A symmetrical 2-thiopyrimidine based molecule with an expanded -electron system is synthesized and used to form a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on gold surfaces. Utilizing chemical vapor deposition a monolayer of (3-mercaptopropyl)triethoxysilane is formed on silicon dioxide substrates. Both of these SAM coated substrates are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and the growth of a coordination polymer built up from 5,5-(ethyne-1,2-diyl)bis(2-hydroxyacetophenone) and copper(II) on dual SAM coated transducers is studied. After the deposition procedure on interdigital electrodes the electrical properties of the polymer are investigated performing resistive measurements. A significant change of the resistance, which depends on the surrounding atmosphere, proves the sensing behavior of the synthesized coordination polymer. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015, 53, 335-344