Nonlinear Optical Response Properties Research Articles

Comprehensive investigation of 2-methylquinolinium-5-sulphosalicylate monohydrate: Synthesis, characterization, multifaceted analysis of molecular structure, optical, and nonlinear optical properties

We introduce the synthesis and characterization of a novel molecular salt crystal, 2-methylquinolinium-5-sulphosalicylate monohydrate (MQSSA), obtained through an equimolar reaction between donors (D) and acceptors (A) employing crystal engineering principles. The resulting proton transfer complex, MQSSA, crystallized into a monoclinic crystal system with space group P21/C, as revealed by SCXRD analysis. Significant peaks observed in PXRD analysis confirmed the crystallinity and purity of the material. FT-IR and FT-Raman spectroscopy were employed to analyze various functional groups present in the molecule. UV–Vis-NIR spectroscopy provided insights into absorbance transmittance, lower cutoff wavelength, and optical band gap, suggesting it's suitability for diverse optical applications, while characteristic emission was identified using PL measurements. Thermal stability was assessed via TG-DTA and TG-DSC techniques. Nonlinear absorption coefficient (β), nonlinear refractive index (n2), and third-order nonlinear susceptibility (χ3) were quantified using the Z-scan technique. Hirshfeld surface analysis and fingerprint plots were utilized to gain insight into intermolecular interactions and atomic arrangements within the MQSSA crystal, emphasizing the roles of crystal structure in H...H and O...H/H...O interactions. Additionally, quantum computational methods were employed to evaluate various molecular-level electronic characteristics, including molecular orbitals, molecular electrostatic potential maps, and first and second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) polarizability, providing insights into the molecular-level NLO response properties.

Rational design and investigation of nonlinear optical response properties of pyrrolopyrrole aza-BODIPY-based novel push-pull chromophores.

Intramolecular charge transfer (ICT)-based chromophores are highly sought after for designing near-infrared (NIR) absorbing and emitting dyes as well as for designing materials for nonlinear optical (NLO) applications. The properties of these 'push-pull' molecules can easily be modified by varying the electronic donor (D) and acceptor (A) groups as well as the π-conjugation linker. This study presents a methodical approach and employs quantum chemical analysis to explore the relationship between the structural features, electro-optical properties, and the NLO characteristics of molecules with D-π-A framework. The one- and two-photon absorption (2PA), linear polarizability (α), and first hyperpolarizability (β) of some novel chromophores, consisting of a dimeric aza-Boron Dipyrromethene (aza-BODIPY) analogue, called, pyrrolopyrrole aza-BODIPY (PPAB), serving as the acceptor, have been investigated. The electronic donors used in this study are triphenylamine (TPA) and diphenylamine (DPA), and they are conjugated to the acceptor via thienyl or phenylene π-linkers. Additionally, the Hyper-Rayleigh Scattering (βHRS), which enables direct estimation of the second-order NLO properties, is calculated for the studied chromophores with 1064 nm excitation in acetonitrile. The β value shows a significant increase with increasing solvent polarity, indicating that the ICT plays a crucial role in shaping the NLO response of the studied molecules. The enhancement of the 2PA cross-section of the investigated molecules can also be achieved by modulating the combinations of donors and linkers. The results of our study indicate that the novel D-π-A molecules designed in this work demonstrate considerably higher hyperpolarizability values than the standard p-nitroaniline, making them promising candidates for future NLO applications.

Tailoring the donor moieties in TPA‐based organic dyes for efficient photovoltaic, optical and nonlinear optical response properties

AbstractThe current study reports tailoring the electronic donor structures of organic dyes to modify their optical and nonlinear optical (NLO) response properties. Five (5) tri‐phenyl amine (TPA) based Donor‐π‐Acceptor (D‐π‐A) organic dyes with the codes ICAA1, ICAA2, ICAA3, ICAA4, and ICAA5 were designed and investigated for their optical and NLO properties using quantum chemical methods. Optical and NLO properties of these dyes were studied by CAM‐B3LYP method and 6‐311G* basis set. The focus has been on the impact of adding secondary donors and shifting their substitutions at ortho (o), meta (m) and para (p) positions. Among all designed compounds, ICAA4 showed the highest amplitude of average third‐order NLO polarizability <γ>, which is calculated to be 1316 × 10−36 esu. Time‐dependent Density Functional Theory (TD‐DFT) method was used to determine how a change in the position of the donor affected the excitation energy (Eg) and NLO response properties. The findings showed that changing the position of the secondary donor results in a red shift among absorption spectra as well as the increase in their NLO responses. Complete process of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) has been investigated in terms of different optical parameters such as frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs), molecular electrostatic potentials (MEPs), transition density matrix (TDMs), density of states (DOS), electron density difference (EDD), and natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. Our calculations for study of ICT process indicate that p‐position of methoxy group performs better among all other positions and even it has better NLO response properties than the compound with three collective methoxy groups. The calculated Voc values of all designed molecules range from 1.09 to 1.30, all of them are positive while their ΔGinject is found to be in the range of −0.87 to −1.79 eV indicating their decent potential for photovoltaic applications. The studied optical, NLO and photovoltaic parameters illustrated that ICAA1 to ICAA5 are appropriate molecules not only for NLO applications but also for efficient photovoltaic purposes.

Theoretical study of static and frequency-dependent nonlinear optical properties of 1-phenyl-2,5-di(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-pyrrole based D-π-A chromophores through π-linkers modifications: A gateway towards giant nonlinear optical compounds

Designing materials with proficient nonlinear optical (NLO) amplitudes is the frontier area of research. To address the briskly mounted demand for potentially useful NLO materials in optoelectronic and electrical applications, static and frequency-dependent NLO response properties of 1-phenyl-2,5-di(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-pyrrole (PDTP) based D-π-A chromophores were computed at 1907.21 nm, 532 nm, and 1064 nm laser wavelength for exploring SHG β (−2ω, ω, ω) and EOPE β (−ω, ω, 0). The PDTP-based organic dye (MC28) is selected to serve as a reference, and the quantum chemical models of its ten derivatives (SLN1-SLN10) are constructed by incorporating a variety of previously reported π-linkers into the reference. DFT and TD-DFT calculations reveal that π-linker modification tunes the NLO characteristics in SLN1-SLN10. The photophysical, electronic aspects, molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), frontier molecular orbital (FMO), density of state (DOS), transition density matrix (TDM), natural population analysis (NPA), and frequency-dependent NLO response properties of investigated dyes were evaluated. Giant NLO responses due to a much lower energy gap than the reference dye was found in SLN1-SLN10 confirmed by FMO analysis. UV–Vis analysis determined that the maximum absorption wavelength of the studied dyes was in the visible spectrum (383–413 nm). The proposed dye’s active NLO sensitivity and charge separation state was shown to have resulted from the migration of electrons from D to A via π-linkers using natural population analysis (NPA) analysis. In addition, molecular electrostatic potential (ESP), electron localization function (ELF), and localized orbital locator (LOL) topological assessments are carried out to evaluate the transfer of charge that takes place within SLN1-SLN10 as well as high NLO features. Maximum values of linear polarizability (αo) and first-hyperpolarizability (βo) were calculated to be 5.64 × 102 a.u. and 1.89 × 104 a.u., respectively in SLN3. At 1907.21 nm, SLN3 with terthiophene linker showed a remarkable SHG β(−2ω,ω,ω) and EOPE β (−ω,ω,0) response of 2.60 × 104 a.u. and 2.09 × 104 a.u. respectively. The theoretical structure provided conclusive evidence that the dyes under investigation possess excellent static and NLO potential at different laser wavelengths and should be considered for use in future NLO applications.

Impact of π-Linkers Modifications on Tuning Nonlinear Optical Amplitudes of Pyridoquinazolinone-Based Aromatic Dyes: A Rational Entry to Novel D-π-A NLO Materials

Developing efficient nonlinear optical (NLO) materials is a cutting-edge field of study. The desirability of promising NLO materials for optoelectronic applications drove us to investigate the pyridoquinazolinone-based D-π-A architectured chromophores for predicting proficient NLO compounds. Pyridoquinazolinone-based dye (WL-O) is chosen as a reference and its nine derivatives (ASH1-ASH9) are quantum chemically modeled by inserting variously reported π-linkers into the D-π-A framework. Simulations using DFT and TD-DFT provide insight into how π-linker alteration affects the NLO properties. The potential use of investigated dyes for NLO response applications is confirmed by evaluating photophysical aspects, frontier molecular orbital (FMO), natural population analysis (NPA), molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), the density of state (DOS), transition density matrix (TDM) analysis, and static, frequency-dependent NLO response properties. FMO analysis shows that all dyes’ energy gaps are lower when compared to the reference, resulting in a strong NLO response. The highest absorption wavelength of the studied dyes was found to be in the visible spectrum, as determined by UV-Vis analysis. NPA-based findings demonstrated the movement of the electrons from D to A through π-linkers resulting in the formation of a charge separation state and active NLO sensitivity of the proposed dyes. Moreover, MEP, LOL, and ELF topological investigations are performed to appraise the charge transfer inside ASH1-ASH9 and high NLO characteristics. The robust NLO response revealed the eye-catching linear polarizability(α0 ), first-hyperpolarizability (β), particularly ASH3, with the highest α0 and β0 computed to be 520.44 a.u. and 26166.79 a.u., respectively. Additionally, frequency-dependent hyperpolarizability SHG β(−2ω,ω,ω) and EOPE β(−ω,ω,0) calculations for commonly used lasers were performed at 1907.21, 532, and 1064 nm. ASH3 with terthiophene linker exhibits a striking EOPE β(−ω,ω,0) and SHG β(−2ω,ω,ω) response of 2.94 × 104 a.u. and 3.80 × 104 a.u. respectively at 1907.21 nm. This theoretical framework confirmed that the investigated dyes have fine NLO potential and are recommended for future NLO applications.

Density Functional Theory Study of the Secondorder Nonlinear Optical Properties of Novel Fluorenone Derivatives

Based on the molecular structure of novel fluorenone derivative named FO52, a series of new molecules have been designed by extending its π-conjugated bridge and introducing electron donor or acceptor substituents. The electronic transition and second-order non-linear optical response properties of these fluorenone derivatives were theoretically studied in detail by using the density functional theory computational methods. The results showed that the non-linear optical response of the molecule FO52 can be improved by introducing five-membered heterocycles into its skeleton structure. In addition, the introduction of strong substituents results in significant enhancement of the first hyperpolarizability of molecular nonlinear optical properties. These fluorenone derivatives could be treated as excellent candidates for nonlinear optical materials due to the narrow energy gap of its frontier molecular orbitals, distinct intramolecular charge transfer character and large first hyperpolarizabilities

Surface Functionalization of Sulflower with Superhalogens Doping to Achieve Robustly Large Nonlinear Optical Response: Interactive Design Computation of New NLO Materials for Modern Electro-Optic Applications

Developing highly effective nonlinear optical (NLO) materials is a cutting-edge field of study. The desirability of promising NLO materials for optoelectronic and electronic applications drove us to investigate the sulflower (C18S9) doped complexes for developing highly efficient NLO materials. A successful computational design technique for superhalogens (BeF3, MgF3, CaF3, CaCl3) doping is employed on sulflower, and eight stable isomers (BeF3@SF-5M, BeF3@SF-9M, MgF3@SF-5M, MgF3@SF-9M, CaF3@SF-5M, CaF3@SF-9M, CaCl3@ SF-5M, CaCl3@SF-9M) are proposed for NLO properties. DFT and TD-DFT simulations confirm the potential use of superhalogen-doped sulflower complexes for NLO response applications by evaluating NLO response properties, photophysical aspects, frontier molecular orbital (FMO), natural bond orbitals (NBO), non-covalent interaction (NCI), vertical ionization energies (VIE), interaction energies (E int), molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) and density of state (DOS) analysis. The Eint (−28.37 to −53.86 kcal/mol) and VIE (7.0-7.4 eV) findings suggest that superhalogens-doped sulflower complexes are thermodynamically stable and show durable interaction among sulflower and doped superhalogens. Superhalogens doping on sulflower effectively shorten the energy gap from 4.46 eV (pure sulflower) to 4.17 eV in CaCl3@SF-5M isomer. Superhalogens doping causes a change in the dipole moment from 0 D of pure sulflower to 12.57 D in the CaCl3@SF-5M isomer. Proficient intermolecular charge transfers between sulflower and doped superhalogens were established by NCI and NBO analyses. UV-Vis investigation revealed that all superhalogen-doped sulflower complexes are adequately transparent in the near-infrared and visible wavelength ranges. Augmentation in polarizability value from 333.86 a.u.−569.98 a.u and in first hyperpolarizability from 0.00 a.u to 6.6 × 104 a.u. is achieved upon superhalogens doping. A striking NLO response (β 0 = 6.6 × 104 a.u) is exhibited by CaCl3@SF-5M isomer. This report provides an efficient superhalogens doping technique for creating highly effective future NLO systems and recommends superhalogens-doped sulflower complexes as ideal entrants for future NLO applications.

Acid catalyzed one-pot approach towards the synthesis of curcuminoid systems: unsymmetrical diarylidene cycloalkanones, exploration of their single crystals, optical and nonlinear optical properties.

In the present study crystalline unsymmetrical diarylidene ketone derivatives BNTP and BDBC have been prepared by two sequential acid catalyzed aldol condensation reactions in a one pot manner. The crystal structures of both compounds were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis which revealed the presence of H-bonding interactions of type C-H⋯O, along with weak C-H⋯π and weak π⋯π stacking interactions that are involved in the crystal stabilization of both organic compounds. Hirshfeld surface analysis is carried out for the broad investigation of the intermolecular interactions in both compounds. The quantum chemical investigation was performed on the optimized molecular geometries of BNTP and BDBC to calculate optical and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. The density functional theory (DFT) study showed that the third-order NLO polarizabilities of compounds BNTP and BDBC are found to be 226.45 × 10-36 esu and 238.72 × 10-36 esu, respectively, which indicates noticeable good NLO response properties. Additionally, the BNTP and BDBC molecules also showed the HOMO-LUMO orbital gaps of 5.96 eV and 6.06 eV, respectively. Furthermore, the computation of UV-visible spectra of the titled compounds indicated a limited and/or no absorption above the 400 nm region, directing a good transparency and NLO property trade-off for both synthesized compounds that may play a significant contribution in the future for optoelectronic technologies.

Designing Superalkali Metals-Doped Sumanene-Based Highly Efficient Nonlinear Optical Materials for Cutting-Edge Optoelectronic Applications

Nonlinear optical (NLO) materials have attracted bounteous scientific attention in the modern era because of their optoelectronic and biological applications. In this respect, an attempt is made to present thermodynamically stable superalkali metals (Li3N, Li3O, Li3S and Li3F)-doped sumanene (C[Formula: see text]H[Formula: see text])-based complexes with fine NLO response properties. Nine isomers (I–III of Li3N@Sumanene, I–II of Li3O@Sumanene, I–II of Li3S@Sumanene and I–II of Li3F@Sumanene) are proposed, and their geometric, thermodynamic, electronic and NLO properties are explored by using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Computational results reveal that the [Formula: see text] gap is reduced up to 0.56[Formula: see text]eV for doped complexes. The maximum hyperpolarizability response is calculated [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]a.u. for isomer II of the Li3F@Sumanene series. The participation of distinct fragments, type of interaction, and charge transfer are computed by the corresponding TDOS and PDOS, NCI and NBO analysis. For UV–Vis analysis and crucial excitation state, TD-DFT calculations are carried out, which exhibits that all doped complexes are transparent in the UV region. NCI analysis confirmed the Van-der Waals interactions as an important mode of adsorption between superalkalis and sumanene. This report provides an efficient superalkali doping technique for creating highly effective future NLO systems and recommends superalkali-doped sumanene systems as ideal NLO prospects for future NLO applications.

Synthesis, crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis, DNA binding, optical and nonlinear optical properties of Schiff bases derived from o-aminophenol

The current work focuses on the synthesis of the two new Schiff base ligands derived from o-aminophenol named 2-[(E)-(3-chlorophenyl)methylidene]amino-phenol (2AP3Cl) and 4-Chloro-2-(E)-[(2-hydroxyphenyl)iminio]methyl-phenolate (2AP5Cl). The synthesized Schiff bases were characterized by different Spectro analytical techniques like CHN, FT-IR, and NMR (1H and 13C) analysis. Moreover, a single crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) study was carried out for both compounds, which inferred that 2AP3Cl and 2AP5Cl adopted enol and keto tautomeric forms, respectively. The supramolecular assembly with respect to strong and comparatively weak non-covalent interactions was explored by Hirshfeld surface analysis. The interaction energy between molecular pairs, energy frameworks, and void analysis was performed to further investigate the crystal packing environment. Both compounds were screened for their DNA binding abilities. Moreover, quantum chemical methods were applied to study the electronic structure, linear and nonlinear optical (NLO) polarizabilities of the synthesized Schiff bases. The 2AP3Cl and 2AP5Cl molecules exhibited good NLO hyperpolarizability of 9.62 × 104 and 7.90 × 104 au., respectively. The calculation of molecular electrostatic potentials, 3-D visualization of frontier molecular orbitals, and their orbital gaps were also studied. Overall, reasonably good third-order NLO response properties were calculated, which show a decent potential of synthesized compounds for their potential for NLO applications.

Symmetric vs. asymmetric: Which one is the better molecular configuration for achieving robust NLO response?

The current study reports a comparative investigation for the nonlinear optical (NLO) response for some symmetric and asymmetric molecular configurations. The designed compounds are featuring a similar 2,7-bis(phenyl ethynyl)cyclopentaaceanthrylene core connected to different terminal donor and acceptor moieties such as dimethylamine, methoxy, nitro and ethene-tricarbonitrile groups based on three topologies, “D-π-D” (1–2), “A-π-A” (3–4) and “D-π-A” (5–8). A comparative analysis of these symmetrically and asymmetrically substituted chromophores is done to investigate the effect of different terminal groups on their NLO response, optical and charge transfer properties. The asymmetric compounds display larger first hyperpolarizability amplitudes (β//) than those of the symmetric compounds where a β// amplitude as large as 1851 × 10−30 esu is calculated for asymmetric compound 6. Interestingly, the average second hyperpolarizabilities (γ) for symmetric compound 4 have been calculated to be 16, 096 × 10−36 esu and for asymmetric counterpart compound 6 it is found to be 23, 162 × 10−36 esu using M06/6-311G* methodology. Our findings were also inline with experimental observations of Mathews et al. (Mathews, S.J., et al., 2007. Optics Communications, 280, 206–212), where they also experimentally determined the larger third-order susiptibility for asymmetric phthalocyanine (Pc3) than their symmetric counterparts. Additionally, the NLO polarizabilities of all the compounds have also been compared with a typical donor-acceptor molecule of p-NA to specify the comparison of designed compounds. TD-DFT studies have shown that the higher β and γ values were found for asymmetric compounds owing to their lower transition energies and larger trasition dipole moments. The depiction of molecular orbitals and electrostatic potentials have shown more efficient intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) for asymmetric compounds leading to the robust NLO response. Thus, a systematic comparison of the NLO polarizabilities and other electronic properties of our designed symmetric and asymmetric compounds shows that symmetry based designing of NLO compounds are very crucial to get robust NLO response properties.

Exploring the quinoidal oligothiophenes to their robust limit for efficient linear and nonlinear optical response properties

Exploring the quinoidal oligothiophenes to their robust limit for efficient linear and nonlinear optical response properties

Insighting the functionally modified C60 fullerenes as an efficient nonlinear optical materials: A quantum chemical study

It is well-known that π-conjugation plays an important role to tune the nonlinear optical (NLO) response of donor-π-conjugated-acceptor compounds. Fullerenes (C60) are one of a few compounds who are abounded with π-conjugation and perhaps are the largest π-conjugation compounds. In the present study, we systematically designed C60 derivatives (2 (fulleropyrrolidine) and 2a-2c (fulleropyrrolidine tetrathiafulvalene derivatives where 2a, 2b and 2c are with n = 0, n = 1 and n = 2) through the use of pyrrolidine and tetrathiafulvalene moieties. We applied density functional theory (DFT) methods to calculate their respective geometrical structures, electronic properties, linear and nonlinear optical response properties along with their respective UV–Visible spectra using CAM-B3LYP functional and 6-31G* basis set. The isotropic polarizability (αiso) and anisotropic polarizability (αaniso) of 2c was found to be 131.52 × 10-24 and 47.01 × 10-24 esu, respectively. Amongst our designed compounds, the maximum second-order nonlinear optical polarizability amplitude (β//) of 2c was found to be 15.69 × 10-30 esu. Interestingly, 2c shows the highest third-order nonlinear polarizability amplitude <γ> of 284.29 × 10-36 esu that is about three times higher than parent compound 1. Additionally, frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs), molecular electrostatic potential maps (MEPs), transition density matrix (TDM) analysis indicate more effective charge redistribution from donor moiety to acceptor fragments. The density of states (DOS) diagrams reveal distinct electronic contributions of various fragments in the formation of HOMO and LUMO orbitals resulting in efficient intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) and robust third-order NLO response properties of functionalized fullerene derivatives. The current study may arouse the attention of the scientific society to utilize the extensive π-conjugation of functionalized fullerenes for designing efficient NLO materials.

Theoretical investigation of nonlinear optical behavior for rod and T-Shaped phenothiazine based D-π-A organic compounds and their derivatives

The exploration of novel materials with excellent nonlinear optical (NLO) features is an area of frontline investigation for scientific community from technological point of view. This study reports the novel phenothiazine-based rod-shaped and T-shaped NLO molecules which are quantum chemically designed from synthesized compounds: rod-shaped (CFA and CBA) and T-shaped (CTA, CCA and CPA). Structural tailoring was performed on D-π-π-A centered CPA chromophore and the effect of various π-spacers, as well as solvents on NLO response properties is investigated. Density functional theory (DFT) along with time dependent DFT (TDDFT) calculations have been executed at B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) functional to examine entire analysis. Results showed a smaller energy gap in structurally modified compounds as compared to reference CPA. Global reactivity parameters analysis revealed smaller hardness and larger softness values in T-shaped compounds. UV–Vis analysis of investigated molecules displayed a red shift in absorption maximum value as compared to CPA. Natural bond orbital (NBO) and frontier molecular orbital (FMO) analysis revealed the stability and intra-molecular electron transferring (ICT) process in investigated molecules. ICT showed the effective charge shift from donor to acceptor via π-spacers. Overall, promising NLO response exists in gas phase and different solvents (acetonitrile, ethyl alcohol and water). Interestingly, proposed molecule CPP presented a maximum value of linear polarizability < α > as 1518.23 a.u and first hyperpolarizability (βtot) as 755322.39 a.u in acetonitrile solvent. In short, entitled chromophores exhibited excellent NLO properties due to their lower charge transport resistance. This NLO study may open a new topic for researchers to discover novel NLO for hi-tech submissions of modern era.

A Systematic and Comparative Analysis of Four Major Classes of DFT Functionals to Compute Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Benchmark Molecules

This study spotlights the fundamental insights about the systematic and comparative analysis of four famous hybrid classes of density functional theory (DFT) methods and their efficacy to calculate the linear and nonlinear optical (NLO) polarizabilities. For this study, urea and para-nitroaniline ([Formula: see text]-NA) molecular geometries are used as prototypes to calculate their linear and NLO properties. For comparative purposes, these molecules are often used as reference organic molecules for determination of NLO response properties and there is a dire need for such a benchmark database to be utilized by the researchers. We report systematically a range of functionals including hybrid (B3LYP, PBE1PBE, BH and HLYP), meta-hybrid (M06, M06-2X, M06-HF, M06-L), long-range corrected (CAM-B3LYP, LC-BLYP, LC-B97D, LC-B97D3) and functional with dispersion correction ([Formula: see text]B97, [Formula: see text]B97X, [Formula: see text]B97XD, HSEH1PBE). These groups are evaluated and their efficiency to calculate linear and NLO properties is graphically compared with each other. Overall, there are less deviations among different functionals for calculating dipole moments of [Formula: see text]-NA and urea while these deviations enhance as one moves from dipole moment to linear polarizability and nonlinear hyperpolarizabilities. In general, if we look at the trends, the polarizability values of B3LYP, M06-L, CAM-B3LYP and HSEH1PBE are relatively large and can be compared with each other. The dispersion corrected and long-range corrected functionals show more systematic deviations. For instance, among dispersion corrected functionals, the amplitudes of dipole moments, linear polarizability and NLO polarizabilities show an increasing trend as [Formula: see text]. It is also important to note that LC-B97D and LC-B97D3 of long-range corrected functional have observed exactly the same values of all the calculated parameters. A good agreement is being observed in static first and second hyperpolarizabilities of urea (B3LYP, M06-L, M06 and HSEH1PBE) and [Formula: see text]-NA (B3LYP, M06, M06-L, CAM-B3LYP and HSEH1PBE). Thus, we believe that the current investigation will provide the benchmark data of reference NLO molecules at different methods for theoretical community and molecular level insights for experimental community to design better NLO materials for hi-tech NLO applications.

Nonlinear optical response properties of a quantum dot embedded in a semiconductor microcavity: possible applications in quantum communication platforms

We theoretically investigate optical bistability, mechanically induced absorption (MIA) and Fano resonance of a hybrid system comprising of a single quantum dot (QD) embedded in a solid-state microcavity interacting with the quantized cavity mode and the deformation potential associated with the lattice vibration. We find that the bistability can be tuned by the QD-cavity mode coupling. We further show that the normalized power transmission displays anomalous dispersion indicating that the system can be used to generate slow light. We also demonstrate the possibility of using the system as all optomechanical Kerr switch.

Exploring the twisted molecular configurations for tuning their optical and nonlinear optical response properties: A quantum chemical approach

Unlike the previous several investigations on planar donor-π-acceptor chromophores, the present investigation highlights the importance of twisted molecular configurations to effectively tune the optical and nonlinear optical (NLO) response properties. A variety of substitutions are made to design several twisted molecular compounds (1–7). These compounds are designed using pyrenyl and naphthalimide moieties, which are twisted with each other in their molecular configurations. The calculated versus experimental highest intensity absorption energy peaks (3.482 V. 3.444 eV) and experimental ionization potentials (6.07 V. 5.93 eV) of parent compound 1 reproduced reasonably well at M06/6-311G∗∗ methodology. The twisted chromophores show significantly larger amplitudes of third-order NLO polarizabilities (<γ>), which are found to be as large as 778.31 × 10−36 esu for compound 7 at the M06/6-311G∗∗ methodology. The <γ> amplitudes were also compared with planar donor-π-acceptor prototype para-nitroaniline (p-NA) molecule to provide the semi-quantitative assessment. For instance, the <γ> amplitudes of all compounds are about ∼7–∼39 times bigger from the amplitude of p-NA at the same computational level. The origin of larger amplitudes has been traced though three-level model using the TD-DFT results. The larger oscillator strengths, lower transitions energies and larger change between the electronic dipole moment between the ground and the excited states. We believe the present study will not only put these compounds under the spotlight of material science but also provide structure-property relationships in designed compounds.

A theoretical study of the structural and electronic properties of poly(9-vinylcarbazole) interacting with small-diameter single-walled carbon nanotubes

Density functional perturbation theory (DFPT) and time-dependent density functional perturbation theory (TDDFPT) calculations were employed to study the molecular and electronic structures, linear and nonlinear optical properties, optical phonon modes and vibrational properties of the interaction of poly(9-vinylcarbazole) (PVK)–small-diameter single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) composites. Our calculations show that the chemical connection between PVK and SWCNTs is only through the relatively weak [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]–H bonds. PVK and SWCNTs have different electron accepting abilities and we believe this is the major factor responsible for the charge transfer processes we observe in the calculations. We notice an increase in polarizability value from 152 a.u. (PVK) to 517 a.u. (PVK–SWCNTs), making the PVK–SWCNT composite an ideal model for applications such as mechanical and optoelectronics. Also, the result of our calculations under the time-dependent density functional perturbation theory hinges on the idea that the large value of the polarizability calculated for our composite model is an attribute which can be inferred to processes of charge transfer. Our finding corroborates the fact that non-covalent functionalization is one of the effective chemical methods by which the nonlinear optical response properties of PVK–SWCNT composite may be enhanced.

Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Zn(II) Complex with 4,4',4''-Tri-tert-Butyl-2,2':6',2''-Terpyridine: A Dual Exploration

The metal complexes are getting immense importance as hi-tech functional materials. In the present investigation, a new Zn(II) complex [Zn(C27H35N3)Cl2] (1) has been synthesized by using 4,4′,4″-tri-tert-butyl-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine ligand. The synthesized compound 1 is characterized by X-ray crystallography, IR spectroscopy as well as elemental analysis. The X-rays structure revealed that compound 1 crystallizes in trigonal space group P3221 in which Zn(II) atom is penta coordinated having highly distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry. The compound 1 has a 2-fold rotational axis parallel to the b axis, which is passing through two opposite N and C atoms in the central pyridine ring, and the Zn atom. Moreover, quantum computational study has been performed to get insights into the optical and nonlinear optical response properties of compound 1. The geometrical structure of compound 1 has been optimized with M06-2X functional and LANL2DZ/6-311G** basis set and it shows good resemblance with the experimental coordinates. The linear polarizabilities including isotropic (αiso) and anisotropic (αaniso) polarizability amplitudes are found to be 69.44 × 10−24 and 34.99 × 10−24 esu, respectively. Similarly, the NLO polarizability (❬γ❭) amplitude for compound 1 is found to be 104.19 × 10–36 esu at M06-2X method, which is ~5 times greater than the p-NA (a model NLO molecule). Additionally, frontier molecular orbitals, molecular electrostatic potentials and Hirshfeld analysis are used to explore the structure-property relationship of compound 1. Thus, the indigenously synthesized compound 1 might be a reasonable candidate for its possible applications as optical and NLO material.

First principles study of electronic and nonlinear optical properties of A-D-π-A and D-A-D-π-A configured compounds containing novel quinoline-carbazole derivatives.

Materials with nonlinear optical (NLO) properties have significant applications in different fields, including nuclear science, biophysics, medicine, chemical dynamics, solid physics, materials science and surface interface applications. Quinoline and carbazole, owing to their electron-deficient and electron-rich character respectively, play a role in charge transfer applications in optoelectronics. Therefore, an attempt has been made herein to explore quinoline–carbazole based novel materials with highly nonlinear optical properties. Structural tailoring has been made at the donor and acceptor units of two recently synthesized quinoline–carbazole molecules (Q1, Q2) and acceptor–donor–π–acceptor (A–D–π–A) and donor–acceptor–donor–π–acceptor (D–A–D–π–A) type novel molecules Q1D1–Q1D3 and Q2D2–Q2D3 have been quantum chemically designed, respectively. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) computations are performed to process the impact of acceptor and donor units on photophysical, electronic and NLO properties of selected molecules. The λmax values (321 and 319 nm) for Q1 and Q2 in DSMO were in good agreement with the experimental values (326 and 323 nm). The largest shift in absorption maximum is displayed by Q1D2 (436 nm). The designed compounds (Q1D3–Q2D3) express absorption spectra with an increased border and with a reduced band gap compared to the parent compounds (Q1 and Q2). Natural bond orbital (NBO) investigations showed that the extended hyper conjugation and strong intramolecular interaction play significant roles in stabilising these systems. All molecules expressed significant NLO responses. A large value of βtot was elevated in Q1D2 (23 885.90 a.u.). This theoretical framework reveals the NLO response properties of novel quinoline–carbazole derivatives that can be significant for their use in advanced applications.