Optical,piezoelectric and mechanical properties of xylenol orange doped ADP single crystals for NLO applications

Single crystals of pure and xylenol orange (XO; C₃₁H₃₂N₂O₁₃S) dye doped (0.01, 0.05 and 0.1 mol%) ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP; NH₄H₂PO₄) were grown by slow evaporation method with the vision to improve the properties of pure ammonium dihydrogen phosphate crystal. The theoretical morphology of the grown crystals was drawn using Bravais–Friedel–Donnay–Harker (BFDH) law. The selective nature of xylenol orange dye to selectively stain the particular growth sectors of ADP crystal was studied. The structural analysis of as grown crystals was carried out using powder XRD study. The identification of the functional groups present in the ADP material was done using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The linear optical study on pure and dye doped crystals was carried out using UV–vis–NIR spectroscopy. The optical band gap, extinction coefficient, refractive index and optical conductivity were calculated using the transmittance spectra for all the samples. In photoluminescence studies, the blue emission intensity got quenched and an orange emission at 597 nm was seen as a result of XO doping. The thermal stability and decomposition temperature of ADP crystal were found to decrease as an effect of dye doping. The piezoelectric charge coefficient, SHG conversion efficiency, mechanical strength and wettability were also enhanced as a result of XO dye doping.     

Synthesis,structure, CMC values,thermodynamics of micellization,steady-state photolysis and biological activities of hexadecylamine cobalt(III) dimethyl glyoximato complexes

Metallosurfactant complexes of the type trans- [Co(DH)₂(HA)X], where DH = Dimethyl glyoxime, HA = Hexadecyl amine and X = Cl⁻, Br⁻, I⁻, N₃ ⁻, NO₂ ⁻ or SCN⁻, were synthesized and characterized by physico-chemical and spectroscopic methods. In addition, the single crystal X-ray structure of the ionic complex trans-[Co(DH)₂(HA)₂][Co(DH)₂(I)₂)] is presented. The critical micelle concentration values of the complexes in ethanol were obtained by measuring the absorption at 290 nm. Specific conductivity data (at 303–313 K) served for the evaluation of the thermodynamics of micellization ) \left( {\Updelta G^{0}_{{{\text{m}}}}, \Updelta H^{0}_{{{\text{m}}}}, \Updelta S^{0}_{\text{m}} } \right) . Steady-state photolysis, cyclic voltammetry and biological activities of the complexes were studied. The compounds were tested for antimicrobial activity.     

Nucleation-controlled growth in polyethylene single crystals: Growth and shape of {100} sectors

The nucleation rate and propagation rate of steps on the {100} faces of polyethylene crystals have been determined. For single crystals, under conditions where the width of the {100} sectors remains constant during growth, it is confirmed that the growth is in regime I or the crossover region between regime I and II. In {110} twinned crystals, the {100} sectors are well developed and the width increases linearly with time; therefore, the growth in the twins must be in regime II. It is shown that the differing growth regimes of {100} faces in single crystals and twins allow the independent determination of the nucleation rate and the propagation rate of steps. The nucleation rate and propagation rate of steps on the {100} faces were determined from measurements of the constant width of the {100} faces in single crystals and the growth rate of the {100} faces in single crystals and twins. The observed rates show abnormal dependence on supercooling and concentration. The results are attributed to a weaker dependence of the constant width of {100} sectors on supercooling and concentration than predicted.     

Deformation morphology of polyester single crystals

Truncated, six-sided single crystals of a 10–16 linear polyester were grown from dilute solution in hexanol, deposited onto Mylar film, and uniaxially deformed at room temperature. For elongations below 10%, the crystals deform uniformly; however, above 20% elongation many cracks spanned by fibrils of 300 Å diameter develop approximately normal to the applied stress direction. Depending on the position of the crystal relative to the draw direction, lateral buckling pleats and cleavage cracks can also occur. Collapse of the nonplanar crystals onto the substrate with a resulting nonuniform adherence of the crystal influences the deformation. The deformation morphology is compared to that of truncated sixfold sector polyethylene crystals. Most notably, in contrast to polyethylene, {010} fold sectors do not deform differently from {110} fold sectors and phase boundaries between {110} and {010} fold sectors do not fracture easily.     

Facile solvothermal synthesis of highly active monoclinic scheelite BiVO4 for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under white LED light irradiation

In this study, BiVO₄ was successfully synthesized via the solvothermal process using a solvent mixture of ethylene glycol and water under different synthesis conditions of temperature and pH. Physicochemical properties such as crystal phase, morphology, and optical absorption of the as-synthesized BiVO₄ samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectra, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and ultraviolet–visible diffraction reflection spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS). The XRD analysis showed that different synthesis conditions of temperature and pH significantly affected the growth of monoclinic BiVO₄ crystals oriented along (0 4 0) facets. Form SEM results, the synthesis conditions, including pH and temperature, have a great effect on the morphology of monoclinic structured BiVO₄. As the pH value increases in the range of 0–9 and temperature increases from 80 °C to 180 °C, the morphology of BiVO₄ changed from peanut-, rod-, and leaf-like shapes. The photocatalytic activities of as-synthesized BiVO₄ photocatalysts were evaluated by the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under irradiation of white LED light. We have found that by using appropriate synthesis conditions (the synthesis temperature of 140 °C and the synthesis pH of 7) the BiVO₄ exhibited high photocatalytic efficiency for MB degradation (about 82.30% after 180 min of irradiation). This result is due to the development of the BiVO₄ crystals oriented along (0 4 0) facets with an increase in the intensity ratio of I_(0 4 0)/I_(1 2 1). The growth of BiVO₄ crystals oriented along (0 4 0) facets may be beneficial to enhance the photocatalytic activity of monoclinic scheelite BiVO₄.     

A new stepped tetranuclear copper(II) complex: synthesis,crystal structure and photoluminescence properties

Binuclear and tetranuclear copper(II) complexes are of interest because of their structural, magnetic and photoluminescence properties. Of the several important configurations of tetranuclear copper(II) complexes, there are limited reports on the crystal structures and solid‐state photoluminescence properties of `stepped' tetranuclear copper(II) complexes. A new Cu^II complex, namely bis{μ₃‐3‐[(4‐methoxy‐2‐oxidobenzylidene)amino]propanolato}bis{μ₂‐3‐[(4‐methoxy‐2‐oxidobenzylidene)amino]propanolato}tetracopper(II), [Cu₄(C₁₁H₁₃NO₃)₄], has been synthesized and characterized using elemental analysis, FT–IR, solid‐state UV–Vis spectroscopy and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The crystal structure determination shows that the complex is a stepped tetranuclear structure consisting of two dinuclear [Cu₂(L )₂] units {L is 3‐[(4‐methoxy‐2‐oxidobenzylidene)amino]propanolate}. The two terminal Cu^II atoms are four‐coordinated in square‐planar environments, while the two central Cu^II atoms are five‐coordinated in square‐pyramidal environments. The solid‐state photoluminescence properties of both the complex and 3‐[(2‐hydroxy‐4‐methoxybenzylidene)amino]propanol (H₂L ) have been investigated at room temperature in the visible region. When the complex and H₂L are excited under UV light at 349 nm, the complex displays a strong blue emission at 469 nm and H₂L displays a green emission at 515 nm.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ab initio</Emphasis> Study of Al(III) Adsorption on Stepped 100 Surfaces of KDP Crystals

Crystals of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH₂PO₄, KDP) are grown in large scale for use as nonlinear material in laser components. Traces of trivalent metal impurities are often added to the supernatant to achieve habit control during crystal growth, selectively inhibiting the growth of the {100} face. Model systems representing AlPO₄-doped KDP {100} stepped surfaces are prepared and studied using ab initio quantum methods. Results of Hartree–Fock partial optimizations are presented, including estimated energies of ion pair binding to the steps. We find that the PO₄^3– ion takes a position not unlike that of a standard phosphate in the crystal lattice, while the aluminum atom is displaced far from a K⁺ ion position to establish coordinations with the PO₄^3– ion and to bind with another lattice-bound phosphate. Our optimized structures suggest that it is the formation of a fourth coordination of Al(III) to a third phosphate ion from solution, or perhaps from a nearby position in the lattice, that disrupts further deposition, pinning the steps.     

Crystal rigidifying strategy toward hybrid cadmium halide to achieve highly efficient and narrowband blue light emission

Highly efficient and narrowband blue light-emitting performance is extremely crucial for the optoelectronic applications of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites. However, the not yet viable approach has been shown to simultaneously improve photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and narrow linewidth of blue light emission. Herein, a new crystal rigidifying strategy is proposed as a viable dual-optimization avenue. Specifically, we perform a post-synthetic technique on hybrid cadmium halides and successfully convert zero-dimensional (0D) DMP-0-CdBr₄ to one-dimensional (1D) DMP-1-CdBr₃, accompanied by luminescent transformation from sky-blue (470 nm) to deep-blue (432 nm) emissions. The structural evolution from discrete block to infinite chain significantly enhances the crystal rigidity, which results in narrower emission linewidth (89 to 50 nm) and increased color purity (74.5% to 96.7%). Synchronously, the PLQY also realizes a notable enhancement from 14.0% to 52.3%. Systematical characterizations demonstrate that enhanced crystal rigidity simultaneously weakens the electron-phonon interaction and slows down nonradiative decay, which narrows the emission linewidth and boosts the PLQY. The highly efficient light-emitting performance enables them as excellent down-conversion blue phosphors to fabricate solid-state LED giving bright warm white light with high color rendering index of 95.4. This work paves a novel structural optimization way to rationally design or fine-tune high-performance blue-light emitting halides.     

{001} facets dominated anatase TiO2: Morphology, formation/etching mechanisms and performance

Controllable growth of anatase TiO2 crystals with exposed high reactive crystal facets has aroused great attention in the fields of science and technology due to their unique structure-dependent properties. Recently, much effort has been paid to synthesize anatase TiO2 crystals with exposed high reactive {001} facets. Herein, we review the recent progress in synthesizing {001} facets dominated anatase TiO2 crystals with different morphologies by various synthetic methods. Furthermore, our review is mainly focused on the formation/etching mechanisms of {001} facets dominated anatase TiO2 crystals based on our and other studies. The extensive application potentials of the anatase TiO2 crystals with exposed {001} facets have been summarized in this review such as photocatalysis, photoelectrocatalysis, solar energy conversion, lithium ion battery, and hydrogen generation. Based on the current studies, we give some perspectives on the research topic. We believe that this comprehensive review on anatase TiO2 crystals with high reactive {001} facets can further promote the relative research in this field.     

Synthesis, growth and characterization of bis (glycine) lithium molybdate—A semi-organic NLO material

Single crystals of bis (glycine) lithium molybdate [BGLM] with dimensions 20 mm × 10 mm × 5 mm were grown by slow evaporation technique. The grown crystals were subjected to powder X-ray diffraction studies. Functional groups of the crystallized molecules were confirmed by FTIR analyses. Transmission range of the crystal was determined by UV–vis–NIR spectra. Vickers microhardness test was performed on the prominent plane (0 1 1) of the grown crystal. The NLO property of the crystal was confirmed by Kurtz SHG test and compared with NLO efficiency of KDP crystal.     

Single-molecule orientations in dyed salt crystals

We present single-molecule confocal microscopy studies of orientational distributions for luminophores isolated in potassium hydrogen phthalate (KAP) crystals. The incorporation of dye molecules that bear no size or shape similarity to the host ions is observed, demonstrating that single-molecule studies on mixed crystals need not be restricted to isomorphous host/guest pairs. Violamine R is oriented and overgrown by the fast vicinal slopes of growth hillocks within the symmetry-related {010} growth sectors and DCM deposits in the {11} growth sectors of KAP. Both mixed crystals exhibit modest absorption dichroism relative to basic pyranine-doped K(2)SO(4). The latter was studied to ensure that a range of orientations was sampled in our experiments. Average orientations determined at the single-molecule level were in close agreement to ensemble-averaged measurements for all three systems, and the chromophore orientational distributions were broader than anticipated, indicating that the crystals incorporate guest molecules in a range of orientations outside the measured ensemble average.     

Surface facets dependent oxygen evolution reaction of single Cu2O nanoparticles

Understanding and establishing the structure-activity relation of nanoparticles is a prerequisite for rational design of high-performance electrocatalysts. Cu₂O nanoparticles enclosed with different crystal facets, namely, o-Cu₂O NPs with {111} facets, c-Cu₂O NPs with {100} facets are prepared and their electrocatalytic properties for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline condition are evaluated at single nanoparticle level with a combination of scanning electrochemical cell microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It is found that the o-Cu₂O NPs have significantly superior OER electrocatalytic activity compared to c-Cu₂O, which is almost inert. The estimated turnover frequency (TOF) at 1.97 V vs. RHE on {111} facet increases from 4 s^?1 to 115 s^?1 with the octahedron edge length decreasing from 1.3 µm to 100 nm. Deposition of carbon on c-Cu₂O surface barely promotes the activity, suggesting the inherent poor electric conductivity within the nanocrystal is most likely the reason for low activity. This work provides direct probing to single transition metal oxide crystals with dramatically different activity.     

Influence of SiO_3~（2-）Impurity on the Optical Properties of KDP Crystal

In this paper,potassium dihydrogen phosphate(KDP) crystals were grown in the presence of a series of silicate(SiO32-) impurity concentrations via conventional temperature cooling and rapid growth methods,respectively.It revealed that the SiO32-impurity could lead to the decrease of transmittance at the region of ultraviolet band for pyramidal sectors and slightly increased the transmittance for prismatic sectors.SiO32-could enter into the crystal lattice and create lattice defects,which consequently increased the density of light scatter.The decrease of laser damage threshold was attributed to the lattice defects and the redundant electrons brought by the replacement of SiO32-at the PO43-position.     

Synthetic Semiconductor Diamond Electrodes: Electrochemical Characteristics of Individual Faces of High-Temperature-High-Pressure Single Crystals

Effects of crystal structure on the electrochemistry of boron-doped high-temperature-high-pressure diamond single crystals grown from an Ni–Fe–C–B melt are studied. On the {111}, {100}, and {311} faces, the linear and nonlinear electrochemical impedance spectra and the electrochemical kinetics in the Fe(CN)₆ ^3_/4_ redox system are measured. The acceptor concentration in the diamond interior adjacent to these faces was determined from the Mott–Schottky plots and the amplitude-demodulation measurements. It varies in the 10¹⁸ to 10²¹ cm^–3 range. The difference in the electrochemical behavior of individual crystal faces is primarily attributed to different boron acceptor concentrations in the growth sectors associated with the faces.     

Dyeing uric acid crystals with methylene blue

The growth of anhydrous uric acid (UA) and uric acid dihydrate (UAD) crystals from supersaturated aqueous solutions containing methylene blue, a cationic organic dye, has been investigated. Low concentrations of dye molecules were found to be included in both types of crystal matrixes during the growth process. Incorporation of dye into UA crystals occurs with high specificity, affecting primarily [001] and [201] growth sectors, while UAD crystals grown from solutions of similar dye concentration show inclusion but little specificity. The orientation of the UA-trapped species was determined from polarization data obtained from visible light microspectrometry. To achieve charge neutrality, a second anionic species must also be included with the methylene blue into UA and UAD crystal matrices. Under high pH conditions, crystallization of 1:1 stoichiometric mixtures of methylene blue and urate yields methylene blue hexahydrate (MBU.6(H2O). The crystal structure of MBU.6(H2O) reveals continuous pi-pi stacks of planes of dye cations and urate anions mediated by water molecules. This structure provides an optimal geometry for methylene blue-urate pairs and additional support for the incorporation of these dimers in uric acid single-crystal matrices. The strikingly different inclusion patterns in UA and UAD demonstrate that subtle changes in the crystal surfaces and/or growth dynamics can greatly affect recognition events.     

Experimental Research of OH and N<Stack><Subscript>2</Subscript><Superscript>+</Superscript></Stack> Spatially Resolved Spectra in a Needle-Plate Pulsed Streamer Discharge

In this study, the spatial distributions of the emission intensity of OH (\(\hbox{A}^{2}\Upsigma {\rightarrow}\hbox{X}^{2}\Uppi,\) 0-0) and \(\hbox{N}_{2}^{+} (\hbox{B}^{2}\Upsigma_{\rm u}^{+}\rightarrow \hbox{X}^{2}\Upsigma_{\rm g}^{+},\) 0-0, 391.4 nm) are investigated in the atmospheric pressure pulsed streamer discharge of H₂O and N₂ mixture in a needle-plate reactor configuration. The effects of pulsed peak voltage, pulsed repetition rate, input power, and O₂ flow rate on the spatial distributions of the emission intensity of OH (\(\hbox{A}^{2}\Upsigma {\rightarrow}\hbox{X}^{2}\Uppi,\) 0-0), \(\hbox{N}_{2}^{+} (\hbox{B}^{2}\Upsigma _{\rm u}^{+} \rightarrow \hbox{X}^{2}\Upsigma _{\rm g}^{+},\) 0-0, 391.4 nm), and the vibrational temperature of N₂ (C) in the lengthwise direction from needle to plate are attained. It is found that the emission intensities of OH (\(\hbox{A}^{2}\Upsigma {\rightarrow}\hbox{X}^{2}\Uppi,\) 0-0) and \(\hbox{N}_{2}^{+} (\hbox{B}^{2}\Upsigma_{\rm u}^{+} \rightarrow \hbox{X}^{2}\Upsigma_{\rm g}^{+},\) 0-0, 391.4 nm) rise with increasing the pulsed peak voltage, the pulsed repetition rate and the input power, and decrease with increasing O₂ flow rate. In the direction from needle to plate, the emission intensity of OH (\(\hbox{A}^{2}\Upsigma {\rightarrow}\hbox{X}^{2}\Uppi,\) 0-0) decreases firstly, and rises near the plate electrode, while the emission intensity of \(\hbox{N}_{2}^{+}(\hbox{B}^{2}\Upsigma_{\rm u}^{+} \rightarrow \hbox{X}^{2}\Upsigma_{\rm g}^{+},\) 0-0, 391.4 nm) is nearly constant along the needle to plate direction firstly, and rises sharply near the plate electrode. The vibrational temperature of N₂ (C) is almost independent of the pulsed peak voltage and the pulsed repetition rate, but rises with increasing the O₂ flow rate and keeps nearly constant in the lengthwise direction. The main physicochemical processes involved are discussed.     

Study on the Growth and Quality of Potassium Dihydrogen Phosphate Grown from Acid-doped Solution

Potassium dihydrogen phosphate （KDP） single crystals have been grown respectively at the rates of about 1 and 20 mm/day from the pure and acid-added solutions by temperature reduction method. The effects of acid and supersaturation on the shape and size of grown crystals were compared and discussed. Samples were cut from different parts of the as-grown crystals for investigating the optical quality, including transmissibility, scattering centers and laser damage threshold. It is found that the stability of KDP growth solution improves to some extent and the growth rates in x- and z-directions have great difference after adding acid. Moreover, the acid causes remarkable differences in optical quality between prismatic and pyramidal sectors.     

Synthesis,Structural Characterization and Luminescence Studies of Di‐ and Trinuclear Gold(I) Alkynyl‐phosphine Complexes

Reactions of the polymer {Au^IC₂Ph}_n with polyphosphine ligands [1,4‐bis(2‐diphenylphosphino‐1H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)‐benzene (dpib), 1,3,5‐tris(4‐diphenylphosphinophenyl)benzene (tppb), 2,2′‐bis(diphenylphosphanyl)‐4,4′‐bipyridine (dpbp), and 3,6‐bis(diphenylphosphanyl)pyridazine (dppz)] afforded four gold(I) alkynyl‐polyphosphine complexes [{AuC₂Ph}₂(μ‐dpib)] ( 1 ), [{AuC₂Ph}₃(μ₃‐tppb)] ( 2 ), [{AuC₂Ph}₂(μ‐dpbp)] ( 3 ), and [{AuC₂Ph}₂(μ‐dppz)] ( 4 ) in nearly quantitative yield. The compounds obtained were characterized using elemental analysis, ESI‐MS, X‐ray crystallography, and polynuclear NMR spectroscopy. Intermolecular aurophilic interaction together with π–π and σ–π stacking build up the supramolecular 3D network of complex 3 , whereas none of these intermolecular bondings were found in the crystal structures of compounds 1 , 2 , and 4 . Complexes 1 – 4 are luminescent both in solution (CH₂Cl₂) and in solid state under laser irradiation (λ_ex = 308 nm). In solution, the diphosphine complexes 1 – 4 display dual emission corresponding to ligand centered transitions (λ_em = 360–375 nm) along with weaker contribution from MLCT excited states at ca. 490 nm. The long wavelength component of the emission plays a dominant role in the solid state luminescence spectra of complexes 1 , 3 , and 4 (460, 544, 520 nm, respectively) whereas the triphosphine complex 2 shows dual luminescence (372 and 520 nm) with considerable contribution from ligand centered excited state.     

Blue or green glowing crystals of the cation [Au{C(NHMe)2}2]+. Structural effects of anions, hydrogen bonding, and solvate molecules on the luminescence of a two-coordinate gold(I) carbene complex

Depending upon the crystallization conditions, [Au{C(NHMe) 2} 2](AsF 6) forms colorless crystals that display a blue or green luminescence. The difference involves the type of solvate molecule that is incorporated into the crystal and the structure of the chains of cations that are formed upon crystallization. The crystallographically determined structures of blue-glowing [Au{C(NHMe) 2} 2](AsF 6).0.5(benzene), blue-glowing [Au{C(NHMe) 2} 2](AsF 6).0.5(acetone), green-glowing [Au{C(NHMe) 2} 2](AsF 6).0.5(chlorobenzene), and blue-glowing, solvate-free [Au{C(NHMe) 2} 2](EF 6), E = P, As, Sb are reported. All pack with the cations forming extended columns, which may be linear or bent, but all show significant aurophilic interactions. The blue-glowing crystals have ordered stacks of cations with some variation in structural arrangement whereas the green-glowing crystals have disorder in their stacking pattern. Although there is extensive hydrogen bonding between the cations and anions in all structures, in the solvated crystals, the solvate molecules occupy channels but make no hydrogen-bonded contacts. The emission spectra of these new salts taken at 298 and 77 K are reported.     

Intense white light luminescent Dy3+ doped lithium borate glasses for W-LED: A correlation between physical,thermal, structural and optical properties

In this article the physical, thermal structural and optical properties of Dy³⁺ doped lithium borate glasses have been studied for white LED application. The emission spectra shows two intense emission bands at around 483 nm and 574 nm corresponds to the ⁴F_9/2 → ⁶H_15/2 and ⁴F_9/2 → ⁶H_13/2 transitions along with one feeble band at 663 nm corresponds to ⁴F_9/2 → ⁶H_11/2 transition. The average lifetime <τ> of Dy³⁺ were found to be about 2.95 and 4.94 ns for blue and yellow emission bands respectively. CIE chromaticity diagram shows glass LBD-4 containing 0.5 mol% Dy₂O₃ with colour co-ordinates x = 0.33 and y = 0.37 have highest emission intensity. These glasses having emission in the white region and thus can be used for bright white LED's and modern white LED bulbs.