Investigation on the properties of L-serine doped zinc tris (thiourea) sulphate crystal for NLO application

Abstract

Single crystals of l-serine doped zinc tris (thiourea) sulphate (LSZTS) were grown by the slow evaporation solution growth technique (SEST) at room temperature. The LSZTS crystals were subjected to powder XRD to confirm the crystalline nature and purity of the crystal. The lattice parameters of LSZTS were obtained from single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman (FT-Raman) spectroscopic studies revealed the functional groups present in the doped crystal. Ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) transmittance spectrum showed that the lower cutoff wavelength of LSZTS was 325 nm. Theoretical calculations were carried out to determine the linear optical constants. Photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of the LSZTS showed blue emission. The thermo gravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses revealed that LSZTS crystal was stable up to 231.9⁰C. Microhardness study was carried out to assess the mechanical stability of the doped crystal. The work hardening coefficient of LSZTS was estimated. Kurtz Perry powder test was carried out to study the effect of L-serine on the NLO properties of ZTS. The second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of LSZTS was found to be enhanced in the presence of a high concentration of dopant.