Microrods made of lanthanoid organic frameworks act as microscale optical waveguides
(PHYSorg.com Chemistry)

Optical data transmission allows information to be transmitted as light by way of optical waveguides in fiber optic networks. Chinese researchers have now developed microscale optical waveguides. As reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie, they have made microrods of lanthanide metal-organic frameworks. Their particular crystal structure ensures low-loss light conduction and the emission of polarized light.