modified rigid ligands, [Ln(mu(3)-OH)(na)(pyzc)](n) (na(-) = 1-naphtholate, pyzc(-) = 2-pyrazinecarboxylate, Ln = Dy (1), Yb (2), and Gd (3)), were solvothermally synthesized, and their structures and magnetic as well as photophysical properties were completely investigated. Complexes 1-3 are crystallographically isostructural, exhibiting linear chains with four bidentate bridging mu-COO- moieties encapsulated cubic {Ln(4)(mu(3)-OH)(4)}(8+) clusters repeatedly extended by 4-fold chelating-bridging-pyzc(-) connectors. Magnetically, the former two complexes with highly anisotropic Dy-III and weak anisotropic Yb-III ions in the distorted NO7 triangular dodecahedron coordination environment display field-induced slow relaxation of magnetization. Fitting the dynamic magnetic data to the Arrhenius law gives energy barrier Delta E/k(B) = 39.6 K and pre-exponential factor tau(o) = 1.52 x 10(-8) s for 1 and Delta E/k(B) = 14.1 K and to = 2.13 x 10(-7) s for 2. By contrast, complex 3 with isotropic Gd-III ion and weak intracluster antiferromagnetic coupling shows a significant cryogenic magnetocaloric effect, with a maximum -Delta S-m value of 30.0 J kg(-1) K-1 at 2.5 K and 70 kOe. Additionally, the chromophoric na(-) and pyzc(-) ligands can serve as antenna groups, selectively sensitizing the Dy-III- and Yb-III-based luminescence of 1 and 2 in the UV-visible region by an intramolecular energy transfer process. Thus, complexes 1-3, incorporating field-induced slow magnetic magnetization and interesting luminescence together, can be used as composite magneto-optical materials. More importantly, these interesting results further demonstrate that the mixed-ligand system with rigid carboxylate-functionalized chromophores can be excellent candidates for the preparations of new bifunctional magneto-optical materials.