A solid substrate comprised of a cross-linked polymer network is shaped as a film with gel-like behaviour and is used to detect aluminium ions in water; concurrently, a water soluble sensory polymer synthesised towards the same purpose is also discussed. The detection in both systems was achieved via fluorescence "turn-on". The limits of detection for Al(III) were 1.6 and 25 ppb for the former and latter materials, respectively; these levels are significantly lower than the EPA recommendations for drinking water. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.