Growth and characterization of an organic nonlinear optical crystal: Glycinium trichloroacetate

Single crystal of glycinium trichloroacetate, an organic nonlinear optic (NLO) material, has been grown by slow solvent evaporation technique at room temperature. The grown crystal was subjected to single crystal X-ray diffraction for confirming the coordination formed, and the presence of various functional groups was studied by FTIR in the range 4000–450 cm⁻¹. UV–Visible transmittance studies were performed to analyze optical transparency of the crystal and second harmonic generation was investigated to explore the NLO property of the material. Thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis have been performed to study thermal properties of the grown crystal. Dielectric constant and dielectric loss were studied at different temperatures and frequencies. Vicker's microhardness testing was carried out on the as grown crystal to reveal the mechanical properties of the crystal. Etching studies were made on the as grown crystal to analyze the structural imperfection of the crystal.