Nucleation kinetics, chemical etching, hirshfeld surface, and photoluminescence of Rubidium hydrogen oxalate dihydrate NLO single crystal

Abstract

The nucleation dynamics of a semi-organic Rubidium hydrogen oxalate dihydrate (RbHOH) crystal were assessed using double-distilled water as a solvent medium to obtain good quality crystal using the solution growth technique. Gravimetric analysis of solubility revealed that it has a positive temperature coefficient of solubility, which is appropriate for bulk growth. Other nucleation parameters such as metastable zonewidth, induction period, and interfacial energy were carried out using the classical theory of nucleation. The photoconductivity experiments reveal that the grown crystal exhibits a positive photoconductivity nature. Chemical etching and atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiments were performed on the produced crystal surface. From AFM experiments, effectively assessed amplitude parameters were calculated. Etching studies showed the presence of etch pit patterns such as tiny hillocks and rectangular shapes. Intermolecular interactions were analysed by using Hirshfeld surface analysis. In the photoluminescence (PL) studies, the grown crystal indicates green emission peaks at 519 nm, and the bandgap energy is found to be 4.8 eV. At room temperature, the refractive index of the RbHOH crystal was determined to be 1.669. The nonlinear optical (NLO) efficiency of the grown crystal was examined using a second harmonic generation efficiency test, and it was determined to be 0.58 times that of KDP.