Investigation on rapid growth of 4-N,N-dimethylamino-4′-N′-methylstilbazolium p-toluenesulphonate (DAST) crystals by SNM technique

We have investigated the rapid growth of N,N-dimethylamino-N′-methylstilbazolium p-toluenesulphonate (DAST) adopting the slope nucleation method and by rapidly evaporating the solvent. Thin plates of DAST are grown within a period of 72 h by carefully optimizing the growth conditions. The structural and optical properties of the crystal are studied by employing powder XRD, FTIR and NMR. The electrical properties of the crystal are investigated by ac, dc and photoconductivity measurements. The surface features and the influence of rapid evaporation of the DAST crystal have been analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. The results suggest that the quality of the crystal grown by this method compares well with those grown by conventional techniques.