Growth and characterization of organic nonlinear optical material: 5-Nitroindole (5NI) for optical applications

Single crystals of organic nonlinear optical material 5-Nitroindole (5NI) has been grown by slow cooling solution growth technique using methanol as a solvent. The grown crystal was subjected to single crystal X-ray diffraction technique to determine the lattice parameters. Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR) was recorded to identify the presence of functional groups. The optical properties such as the optical band gap, extinction coefficient (k), refractive index (n) and optical conductivity (σ) were calculated. The optical band gap of 5NI is 2.33 eV. The melting point and thermal stability of the crystal was analyzed from TG/DTA studies. Dielectric studies were carried out at different temperatures and frequencies.