In Situ Growth of Lanthanide Coordination Polymers on Oxide Glass and Optical Fibers: A Promising Material for Chemical Sensing

TL;DR

This paper presents a new method to grow lanthanide coordination polymers on glass and optical fibers, which could be used for sensing chemicals in real-time.

Contribution

A simple in situ synthesis method for Ln-CPs on oxide glass and optical fibers is introduced.

Findings

Eu3+-based CPs were successfully coated on tellurite and phosphate glasses.

The coatings showed good adhesion and selectivity toward carbonyl compounds.

Ln-CPs on TZN-based optical fibers show promise for real-time remote sensing.

Abstract

Coordination polymers (CPs) have gained significant attention
as
chemical sensors due to their highly tunable porous structures, enabling
selective interactions with target analytes. Lanthanide-based coordination
polymers (Ln-CPs) have been extensively utilized in optical sensing,
owing to their photoluminescent properties. However, these applications
typically require deposition on stable substrates with the appropriate
chemical and physical characteristics. This study introduces a simple
and rapid in situ synthesis and coating process for
Ln-CPs on oxide glass bulks and optical fibers. Eu3+-based
CPs were successfully coated onto tellurite and phosphate glasses
by using polycarboxylic acids as ligands. Although slight deviations
from previously reported crystalline structures were observed, luminescent
coatings were effectively formed and demonstrated good adhesion to
the tellurite glass substrates. These materials exhibited potential
selectivity toward carbonyl compounds, showing an enhanced luminescent
response at low concentrations. The successful integration of Ln-CPs
onto TZN-based optical fibers underscores their potential for real-time
remote sensing, offering promising applications in environmental monitoring,
industrial safety, and biomedical diagnostics.

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