Crystal growth and physico-chemical characterization of a semi-organic l-glutamic acid manganese chloride single crystal for nonlinear optical applications

A semi-organic nonlinear optical (NLO) crystal of l-glutamic acid manganese chloride (LGMC) has been synthesized and grown by a slow evaporation technique. Single-crystal XRD studies verified the orthorhombic crystal system of the LGMC crystal. The powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis was also accomplished for the title samples. FTIR spectroscopy was used to identify and confirm the existence of key functional groups in the synthesized sample. The crystal was characterized by a UV-Vis transmission spectrum in the range of 200-800 nm. The LGMC crystal SHG efficiency was found to be 1.2 times higher than that of the well-known reference crystal KDP. The thermal stability was determined to be 217.8 degrees C using TG-DTA analysis. The mechanical properties like microhardness of the LGMC sample were studied using a Vickers microhardness tester. A photoluminescence spectral study revealed the electron excitation in the grown crystal. SEM analysis revealed a surface feature of the grown crystal LGMC. Z-scan studies disclose that LGMC is a perfect material useful in the production of NLO devices because of its sally characteristics.