Effects of metal dopant (Ba2+), optical, and mechanical studies of bisthiourea zinc chloride NLO single crystals

Metal ion (Ba2+) doped bisthiourea zinc chloride (BTZC) crystals are grown from aqueous solution by slow evaporation technique. The physicochemical properties and non-linear optical figure of merit are found to be improved for the grown crystals. The lattice parameters are determined by single crystal X-ray analysis. UV spectral analyses on these samples reveal the improved transparency of the doped crystals ascertaining the inclusion of metal ion in the lattice. FTIR spectral analysis carried out on the materials confirm the presence of functional groups. Microhardness studies were carried out to confirm the mechanical behavior of the crystals. Low dielectric loss shows that the grown crystal contains lesser defects authenticating the suitability of the crystal toward device applications.