Unidirectional growth and characterization of L-tartaric acid single crystals

Single crystals of L-tartaric acid (LTA), an organic nonlinear optical material, have been grown using a home-built crystal growth setup (the Moovendaran-Kalyanasundar-Natarajan setup). Crystals of LTA were also grown by the slow evaporation solution technique. These single crystals were characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, high-resolution X-ray diffraction, and IR and UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy. In addition, measurements of Vickers microhardness, laser damage threshold value and second harmonic generation efficiency are reported. Thermal, dielectric and photoluminescence studies were also carried out.