Structural, optical, electrical and thermal characteristics of La{CS(NH2)2CO(NH2)2}Cl3 : A novel hybrid complex for optoelectronic applications.

Graphical abstract Highlights • The complex La{CS(NH 2) 2.CO (NH 2) 2 }Cl 3 crystallizes into orthorhombic structure. • Exhibits 96% transmittance with 277 nm as cut off wavelength. • The photon energy 4.0–4.68 eV is the band gap of the complex. • Correlated barrier hoping mechanism dominates the conduction process. Abstract A hybrid complex of lanthanum chloride with urea and thiourea is crystallized at room temperature by conventional solution method. The structural investigations by single crystal X-ray diffraction confirmed the orthorhombic system with cell dimensions a = 7.676 Å, b = 8.564 Å, c = 5.498 Å, α = β = γ = 90°. The optical studies by UV–VIS absorption spectroscopy shows the complex exhibits transmittance about 96%. The complex is characterized as the wide band gap crystals with value greater than 4 eV. The dielectric properties were studied in frequency range 10 kHz–1 MHz in temperature range 303–453 K. The ac conductivity was found to obey the universal power law and suggests the correlated barrier hoping mechanism dominating the conduction process. The thermal stability and the decomposition mechanism were confirmed by thermo gravimetric and differential thermo analytical (TG/DTA) techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]