Growth and characterization of a new nonlinear optical crystal: [(18C6)Li][Cd(SCN)3]

Single crystals of a new nonlinear optical compound [(18C6)Li][Cd(SCN)3][(18-crown-6-ether) lithium(I) trithiocyanate cadmium(II), CLTC], with dimension of 22 mm × 8 mm × 2 mm, were grown from aqueous solutions for the first time via evaporation technique. Solubility of CLTC has been determined for various temperatures. The grown crystals were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) study, powder X-ray diffraction, FT-IR techniques, UV-vis, elemental analysis, EDS analyses and SHG test. Single crystal XRD study has been carried out to identify the lattice parameters and CLTC crystallizes in orthorhombic system. FT-IR studies confirm the functional groups present in the grown crystal. The mechanical properties of the grown crystals have been studied using Vickers microhardness tester. The optical second harmonic generation effect has been measured by using the Kurtz powder technique to be 2 times as large as that of KDP (KH2PO4) crystal. From the optical spectrum, CLTC has good optical transmission in the entire visible region, which is an essential requirement for a nonlinear crystal.