A comprehensive study on synthesis, growth and characterization of Guanidinium 4-chloro-3-nitrobenzoate monohydrate (G4C3NBM) single crystal for NLO applications: A third order nonlinear optical material

Abstract

The growth of guanidinium and benzoic acid based single crystal Guanidium 4‑chloro-3-nitrobenzoate monohydrate (G4C3NBM) was carried out via the process of slow evaporation using mixed solvents (water and ethanol). G4C3NBM crystals were obtained and multiple characterization techniques have been taken into consideration. To ascertain G4C3NBM crystal's structure, Single Crystal X-ray Diffraction (SXRD) study was performed and thereby cell parameter values were computed. The crystalline nature of G4C3NBM was elucidated by Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD) study. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) study was executed to know the vibrational assignments of G4C3NBM crystal. The linear optical properties of G4C3NBM crystal were investigated through UV–visible–NIR analysis. In addition, Photoluminescence (PL) spectra exhibited the emission characteristics of the crystal. The thermal stability of G4C3NBM was probed by utilizing TGA -DTA study. The Nd-YAG Laser (1064 nm) was employed to assess target crystal's Laser Damage Threshold (LDT) and a comparison was performed with other similar NLO crystals. The mechanical nature and various mechanical parameters were determined with the help of Vickers's Micro Hardness Test. A Z-Scan method was put to use to delve into the third order nonlinearities of G4C3NBM crystal and computations of all the related parameters were carried out. The promising results of the above studies and work performed indicate the excellent potential possessed by Guanidinium 4‑chloro-3-nitrobenzoate monohydrate (G4C3NBM) crystal for use in NLO applications.