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

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 <i>in situ</i> 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.