2-Amino 4-methylpyridinium 3-chlorobenzoate - A phase matchable organic nonlinear optical material for optoelectronics device applications

2-Amino 4-methylpyridinium 3-chlorobenzoate (2A4M3CB) was synthesized and good quality single crystals of the size of 8 × 2 × 1.2 mm3 were harvested from methanol by the slow evaporation solution growth technique at ambient temperature. Single crystal XRD reveals that 2A4M3CB crystallized in monoclinic system with the noncentrosymmetric space group P21. The crystalline phases and functional groups of 2A4M3CB have been identified and confirmed through powder X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) studies, respectively. 1H and 13C NMR were recorded to interpret the molecular structure. The optical transmittance window and the lower cutoff wavelength of the 2A4M3CB have been identified by UV-Vis-NIR studies. Thermal and mechanical stability of the 2A4M3CB crystals were explained by TG/DTA and Vickers hardness analysis. Charge transport mechanism and photo response properties were analyzed through dielectric and photoconductivity studies. Powder second harmonic generation (SHG) characteristics and phase matching ability were explored by Kurtz and Perry powder SHG technique.