Growth and characterization of tris allylthiourea mercuric chloride crystals

Single crystals of tris allylthiourea mercury chloride (ATMC), a semi‐organic nonlinear optical material, have been grown from a low‐temperature solution growth technique by slow cooling method. In the present work, we have grown ATMC crystal which is a new nonlinear optical material (NLO) having high optical quality and its second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency is thrice that of Urea. The grown crystals have also been subjected to various characterization studies like X‐ray diffraction, UV‐VIS, FT‐IR and TGA‐DTA. X‐ray powder diffraction study confirmed the crystal structure of ATMC, UV‐VIS /FT‐IR spectral analysis showed the crystal has good optical transmission in the entire visible region and TGA‐DTA studies showed the thermal properties and complex degradation of ATMC crystal. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Nucleation kinetics,growth, solubility and dielectric studies of L‐proline cadmium chloride monohydrate semi organic nonlinear optical single crystal

Nucleation parameters such as solubility, induction period, interfacial energy and metastable zone width have been investigated for the aqueous solution growth of a semi‐organic nonlinear optical (NLO) material of L‐Proline cadmium chloride monohydrate (L‐PCCM) single crystal. Metastable zone width and induction period values were determined experimentally in order to optimize the growth parameters. The grown crystals are transparent (dimensions: 16 x 8 x 5 mm³) and characterized by powder X‐Ray Diffraction and dielectric studies. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Crystal growth,thermal and optical studies of L‐histidine tetrafluoroborate: A semiorganic NLO material

L‐histidine tetrafluoroborate (L‐HFB), a semiorganic nonlinear optical (NLO) material has been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and FT–NMR spectroscopic studies. Solubility of L‐HFB has been determined in water and ethanol. The single crystals with dimensions 15 x 12 x 3 mm³ were grown by slow evaporation technique under two different pH conditions. The effect of pH on the morphology of the crystals have been studied. The grown crystals of both pH values has been subjected to single crystal X‐ray diffraction to determine the unit cell dimensions and morphology. The thermal stability has been analyzed by TGA and DTA. The microhardness test was carried out in (001) plane and the hardness coefficient was calculated. The birefringence values (Δ_n) were determined in the wavelength region 5540–6460 Å. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A novel metal‐organic coordination complex crystal: tri‐allylthiourea zinc chloride (ATZC)

A new metal‐organic coordination nonlinear optical crystal, tri‐allylthiourea zinc chloride (ZnCl₂(AT)₃, where AT is CH₂=CHCH₂NHCSNH₂, abbreviated as ATZC), is reported. It was synthesized in water and recrystallized in ethanol. For the crystal structure, optical and thermal characterization were determined by elemental analyses, X‐ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimeter, thermogravimetric analysis, and powder SHG efficiency meansurement. It belongs to the trigonal system, space group R3, with a = 11.0498(4) Å, c = 16.0416(11) Å, z = 3 and V = 1696.24(15) ų. It exhibits powder SHG efficiency the same order as Urea crystal. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Growth and characterization of semiorganic NLO crystals of LAHClBr

Single crystals of non‐linear optical (NLO) LAHClBr were grown by slow evaporation technique from its aqueous solution. Good optical quality crystals having dimensions up to 12 × 9 × 7 mm³ were obtained. The lattice parameters and morphology for the grown crystals were determined using single crystal XRD. The crystals were characterized by FT‐Raman, optical absorption, thermal (DTA and TGA) and dielectric studies. LAHClBr was found to be thermally stable up to 124.3°C. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Growth and characterization of dichloro tetrakis thiourea nickel single crystals

Thiourea has a large dipole moment and has an ability to form extensive network of hydrogen bonds. In the course of our studies on new semiorganic NLO materials, thiourea is selected to combine with nickel chloride. Single crystals of tetrakis thiourea nickel chloride are grown using silica gel. Green transparent crystals of NTC (nickel thiourea chloride) of dimension 8x4x3 mm³ are grown in a period of 45 days. Single crystal XRD shows that the crystal belongs to body centered tetragonal symmetry class I4. The UV‐Vis‐NIR spectrum establishes the transmission range to be 300 nm to 2500 nm, with a sharp absorption peak at the red end of the visible region, which is due to the colour of the crystal. Photoconductivity and dielectric studies are also carried out. The mechanical strength of the crystal is estimated by Vickers hardness test. The crystal starts decomposing after about 200°C. Thus, we confirm from our present investigation that NTC is a suitable candidate for NLO applications. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Nucleation kinetics and growth aspects of organic nonlinear optical L‐arginine trifluoroacetate single crystals

Experimental determination of solubility, metastable zonewidth and induction period for an organic nonlinear optical (NLO) L‐arginine trifluoroacetate (LATF) crystal is reported. The interfacial tension for different supersaturation conditions has been estimated for the LATF solution at 45°C. Bulk crystal of dimensions 57x5x3 mm³ has been grown by temperature lowering technique using optimized growth parameters. Powder X‐ray diffraction and FTIR studies confirm the crystalline nature and the functional groups of the grown crystals respectively. Linear optical property of the grown crystal has been studied by UV‐Vis spectrum. Thermal analyses have revealed that the compound is thermally stable upto 212°C. Kurtz powder SHG test confirm the nonlinear optical properties of the as‐grown LATF crystal. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Growth of bismuth tri‐iodide platelets by the physical vapor deposition method

The work reports the growth of single BI₃ crystals with platelets habit. Platelets were grown by physical vapor deposition (PVD) in a high vacuum atmosphere and with argon, polymer or iodine as additives. Crystals grew in the zone of maximum temperature gradient, perpendicular to the ampoule wall. Crystals grown with argon as additive show a very shining surface, have hexagonal (0 0 l) faces, sizes up to 20 x 10 mm² and thicknesses up to 100 μm. They were characterized by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Dendritic‐like structures were found to be their main surface defect. SEM indicates that they grow from the staking of hexagonal unities. Electrical properties of the crystals grown under different growth conditions were determined. Resistivities up to 2 x 10¹² Ωcm (the best reported value for monocrystals of this material) were obtained. X‐ray response was measured by irradiation of the platelets with a ²⁴¹Am source of 3.5 mR/h. A comparison of results according to the growth conditions was made. Properties of the crystals grown by this method are compared with the ones measured for others previously grown from the melt. Also, results for bismuth tri‐iodide platelets are compared with the ones obtained for mercuric and lead iodide platelets. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Single crystal growth and properties of semiorganic nonlinear optical L‐arginine hydrochloride monohydrate crystals

L‐arginine hydrochloride monohydrate (LAHCl.H₂O) has been synthesized and single crystals have been grown from its aqueous solution by slow evaporation and slow cooling methods. The solubility of the material was measured at various temperatures and bulk crystals of size 26×13×11 mm³ have been grown by optimizing the growth parameters. The grown crystals have been subjected to single crystal XRD studies to confirm the structure and to estimate the lattice parameters. FTIR analysis indicate the mode of vibrations of different molecular groups present in LAHCl and confirm the protonation of guanidyl, amino groups and deprotonation of COO^‐ groups. UV‐Vis transmission spectrum revealed the linear optical properties of the grown crystals with a transparency of 65% over the entire visible range upto 300 nm. Thermal behavior of the grown crystal was investigated from DTA and TGA measurements. Dielectric studies have been carried out on the grown crystals. Kurtz and Perry powder SHG technique confirms the NLO property of the grown crystal. The SHG efficiency of LAHCl was found to be 0.38 with respect to KDP. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Growth and characterization of L‐prolinium tartrate – A new organic NLO material

Single crystals of L‐Prolinium tartrate (C₅H₁₀NO₂)⁺ (C₄H₅O₆)^‐, a new organic non‐linear optical material of size: 15 × 10 × 10 mm³ were grown using submerged seed solution growth method. Characterization of the crystals was made using single crystal X‐ray diffraction and density determination. Spectroscopic, thermal, optical and mechanical studies were carried out. These studies show that the crystals are thermally stable upto 161°C, transparent for the fundamental and second harmonic generation of Nd: YAG (λ = 1064 nm) laser and possess good mechanical strength. Second harmonic generation (SHG) conversion efficiency was investigated to explore the NLO characteristics of this material using Kurtz and Perry method and it was found that the SHG conversion efficiency is about 90% of that of the standard KDP crystals. Laser damage threshold study was also carried out. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Structural,thermal and optical characterizations of a NLO material: L‐alaninium oxalate

An organic electro‐optic and nonlinear optical (NLO) material, L‐alaninium oxalate, was synthesized by the standard method. The synthesized material was purified by repeated recrystallization. Single crystals were grown by the slow evaporation technique. The grown crystals were transparent and had optimum dimensions (20 × 3 × 2 mm³) and were characterized by single crystal XRD, FT‐NMR, FT‐IR, TGA‐DTA and UV‐Vis‐NIR techniques. The second harmonic generation (SHG) from the material was confirmed using Nd:YAG laser. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Growth and characterization of a novel NLO crystal bis-glycine hydrogen chloride (BGHC)

Single crystals of bis-glycine hydrogen chloride (BGHC), a semiorganic nonlinear optical (NLO) material, have been grown by slow solvent evaporation technique. Good optical quality single crystals with dimensions up to 33×5×5 mm³ are obtained. The crystals are characterized by optical transmission spectrum, FTIR and X-ray diffraction studies. The thermal stability of the crystal is studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of BGHC was found to be 5.6 times that of KDP. The laser damage threshold values studied in single shot mode indicates that BGHC crystal possesses a fairly high value of 9.8 GW/cm² and thus the NLO studies confirmed the superiority of BGHC over KDP and urea crystals. The dielectric constant of the crystal was studied as a function of frequency and the results are discussed.     

Growth and characterization of 4‐Aminopyridinium‐4‐nitro phenolate single crystals

Organic optical material 4‐Aminopyridinium‐4‐nitro phenolate (4AP4NP) has been synthesized, and single crystals of size 20 x 14 x 6 mm³ have been grown from acetone solvent at room temperature by solvent evaporation technique. The grown crystals have been characterized by X‐ray diffraction to determine the cell parameters, and by FT‐IR technique to confirm the formation of the expected compound. The crystal belongs to monoclinic crystal system with space group P2₁/a.The structural perfection of the grown crystals has been analyzed by high‐resolution X‐ray diffraction (HRXRD) rocking curve measurements. The thermal stability of the compound has been determined by TG‐DTA curves. The transmittance of 4AP4NP has been used to determine the refractive index n; the extinction coefficient K and both the real ε_r and imaginary ε_i components of the dielectric constant as functions of photon energy. The optical band gap of 4AP4NP is 2.4 eV. The dielectric and mechanical behavior of the specimen was also studied. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Optical,mechanical and thermal properties of p‐bromoacetanilide

Solubility and metastable zonewidth were estimated for p‐Bromoacetanilide. Employing slow evaporation method crystals of size 22x17x6 mm³ and 38x25x10 mm³ were grown at a constant temperature of 40°C and room temperature respectively from methanol solution. The cell dimensions were obtained by single crystal X‐ray diffraction study. The placement of protons was identified from NMR spectral analysis. UV‐Visible and fluorescence spectral analyses were carried out for the grown crystals. Vickers microhardness test was performed on the prominent (110) of the as grown crystal. Thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric studies were carried out to determine the thermal properties of the grown crystal. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Growth and characterization of nonlinear optical zinc hydrogen phosphate single crystal grown in silica gel

Good optical quality single crystals of zinc hydrogen phosphate (ZnHPO₄) having dimensions up to 8×2×2 mm³ have been grown with the aid of sodium meta silicate gel. Single crystal XRD studies confirm that the crystal belongs to the orthorhombic system with space group P2₁2₁2₁. The functional groups present in the crystals were confirmed using FTIR technique. Optical absorbance shows very low absorption in the entire visible region. Differential thermal and thermo gravimetric analysis confirmed that the crystal is stable up to 193°C. Photoconductivity study reveals positive photoconductivity in the presence of photo active centers formed by trap energy levels. The NLO activity of the crystal was confirmed by Kurtz powder technique. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A new nonlinear optical crystal: Bi2O2(OH)(NO3)

The nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of Bi₂O₂(OH)(NO₃) crystals have been reported for the first time. Bi₂O₂(OH)(NO₃) crystals with dimensions of 1.3×1.2×0.1 mm³ have been grown by hydrothermal method, and the crystals characterized by X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), SEM and IR. The measured second harmonic generation (SHG) effect of Bi₂O₂(OH)(NO₃) was about 7 times that of KDP. The mechanism responsible for the large SHG of Bi₂O₂(OH)(NO₃) was explained according to its structure. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The growth,spectral and thermal properties of the coordination compound crystal‐ strontium malate

Growth of single crystals of the title compound Sr(C₄H₄O₅).3H₂O is achieved using the gel diffusion technique. Multifaceted single crystals of size up to 4x3x3 mm³ are obtained. X‐Ray Diffraction (XRD) pattern of the grown crystal and the Fourier Transform Infra‐Red (FTIR) spectrum in the range 400‐4000 cm^‐1 are recorded. The vibrational bands corresponding to different functional groups are assigned. Thermal behavior of the material is investigated using Thermo Gravimetry (TG) and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA). Thermal studies are indicative of a five‐stage decomposition scheme. © 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim     

Growth and morphology of the single crystals of thermoelectric oxide material NaxCoO2

We have grown single crystals of recently discovered thermoelectric oxide material Na_xCoO₂ using NaCl flux. Crystals of sizes upto 1.5 x 1.5 x 1.5 mm³ having different morphological habits were reproducibly grown. The atomic force microscopic studies show that along c‐axis crystals grow via 2D layer‐by‐layer mechanism. The X‐ray diffraction analyses show that grown crystals are rich in Na content as compared to the starting charge indicating that NaCl flux also acts as a source of Na. The resistivity of the crystals exhibited a linear temperature dependence in the region between 30 and 300 K. © 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim     

Study on rapid growth of KH2PO4 and its characterization

Large size crystals of KH₂PO₄ (KDP) were grown by adopting rapid growth technique from point seeds in a 1500‐liter crystallizer which is used to grow KDP crystals by conventional method. The grown KDP crystal size can reach to 310 × 310 × 320 mm³ and the average growth rate was 8mm/day. The optic properties of the rapidly grown KDP crystals were characterized comparing with the KDP crystals grown by the traditional temperature reduction method. We found it that the optical quality of the KDP crystals we grown rapidly are not significantly different from those of KDP crystals grown by traditional method. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Synthesis,growth and characterization of L‐histidinium acetate dihydrate single crystals

L‐histidinium acetate dihydrate {abbreviated as LHAc; [C₆H₁₀ N₃O₂⁺ C₂H₃O₂^‐ 2H₂O], a new nonlinear optical (NLO) material has been grown from aqueous solution. The grown crystals were subjected to X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and FT‐Raman analyses. Thermal studies have been carried out for its thermal stability. Optical behaviour such as UV‐Vis‐NIR spectrum and second harmonic generation (SHG) were also investigated. Its SHG efficiency was found as d_eff = 2.2 d_eff (KDP). (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)