Synthesis, growth, structure and nonlinear optical properties of a semiorganic 2-carboxy pyridinium dihydrogen phosphate single crystal

•2CPDP crystals were grown by slow evaporation solution growth technique.•Molecular structure confirmed using modern spectroscopic techniques.•Z scan technique employed for third order nonlinear optical susceptibility.•Established structure–property correlation.

A new semiorganic compound namely, 2-carboxy pyridinium dihydrogen phosphate (2CPDP) was synthesised and grown as single crystals by slow evaporation solution growth technique. Single crystal XRD showed that 2CPDP belongs to monoclinic crystal system with space group P21/n. The molecular structure was further confirmed by modern spectroscopic techniques like FT-NMR (1H, 13C & 31P), FT-IR, UV–Vis-NIR and Fluorescence. The UV–Vis-NIR analysis revealed suitability of the crystal for nonlinear optical applications. The photo active nature of the material is established from fluorescence studies. TG-DSC analysis showed that 2CPDP was thermally stable up to 170 °C. The dependence of dielectric properties on frequency and temperature were also studied. Nonlinear optical absorption determined from open aperture Z-Scan analysis by employing picosecond Nd-YAG laser, revealed that 2CPDP can serve as a promising candidate for optical limiting applications.

Graphical abstractThree dimensional network of 2CPDP along a axis.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (254 K)Download as PowerPoint slide