Growth, structural, spectral, optical, and thermal studies on amino acid based new NLO single crystal: l-phenylalanine-4-nitrophenol

A new organic nonlinear optical single crystal, l-phenylalanine-4-nitrophenol (LPAPN) belonging to the amino acid group has been successfully grown by slow evaporation technique. The lattice parameters of the grown crystal have been determined by X-ray diffraction studies. FT-IR spectrum was recorded to identify the presence of functional group and molecular structure was confirmed by NMR spectrum. Thermal strength of the grown crystal has been studied using TG–DTA analyses. The grown crystals were found to be transparent in the entire visible region. The existence of second harmonic generation signals was observed using Nd:YAG laser with fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Thermal stability of the LPAPN is 165 °C. ► SHG efficiency of LPAPN is 1.2 times than that of KDP crystal. ► The optical cut-off wave length for this crystal was observed at 320 nm. ► LPAPN crystal is a potential candidate for NLO application.