A review on the vitrification of metal coordination compounds and their photonic applications

The vitrification of metal coordination compounds (MCC) leads to the emerging of a new family of glass with unique structures and properties. In this review, we discuss the recent progress in MCC glasses with focus on their synthesis, structure, and photonic functionalities. First, we highlight the structural differences between MCC crystals and how these hybrid networks possess stable liquids at elevated temperatures, forming bulk and fiber glasses after quenching. In the later sections, we summarize the reported experimental investigations for the local structure differences between MCC crystals and their corresponding glasses in order to understand the melting and amorphization mechanisms. This review article presents the optical properties of MCC glasses and their potential applications in lighting and laser fields. Finally, we discuss the recent achievements, current challenges and future perspectives of MCC glasses and give suggestions for future directions to improve the optical performance of these new hybrid glassy materials.