Growth and properties of benzil doped benzimidazole (BMZ) single crystals

In the present work, we have made an attempt to study the effect of benzil doping on the properties of benzimidazole single crystals. For this purpose we have grown pure and benzil doped benzimidazole single crystals by vertical Bridgman technique. The grown crystals were characterized by various characterization techniques. The presence of dopants confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). Crystalline perfection of the grown crystals has been analysed by high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD). The transmittance, electrical property and mechanical strength have been analysed using UV-vis-NIR spectroscopic, dielectric and Vicker's hardness studies. The relative second harmonic generation efficiency of pure and doped benzimidazole crystals measured using Kurtz powder test.     

Synthesis,crystal growth,structural, spectral,thermal, mechanical,linear and nonlinear optical studies of organic single crystal 4-Iodo 4-nitrostilbene (IONS): A potential NLO material

An organic nonlinear optical material 4-Iodo 4-nitrostilbene (IONS) has been synthesized and good optical quality single crystal was grown from ethyl methyl ketone solvent by the solution growth technique. Single and powder X-ray diffraction analyses reveals that the grown crystal belongs to monoclinic crystal system with noncentrosymmetric space group ‘P2₁’ and it has good crystalline nature. Functional groups and molecular structure of the title compound were confirmed by FTIR and ¹H NMR respectively. The UV–Vis–NIR absorption study reveals no absorption in the visible region and the cut-off wavelength was found to be at 412.84 nm, TG/DTA, mass spectral analysis, photoluminescence and microhardness studies have been carried out for the grown crystals and results are discussed in detail. The second harmonic efficiency of the IONS was determined by Kurtz–Perry powder technique which reveals that the IONS crystal (3.1 V) has greater efficiency i.e., 143 times to that of KDP (21.7 mV).     

Growth and characterization of a new NLO material: l-Glutamic acid hydro bromide [l-GluHBr]

l-(+)-Glutamic acid hydro bromide, an isomorphic salt of l-glutamic acid hydrochloride, was synthesized and the synthesis was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared analysis. Solubility of the material in water was determined. l-Glutamic acid hydro bromide crystals were grown by low temperature solution growth using the solvent evaporation technique. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies were carried out and the cell parameters, atomic co-ordinates, bond lengths and bond angles were reported. High-resolution X-ray diffraction studies were carried out and good crystallinity for the grown crystal was observed from the diffraction curve. The grown crystals were subjected to dielectric studies. Ultraviolet-visible-near infrared spectral analysis shows good optical transmission in the visible and infrared region of the grown crystals. The second harmonic generation efficiency of l-glutamic acid hydro bromide crystal was determined using the Kurtz powder test and it was found that it had efficiency comparable with that of the potassium di-hydrogen phosphate crystal.     

Synthesis and characterization of pure,urea and thiourea doped organic NLO l-arginine trifluoroacetate single crystals

Optically transparent l-arginine trifluoroacetate (LATF) single crystals by doping with organic materials urea and thiourea were grown by slow solvent evaporation technique. Powder X-ray diffraction confirms improvement in the crystalline quality for urea doped crystals. Urea doping in LATF also improves the percentage of transmittance. The vibrational frequencies of the grown crystals were assigned by Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy. The thermal analysis (TG/DTA) indicated the better thermal stability for urea doped LATF crystals. EDAX analysis was carried out to calculate the percentage of elements present in doped and pure LATF. The hardness has been remarkably improved on urea and thiourea doped LATF crystals. The second harmonic generation (SHG) analysis showed 2.5 times than standard KDP for pure LATF and 2.2, 2.07 times than KDP for urea and thiourea doped LATF.     

Crystal growth and characterization of Cd0.8Mn0.2Te using Vertical Bridgman method

By Vertical Bridgman method, several Cd_0.8Mn_0.2Te (CdMnTe) ingots were grown. The structure and crystallinity of the ingots were evaluated by X-ray powder diffraction and double-crystal rocking curve measurement and etch pits density (EPD) measurement. The results showed a pure cubic zinc blende structure throughout the ingots with the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 40-70 arcsec and EPD of (6-8) × 10⁴ cm⁻², indicating a high crystalline perfection. The Mn concentration distribution along the axial and radial direction of the ingots was measured by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES). The segregation coefficient k_eff for Mn along the axis of the ingots is determined to be 0.95, and the radial variation of Mn concentration is within 0.002. Current-voltage (I-V) measurement reveals that sputtered Au film can form good ohmic contact to CdMnTe wafer and all the wafers of the as-grown crystals have the resistivity within (1-4) × 10⁶ Ω cm. IR transmission measurement in the wave number region from 4000 to 1000 cm⁻¹ exhibits that the IR transmittance of CdMnTe wafers is 50-55%, which is close to the theoretical value.     

Studies on the growth, structural, optical, mechanical properties of 8-hydroxyquinoline single crystal by vertical Bridgman technique

Single crystal of organic nonlinear optical material, 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) of dimension 52 mm (length) × 12 mm (dia.) was grown from melt using vertical Bridgman technique. The crystal system of the material was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystalline perfection of the grown crystal was examined by high-resolution X-ray diffraction study. Low angular spread around 400″ of the diffraction curve and the low full width half maximum values show that the crystalline perfection is reasonably good. The recorded photoluminescence spectrum shows that the material is suitable for blue light emission. Optical transmittance for the UV and visible region was measured and mechanical strength was estimated from Vicker's microhardness test along the growth face of the grown crystal.     

Crystal growth, structure and characterizations of a new semiorganic nonlinear optical material—β-Alanine zinc chloride

The title compound, β-alanine zinc chloride—a new semiorganic nonlinear optical crystal was grown by slow evaporation technique. Single crystals of β-alanine zinc chloride have been subjected to X-ray diffraction analysis to determine the crystal structure. The powder X-ray diffractogram of the crystal has also been recorded. The amount of carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen in the crystals was also estimated. Fourier Transform Infrared and Raman spectral measurements have been carried out on the grown crystals in order to identify the functional groups. The presence of hydrogen and carbon in the β-alanine zinc chloride was confirmed by using proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance spectral analyses. The percentage of zinc in the crystal was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Optical behavior such as ultraviolet-vis-near infrared transmittance spectrum and second harmonic generation has been investigated. The mechanical strength and thermal behavior of the grown crystal have been analyzed.     

Growth of manganese doped cadmium mercury thiocyanate single crystals — Gel technique

Some of the doped crystals of bimetallic thiocyanate complexes are found to exhibit excellent nonlinear optical properties. Manganese doped cadmium mercury thiocyanate single crystals of appreciable size have been obtained from silica gel by the process of diffusion. The X-ray diffraction studies show the crystal lattice to be tetragonal revealing that doping does not alter the structure of the parent crystal. To study the crystalline perfection of the grown crystals, high resolution X-ray diffraction analysis was carried out. Being a nonlinear crystal, Kurtz powder test was carried out to confirm its second harmonic generation efficiency. The results are discussed in comparison with pure CMTC.     

Growth by SR method and characterization of bis(thiourea)zinc(II) chloride single crystals

Large size single crystals of bis(thiourea)zinc(II) chloride (BTZC), a potential nonlinear optical material, have been grown successfully by the Sankaranarayanan-Ramasamy (SR) method. Powder X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared analyses confirmed the material of the grown crystal. Thermal stability was assessed by the thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis. The high-resolution X-ray diffraction and dielectric measurements indicate that the crystal grown by the SR method has good crystalline perfection and low density of defects.     

Study of optimum growth condition and characterization of zinc mercury thiocyanate (ZMTC) single crystals in silica gel

Some bimetallic thiocyanate complexes exhibit excellent nonlinear optical properties. Single crystals of one such material, zinc mercury thiocyanate ZnHg(SCN)₄ have been grown in silica gel with gel technique by the process of diffusions and the optimum growth condition has been studied. Crystals of 4 mm length have been obtained. Their structural, optical and thermal properties have been studied. Structural analysis was carried out using an X-ray diffractometer and the crystal structure was confirmed to be tetragonal. Fourier transform infrared spectrum was obtained to confirm the functional groups. Transmission spectrum has been recorded in the solution state and the cut-off wavelength has been determined. Thermal stability of the grown crystal has been investigated by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses. Nonlinear optical property of the crystal has been confirmed using the Kurtz powder technique and a study of its second harmonic generation efficiency in comparison with urea has been made.     

Studies on growth and characterization of an NLO crystal: L-alanine hydrogen chloride (LAHC)

A nonlinear optical (NLO) salt viz. L-alanine hydrogen chloride (LAHC) has been synthesized and solubility of the synthesized salt in de-ionized water was determined at different temperatures. Single crystals of L-alanine hydrogen chloride (LAHC) salt were grown by solution method with slow evaporation technique. The grown crystals were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) and powder XRD analyses to study the crystal structure. The crystallinity of LAHC crystal was confirmed by the powder X-ray diffraction study and diffraction peaks were indexed. FTIR study was used to confirm the presence of various functional groups in the grown crystals. UV–visible transmittance spectrum was recorded to study the optical transparency of LAHC crystal. The nonlinear optical (NLO) property of the grown crystal was confirmed by Kurtz–Perry powder test. The density of LAHC crystal was determined by floatation method. The mechanical strength of the crystal was estimated by Vickers hardness test. The grown crystals were subjected to TG/DTA analyses. The dielectric behavior of the sample was also studied.     

Growth and characterization of pure and doped NLO L-arginine acetate single crystals

Single crystals of pure, Cu²⁺ and Mg²⁺ doped L-arginine acetate (LAA) were grown successfully by slow evaporation technique. In order to improve the device characteristics of LAA crystals, metal dopants of Cu²⁺ and Mg²⁺ were incorporated into the parent crystals. The grown pure and doped crystals were confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction studies. The pure and doped crystals were characterized by Fourier transform Raman (FT-Raman) and thermal studies. Absorptions of these grown crystals were analysed using UV-Vis-NIR studies, and it was found that these crystals possess minimum absorption in the entire visible region. Nonlinear optical studies of pure and doped crystals were carried out and it reveals that the dopants have increased the efficiency of LAA crystals.     

Unusual intrinsic luminescence of the host and energy transfer process in YVO4:Er phosphors

YVO₄:Er³⁺ phosphors were prepared by solid state reaction method. The X-ray diffraction results testify the pure tetragonal YVO₄ crystalline phase. The emission spectra of the samples show the obvious intrinsic luminescence of the hosts even though the concentration of the dopants has reached nominal 6 mol%, which is unusual since it is believed that the energy transferring from VO₄³⁻ to rare-earth ions occurs efficiently, thus the intrinsic luminescence of the host disappears when the concentration of the dopants is higher than ∼1 mol%. The comparison of the photoluminescence excited at 320 nm (the absorption of vanadate host) and 380, 490, 525 or 532 nm (the absorption of erbium ions) in visible and infrared range has revealed that energy transfer process has occurred in the system. The study of decay times has revealed that the energy transfer efficiency of the doped YVO₄:Er samples is very low. The low efficiency might be one important reason for the unusual intrinsic emission of the host.     

Effect of amino acid doping on the growth and ferroelectric properties of triglycine sulphate single crystals

Effect of amino acids (l-leucine and isoleucine) doping on the growth aspects and ferroelectric properties of triglycine sulphate crystals has been studied. Pure and doped crystals were grown from aqueous solution by low temperature solution growth technique. The cell parameter values were found to significantly vary for doped crystals. Fourier transform infrared analysis confirmed the presence of functional groups in the grown crystal. Morphology study reveals that amino acid doping induces faster growth rate along b-direction leading to a wide b-plane and hence suitable for pyroelectric detector applications. Ferroelectric domain structure has been studied by atomic force microscopy and hysteresis measurements reveal an increase of coercive field due to the formation of single domain pattern.     

Growth by SR method and characterization of hippuric acid single crystals

The potential organic nonlinear optical material of hippuric acid (HA) has been grown by novel unidirectional solution growth method using dimethyl formamide (DMF) as the solvent. The crystal system has been identified and lattice dimensions have been measured from the single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystalline perfection has been evaluated by high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) technique and found that the crystal quality is reasonably good. However, it contains a low angle structural grain boundary. The relative second harmonic generation (SHG) has been tested using Kurtz powder technique and found to be 1.54 times higher than that of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) single crystal. Its optical character has been assessed by UV-Vis. analysis and found that there is no absorption in the entire visible region.     

Growth, characterization and optical quality of CaF2 single crystals grown by the temperature gradient technique

The CaF₂ single crystals with diameters up to 200 mm were successfully grown by modified temperature gradient technique (TGT), which are suitable for application as optical elements in the ultraviolet range. The optimizations of various growth parameters were systematically studied. Properties of as-grown CaF₂ crystals were characterized by the nature of inclusions, dislocations, crystallinity, and impurities contents. The results showed that the dislocations and multinucleation were mostly constrained in the conical part of the crystals with the cylindrical parts having the best crystalline quality and lowest impurity contents. The high optical quality of TGT-grown CaF₂ single crystals was also confirmed to have excellent optical transmission in 190-2500 nm and refractive index homogeneity.     

Thermal, dielectric studies on pure and amino acid (l-glutamic acid, l-histidine, l-valine) doped KDP single crystals

Amino acids (l-glutamic acid, l-histidine, l-valine) doped potassium dihydrogen phospate crystals are grown by solution growth technique. Slow cooling as well as slow evaporation methods were employed to grow these crystals. The concentration of dopants in the mother solution was varied from 0.1 mol% to 10 mol%. The solubility data for all dopants concentration were determined. There is variation in pH value and hence, there is habit modification of the grown crystals were characterized with UV–VIS, FT-IR studies, SHG trace elements and dielectric studies reveal slight distortion of lattice parameter for the heavily doped KDP crystals. UV–Visible spectra confirm the improvement in the transparency of these crystals on doping metal ions. FT-IR spectra reveal strong absorption band between 1400 and 1600 cm⁻¹ for metal ion doped crystals. TGA–DTA studies reveal good thermal stability. The dopants increase the hardness value of the material and it also depends on the concentration of the dopants. Amino acids doping improved the NLO properties. The detailed results on the spectral parameters, habit modifications and constant values will be presented.     

Study of pure and l-tartaric acid doped ammonium dihydrogen phosphate single crystals: A novel nonlinear optical non-centrosymmetric crystal

Single crystals of pure and l-tartaric acid (LTA) C₄H₆O₆ doped ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP) (NH₄) H₂PO₄ were grown by slow evaporation solution technique (SEST) at ambient conditions. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis was carried out to confirm the crystal structure and no additional phase was observed due to doping except a systematic variation in peak intensities. Fourier transform infrared spectral analysis was done to examine the presence of various functional groups in the grown crystals. UV–VIS–NIR spectroscopic analysis was carried out to see the change in optical transparency of pure ADP and crystals due to LTA with different doping concentrations. Second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency measurement was done to examine the enhancement in the nonlinear optical characteristics of the grown crystals. The effect of LTA dopant on crystal morphology, thermal and mechanical properties of ADP have also been presented in this paper. The above studies reveal the effect of incorporation of LTA into the lattice of ADP crystals.     

Characterisation of ferroelectric lithium ammonium sulphate binary systems

This paper presents various thermo-electric studies on ferroelectric lithium ammonium sulphate (LAS) binary systems. LAS crystals were grown and characterized with powder X-ray diffraction technique. Different studies like dilotometry, electrostriction and phase transition temperatures were investigated. Dilotometry and dielectric studies confirmed the phase temperatures obtained from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was interesting to note that the ferroelectric region was unaltered in all the binaries. Odd proportions of the binaries were more pronounced than their even counter parts as regards to the electrical and thermal properties.     

γ-MnS nano and micro architectures: Synthesis, characterization and optical properties

γ-MnS nanocrystalline materials have been prepared by reaction of Na₂[Mn(HL)₂(H₂O)₂]; 1:2 (M:L) chelate complex with alkaline solution of thiocarbamide in aqueous solution phase. Effect of metal chelate complex, reaction time and surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate; SDS on phase, morphology and size of the products have been investigated. The metal chelate complex was synthesized by reacting Mn(II) ions with eriochrome black T (NaH₂L) in alkaline medium. γ-MnS crystals were formed when metal complex was used as metal source whereas Mn₃O₄ was the dominant product when MnSO₄·H₂O was used as metal source. Materials thus formed having various morphologies were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to determine the crystallinity, phase, structure and morphology. The optical properties of the thus prepared samples were determined by UV–vis absorption spectra and photoluminescence spectra. A possible formation mechanism of crystals has been discussed in this article.