The research work reported in this dissertation is focused on exploring the systematic syntheses and characteristics of lanthanide-containing functional materials. Lanthanides have interesting properties that arise as a consequence of f-electrons, namely, magnetism, luminescence, and flexible coordination sphere. These studies were extended further into heterometallic systems containing transition metal ions, specifically Ni(II) and Co(II), to further explore the behavior of lanthanides in functional materials with addition of transition metal ions. The results include the high nucleraity lanthanide hydroxide clusters and metal-organic frameworks which showed potential applications in catalysis, separations, solid-state light-emitting devices and magnetism. Chapter 1 provides background on lanthanides and different types of lanthanide-containing materials, their properties, and potential applications followed by a synopsis to the research work in each chapter. In Chapter 2, the synthesis, structure characterization, magnetic studies and solution stability studies of a novel class of high-nuclearity lanthanide hydroxide cluster complexes {Ln54} with Chromogen I, a ligand transformed from in situ N-Acetyl-D-glucosamine are summarized. Attention is focused on this ligand transformation since it shows a possible pathway for selective and efficient transformation of biomass into useful chemicals with the unique coordination chemistry of lanthanides. The remainder of this chapter is focused on using hydroxylcarboxylic acids for the formation of high-nuclearity lanthanide hydroxide clusters with the aim of expanding the array of ligands that can be utilized for developing these systems. Chapter 3 discusses the synthesis, structural characterization and photoluminescence properties of a novel series of lanthanide metal-organic frameworks utilizing iminodiacetic acid as bridging ligand. The possibility of luminescence color tuning employing mixed metal system containing Eu and Tb was shown. The lifetimes for the luminescence systems were evaluated based on photo decay studies in order to understand the energy transfer processes in the mixed-metal system. An energy transfer from Tb to Eu was evident based on the data. Chapter 4 focuses on a 3d-4f heterometallic system based on Ni(II) that has been synthesized using a metalloligand approach. A metalloligand containing Ni was first synthesized and then used for further lanthanide coordination. The result of this effort was a bi-porous metal-organic framework (MOF) which contains both hydrophilic and hydrophobic pores. The magnetic studies showed weak antiferromagnetic interactions between the Ni centers and confirmed the absence of single-molecule magnet behavior. Chapter 5 explores another 3d-4f heterometallic system which contains Co(II) using a different synthetic approach than that reported in Chapter 4. A 2-D layer type MOF containing both Ln(III) (Ln= Pr, La, Nd) Co(II) was obtained with the use of iminodiacetic acid as the supporting ligand under solvothermal conditions which further extends to a 3-D network with extensive hydrogen bonding. Magnetic studies were carried out to explore the magnetic interactions between the metal ions and results were not conclusive due to the complicated intrinsic magnetic characteristics possessed by both Ln(III) and Co(II).Chapter 6 describes results on another lanthanide-containing MOF that assembles as a layered material creating channels between the layers. The structural analysis of the MOF of interest and other MOFs obtained under the controlled conditions were discussed. This work has potential applications as an advanced material for proton conductivity, intercalation, and ion exchange. Chapter 7 summarizes the body of work by examining the results and significance of the results presented in Chapters 2-6 and discusses the future directions possible for each project. Appendix A provides all the crystallographic information including bond lengths and angles.