SYNTHESIS, CRYSTAL GROWTH AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BIS DL-VALINE PICRATE SINGLE CRYSTAL FOR SECOND-ORDER NONLINEAR OPTICAL APPLICATIONS

An organic compound Bis DL-Valine picrate (BDLVP) was synthesized successfully and single crystal was grown by slow evaporation solution growth method. The presence of functional groups in the compound was identified by FTIR spectral analysis. Single crystal X-ray diffraction study revealed that the grown crystal belongs to P21/n space group of monoclinic crystal system. Powder X-ray diffraction pattern was recorded to know the crystalline perfection of the grown crystal. The reaction mechanism, thermal decomposition stages and thermal stability of the grown crystal were studied by using TG/DTA analysis. From the UV-visible spectral study, the electronic band gap energy (Eg) of the grown crystal was found to be 2.43 eV. The second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of grown crystal was found to be 1.3 times higher than KDP crystal by using Kurtz powder SHG technique. The microhardness property of the grown crystal was examined by Vicker's microhardness test.