Study of the influence of dopants on the crystalline perfection of ferroelectric glycine phosphite single crystals using high-resolution X-ray diffraction analysis

Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: Green Synthesis and Their Antimicrobial Activity

The rise of antimicrobial resistance caused by inappropriate use of these agents in various settings has become a global health threat. Nanotechnology offers the potential for the synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) with antimicrobial activity, such as iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs). The use of IONPs is a promising way to overcome antimicrobial resistance or pathogenicity because of their ability to interact with several biological molecules and to inhibit microbial growth. In this review, we outline the pivotal findings over the past decade concerning methods for the green synthesis of IONPs using bacteria, fungi, plants, and organic waste. Subsequently, we delve into the primary challenges encountered in green synthesis utilizing diverse organisms and organic materials. Furthermore, we compile the most common methods employed for the characterization of these IONPs. To conclude, we highlight the applications of these IONPs as promising antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, and antiviral agents.

Lattice Strain and Defects Analysis in Nanostructured Semiconductor Materials and Devices by High-Resolution X-Ray Diffraction: Theoretical and Practical Aspects

The reliability of semiconductor materials with electrical and optical properties are connected to their structures. The elastic strain field and tilt analysis of the crystal lattice, detectable by the variation in position and shape of the diffraction peaks, is used to quantify defects and investigate their mobility. The exploitation of high-resolution X-ray diffraction-based methods for the evaluation of structural defects in semiconductor materials and devices is reviewed. An efficient and non-destructive characterization is possible for structural parameters such as, lattice strain and tilt, layer composition and thickness, lattice mismatch, and dislocation density. The description of specific experimental diffraction geometries and scanning methods is provided. Today's X-ray diffraction based methods are evaluated and compared, also with respect to their applicability limits. The goal is to understand the close relationship between lattice strain and structural defects. For different material systems, the appropriate analytical methods are highlighted.

Investigations on Crystalline Perfection, Raman Spectra and Optical Characteristics of Transition Metal (Ru) Co-Doped Mg:LiNbO3 Single Crystals

Congruent lithium niobate single crystals with a Ru:Mg co-dopant have been successfully grown using the Czochralski technique from the melt containing 0.02 mol % Ru with Mg of two varied concentrations (4.0 and 6.0 mol %). The effects of Ru and Mg co-doping on the crystalline quality were determined by high-resolution X-ray diffractometry, which confirmed that the crystalline quality is good and that the dopants are statistically distributed in the crystal. The Raman scattering analysis shows no change in the lattice vibration except a slight change in the peak width and intensity due to more asymmetry in the molecular charge, which leads to enhancement of the polarizability. The optical transmission spectra indicate that both the crystals have high optical transparency in the visible region, with a shift of the absorption edge toward shorter wavelengths, as compared to un-doped LN. The weak absorption band observed below 400 nm is attributed to Ru ions. The influence of co-doping in the electronic band gap energies is calculated by the Tauc relation. The refractive index is measured by using a prism coupler at two wavelengths (532 and 1064 nm). The calculated absorption coefficients and direct and indirect band gap energies for both the samples are found to be nearly the same within experimental error. A decrease in the birefringence is observed for the Ru:Mg(6 mol %) doped sample. The observed slight reduction in refractive indices with Ru:Mg co-doping is consistent with a rise in band gap energy, which is related to the change in absorption edge to the lower wavelength. The second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency is measured by the Kurtz and Perry powder method, and a decrease in SHG efficiency for Ru:Mg(6 mol %) is observed.

Effect of 2,4-dinitrophenol dye doping on tristhioureazinc(II) sulfate single crystals: a potential nonlinear optical material

Good quality single crystals of 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP)-doped tristhioureazinc(II) sulfate (ZTS) were successfully grown by employing the simple and cost effective slow-evaporation solution technique. To study the effect of doping on various device properties, the grown single crystals were subjected to powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), high-resolution XRD, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Vickers hardness testing, and UV–visible, photoluminescence (PL) and Fourier transform IR (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques. The crystal structure of DNP-doped ZTS bulk single crystals remained the same as the crystal structure of ZTS. However, the changes in intensities of the diffraction peaks in the PXRD spectra indicated the incorporation of dopants into the crystalline matrix. FTIR studies confirm the incorporation of dopants into the crystalline matrix, shown by the shifting of certain prominent absorption bands towards higher energy. This also indicated the induced useful strain due to doping, leading to charge transfer and the enhancement of nonlinear optical properties. The cut-off wavelength and optical band gap energy of pure ZTS and DNP-doped ZTS crystals were studied by UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, revealing a slight reduction in the optical band gap energy due to doping, which in turn revealed the enhancement of the optical range. PL studies revealed an enhanced optical range of photoluminescence in ZTS crystals. Second harmonic generation (SGH) studies carried out by the Kurtz powder technique revealed the enhancement of SHG value due to DNP doping. To ensure the thermal stability and mechanical strength of the grown crystals with doping (required from the point of view of device applications), TGA and Vicker's hardness studies were performed.

Synthesis, crystal growth and characterization of an organic material: 2-Aminopyridinium succinate succinic acid single crystal

The 2-aminopyridinium succinate succinic acid (2APS) single crystal was synthesized and grown by slow evaporation method. The crystal structure has been confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction as well as single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystal perfection has been evaluated by high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD). The grown crystal is transparent in the visible and near infrared region. The optical absorption edge was found to be 348 nm. The fluorescence study was carried out by spectrofluorophotometer. The thermal stability of grown crystal was analyzed by thermal gravimetric and differential thermal gravimetric (TG-DTA) analysis. Vicker's hardness study carried out at room temperature shows increased hardness while increasing the load. Laser damage threshold value was determined by Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 nm. The grown 2APS crystal was characterized by etching studies using water as etchant.

Studies on influence of Cd(2+) ions in unidirectional growth and characterization of l-Cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate single crystals

Cadmium doped l-Cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate (Cd(2+)-C3H7NO2S⋅HCl⋅H2O), a non-linear optical crystal, was grown by conventional as well as unidirectional solution growth techniques. While the dimension of the conventionally grown crystal was 16×14×5mm(3), the dimension of the crystal grown unidirectional method was 32mm long and 6mm diameter. The grown crystals were studied using XRD for phase analysis, HRXRD for crystalline perfection and UV-Vis NIR spectroscopy for optical properties. The high crystalline perfection was found in the crystal grown by unidirectional method than that grown by conventional one. FTIR study indicates that Cd(2+) ion was coordinated to l-Cysteine⋅HCl⋅H2O through S ligand. The nonlinear optical character of the title compound was observed by measuring the SHG efficiency, which is 1.35times to that of KDP by Kurtz technique.

Study on structural, morphological, optical and thermal properties of guanidine carbonate doped nickel sulfate hexahydrate crystal

The single crystal of guanidine carbonate doped nickel sulfate hexahydrate was grown from solution for ultraviolet filters. The single crystal XRD confirms that the grown single crystal belongs to the tetragonal system with the space group of P4₁2₁2. The crystallinity of the grown crystal was estimated by powder X-ray diffraction studies. The optical transmission and thermal stability of as-grown guanidine carbonate doped nickel sulfate single crystals have been studied. The optical transmission spectrum demonstrates the characteristics of ultraviolet filters. The TG/DTA studies confirm the thermal properties of grown crystals. Thermo-gravimetric analysis showed that the dehydration temperature of the guanidine carbonate doped nickel sulfate crystal is about 100 °C, which is much higher than that of pure nickel sulfate hexahydrate (NSH) crystals which is 72 °C. The growth behaviors and dislocation density were detected under the high resolution XRD and etching studies respectively.

Synthesis and nucleation studies onL-leucine hydrobromide: a promising nonlinear optical material

To achieve good quality bulk size crystal growth, an assessment of the nucleation kinetics of a semi-organic L-leucine hydrobromide (L-LHBr) crystal was carried out using double-distilled water as solvent medium. The effect on metastable zone width (MSZW) with increasing temperature and on induction period with varied supersaturation level was determined experimentally and was found to be very well in accordance with the nucleation theory prospects. Thereafter, various other nucleation parameters, such as Gibbs free energy and interfacial energy, were also determined. The knowledge of these nucleation parameters indicated the requisite temperature domain and the appropriate growth technique, leading to the successful single-crystal growth of L-LHBr by slow cooling in the temperature range 298–291 K. The cooling rate of 0.25 K per day was optimized after repeated trials. X-ray diffraction and Raman analysis were performed on grown crystals for the verification of the material. High-resolution X-ray diffraction analysis was used to assess the crystalline perfection of the grown crystals. To further explore the properties of the grown crystals, photoluminescence and time decay studies, etching analysis, andZ-scan measurements were performed.

Solid state parameters, structure elucidation, High Resolution X-Ray Diffraction (HRXRD), phase matching, thermal and impedance analysis on L-Proline trichloroacetate (L-PTCA) NLO single crystals

Nonlinear optical single crystal of L-Proline trichloroacetate (L-PTCA) was successfully grown by Slow Evaporation Solution Technique (SEST). The grown crystals were subjected to single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis to confirm the structure. From the single crystal XRD data, solid state parameters were determined for the grown crystal. The crystalline perfection has been evaluated using high resolution X-ray diffractometer. The frequencies of various functional groups were identified from FTIR spectral analysis. The percentage of transmittance was obtained from UV Visible spectral analysis. TGA-DSC measurements indicate the thermal stability of the crystal. The dielectric constant, dielectric loss and ac conductivity were measured by the impedance analyzer. The DC conductivity was calculated by the cole-cole plot method.

A study of as-grown, poled and reduced Rh-doped KNbO3 single crystals by high-resolution X-ray diffraction, Raman scattering, photoluminescence and dielectric measurements

As-grown and chemically reduced Rh-doped (1500 p.p.m.) KnbO3 single crystals grown by the Czochralski method have been characterized. Reduction of the grown crystals at different levels was carried out under a mixture of CO and CO2 gases as the crystals were grown with excess oxygen. The effect of reduction and poling on crystalline perfection was studied by high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) using a multi-crystal X-ray diffractometer developed in-house. The diffraction curves of the as-grown, electrically poled, moderately reduced and heavily reduced single-crystal specimens show remarkable differences. The studies by HRXRD reveal that poling has some influence on the improvement of crystalline perfection, while chemical reduction has a great influence on crystalline perfection; at moderate reduction the crystal becomes nearly perfect, but when the reduction is very heavy the crystal quality decreases slightly, although it is still better than for unreduced samples. Asymmetry of the diffraction curves with respect to the peak position reveals that the as-grown specimens contain a high concentration of both vacancies and self-interstitials. After poling, the concentration of self-interstitial defects is lowered to some extent. When the specimen is moderately chemically reduced, the scattered intensity on both sides of the peak is greatly reduced, showing that the concentrations of both vacancies and interstitials are reduced to a great extent owing to chemical reduction. This clearly indicates that, as a result of the chemical reduction of oxygen in the crystal, crystalline perfection is enhanced significantly. However, under heavy chemical reduction, the number of vacancy defects is increased to a significant extent. Raman scattering, dielectric and photoluminescence studies also show interesting features, with excellent correlation with the degree of crystalline perfection influenced by the processes of reduction and poling.

Crystal growth, spectral, structural and optical studies of π-conjugated stilbazolium crystal: 4-bromobenzaldehyde-4'-N'-methylstilbazolium tosylate

Nonlinear optical (NLO) organic compound, 4-bromobenzaldehyde-4'-N'-methylstilbazolium tosylate was synthesized by reflux method. The formation of molecular complex was confirmed from (1)H NMR, FT-IR and FT-Raman spectral analyses. The single crystals were grown by slow evaporation solution growth method and the crystal structure and atomic packing of grown crystal was identified. The morphology and growth axis of grown crystal were determined. The crystal perfection was analyzed using high resolution X-ray diffraction study on (001) plane. Thermal stability, decomposition stages and melting point of the grown crystal were analyzed. The optical absorption coefficient (α) and energy band gap (E(g)) of the crystal were determined using UV-visible absorption studies. Second harmonic generation efficiency of the grown crystal was examined by Kurtz powder method with different particle size using 1064 nm laser. Laser induced damage threshold study was carried out for the grown crystal using Nd:YAG laser.

Effect of organic ligands (L-Proline and L-Methionine) on growth, structural, vibrational, crystalline perfection, SHG efficiency, microscopic and optical properties of KDP single crystals

The effect of L-Proline (LP) and L-Methionine (LM) doping on the various properties of KDP single crystals grown by slow evaporation solution technique has been investigated. The external morphology of the grown crystals was found to vary due to different dopants and doping concentrations. The change in powder X-ray diffraction intensity patterns due to doping shows the lattice distortion within resolution limit and confirms that there is no extra phase. Further, the same was confirmed by FT-Raman analysis. Infra red microscopic study also exhibits the effectiveness of doping in terms of varying surface morphology. Crystalline perfection of KDP crystals with LP and LM doping was examined by high-resolution X-ray diffraction. This shows very interesting features on the ability of accommodating the dopants in the crystalline matrix. Second harmonic generation efficiency was also found to be in similar fashion as of crystalline perfection. The optical transparency of doped crystals was tested.

Structure, crystal growth, optical and mechanical studies of poly bis (thiourea) silver (I) nitrate single crystal: a new semi organic NLO material

A new semi organic non linear optical polymeric crystal, bis (thiourea) silver (I) nitrate (TuAgN) with dimension 8×7×1.5 mm(3) has been successfully grown from aqueous solution by slow evaporation solution technique. Single crystal X-ray diffraction study reveals that the crystal belongs to orthorhombic system with non centrosymmetric space group C2221. The crystalline perfection of the crystal was analyzed by high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) rocking curve measurements. Functional groups present in the crystal were analyzed qualitatively by infrared and Confocal Raman spectral analysis. Effects due to coordination of thiourea with metal ions were also discussed. Optical absorption study on TuAgN crystal shows the minimum absorption in the entire UV-Vis region and the lower cut off wavelength of TuAgN is found to be 318 nm. Thermal analysis shows that the material is thermally stable up to 180°C. The mechanical strength and its parameters of the grown crystal were estimated by Vicker's microhardness test. The second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of the crystal was measured by Kurtz's powder technique infers that the crystal has nonlinear optical (NLO) efficiency 0.85 times that of KDP.

A novel comparative study of crystalline perfection and optical homogeneity in Nd:GGG crystals grown by the Czochralski technique with different crystal/melt interface shapes

Nd:GGG crystals (GGG is gadolinium gallium garnet) grown with different crystal/melt interface shapes (convex/flat/concave) by varying the seed rotation rate while using the Czochralski technique were studied for their optical homogeneity and crystalline perfection by optical polarization microscopy (OPM) and high-resolution X-ray diffractometry (HRXRD), respectively. It was found that there is a remarkable effect of seed rotation rate, which decides the shape of the crystal/melt interface, on the optical homogeneity and crystalline perfection. It was found experimentally that, as the rotation rate increases, the crystal/melt interface changes from convex to flat. If the rate further increases the interface becomes concave. With a steep convex interface (for low rotation rates), certain facets are concentrated in the small central portion of the crystal, and as the rate increases, these facets slowly move outward, leading to improved optical homogeneity and crystalline perfection as observed from the OPM and HRXRD results. The strain developed in the crystalline matrix as a result of segregation of oxygen in the crystals at low seed rotation rates as observed from HRXRD seems to be the reason for the observed optical inhomogeneity. The correlation between optical inhomogeneity and crystalline perfection for a variety of specimens with different shapes of the crystal/liquid interface obtained at different seed rotation rates is reported.

Effect of Mg doping on the growth aspects, crystalline perfection, and optical and thermal properties of congruent LiNbO3single crystals

Mg-doped congruent lithium niobate single crystals were grown by the Czochralski technique. High-quality single crystals were grown using a novel seeding technique in a resistive heating furnace. Analysis of crystalline perfection carried out by a multi-crystal X-ray diffractometer revealed that the grown crystals do not contain any structural grain boundaries but do contain point defects. The transmission characteristics showed an enhancement of band gap with an increase in Mg concentration. Conoscopy patterns revealed that the grown crystals are homogeneous and the incorporation of Mg into the lattice does not affect the optical sign (negative uniaxial) of the crystal. The refractive index measurements carried out using a prism coupler showed an increase in the optical birefringence (Δn), while the refractive index was found to decrease with the increase in doping concentration. Further, thermal conductivity was found to decrease with Mg incorporation in the lattice owing to phonon scattering from the Mg ions and, as a consequence, at high concentrations (>4 mol%) crack formation occurred. However, optimization of growth conditions reveals that a slower pulling rate leads to crack-free lithium niobate crystals even at 6 mol% Mg doping.

Growth, spectral, thermal, dielectric, mechanical, linear and nonlinear optical, birefringence, laser damage threshold studies of semi-organic crystal: dibrucinium sulfate heptahydrate

Dibrucinium sulfate heptahydrate (DBSH), a semi-organic nonlinear optical material, has been synthesized and single crystals were grown from water-ethanol solution at room temperature up to dimensions of 10×7×2 mm(3). The unit cell parameters were determined from single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction studies. The structural perfection of the grown crystal has been analyzed by high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) study. FTIR and Raman studies were performed to identify the functional groups present in the title compound. The activation energy (E), entropy (ΔS), enthalpy (ΔH) and Gibbs free energy (ΔG), of the thermal decomposition reaction have been derived from thermo gravimetric (TGA) and differential thermal (DTA) analysis curves, using Coats-Redfern method. The variation of dielectric properties of the grown crystal with respect to frequency has been investigated at different temperatures. Microhardness measurements revealed the mechanical strength of grown crystal. The optical parameters, the optical band gap E(g) and width of localized states Eu were determined using the transmittance data in the spectral range 200-800 nm. The relative second harmonic efficiency of the compound is found to be 1.4 times greater than that of KDP. Birefringence and Laser damage threshold studies were carried out for the grown crystal.

Structural, optical and thermal properties of Zr–Fe co-doped congruent LiNbO3single crystals

Zr–Fe-doped congruent lithium niobate single crystals were grown by the Czochralski technique. The crystal structure and lattice parameter of the grown crystals were assessed by powder X-ray diffraction and the strain developed as a result of doping has been calculated (−1.19 × 10−3) by using the Williamson–Hall relation. The incorporated dopant concentration along with the dopant distribution in the specimen crystal was estimated by X-ray florescence spectrometry. A multi-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis was carried out to identify the crystalline perfection of the sample and revealed that the investigated crystal does not contain any structural grain boundaries but does contain point defects and micrometre size mosaic blocks. Birefringence measurements were carried out using a prism coupler spectrometer and found that the optical birefringence is 0.0822 for 532 nm and 0.705 for 1064 nm. A thermal conductivity (κ) study reveals that the doped sample has a lower κ value than the undoped equivalent.

Synthesis, growth, crystalline perfection of 4-bromo-4'dimethylamino benzylideneaniline (BDMABA) and photons absorption of BDMABA crystal

One of the Schiff base 4-bromo-4'dimethylamino benzylideneaniline (BDMABA) compounds was synthesized and single crystal of the material was grown by solvent evaporation method at room temperature. Molecular structure of BDMABA was confirmed by (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance and the presence of functional groups was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared and Fourier Transform Raman spectral analyses. Cell parameters were determined using single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and crystalline perfection of the grown BDMABA crystal was evaluated using high-resolution X-ray diffraction analysis. Thermal analyses indicated that the material is thermally stable up to 215 °C and its melting point is 161.5 °C. Vickers microhardness study was carried out to estimate the mechanical hardness of BDMABA crystal which shows that the crystal belongs to the class of soft materials. Linear and nonlinear optical studies were carried out using UV-vis-NIR spectrum and open aperture Z-scan technique respectively.

Growth, nonlinear optical, thermal, dielectric and laser damage threshold studies of semiorganic crystal: monohydrate piperazine hydrogen phosphate

Monohydrate piperazine hydrogen phosphate (MPHP), a semi organic nonlinear optical material has been synthesized and single crystals were grown from aqueous solution by slow evaporation technique. Single crystal X-ray diffraction study on grown crystal reveals that they belong to monoclinic crystal system with space group P2(1)/c; (a=6.39Å; b=12.22Å; c=11.16Å; β=97.14°; V=864Å(3)). The structural perfection of the grown crystal was analyzed by high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) rocking curve measurements. FTIR spectrum confirms the presence of the functional groups in synthesized material. UV-Vis spectrum indicates that the crystal is transparent in the entire visible region with a lower cut off wavelength of 387 nm. The variation of dielectric properties of the grown crystal with respect to frequency has been investigated at different temperatures. Thermal analysis carried out on the MPHP crystal shows that the crystal is stable up to 135°C. Relative powder second harmonic generation efficiency tested by Kurtz-Perry powder technique, which was about 0.638 times that of Potassium dihydrogen phosphate.

Studies on growth, structural, dielectric, laser damage threshold, linear and nonlinear optical properties of methylene blue admixtured l-arginine phosphate single crystal

L-Arginine phosphate (LAP) and methylene blue dye admixtured L-arginine phosphate single crystals were grown by slow cooling technique and their cell parameters, crystalline perfection, dopant inclusion were confirmed by single crystal, powder X-ray diffraction and high resolution X-ray diffraction analyses respectively. The modes of vibrations of different functional groups present in pure and dye admixtured LAP crystals have been identified by FTIR spectral analysis. The UV-Vis-NIR spectral study was performed on the grown crystals and found that the crystals are transparent in the entire visible-NIR region. The dielectric measurement was carried out on the grown crystals as a function of frequency at room temperature. The microhardness hardness study on (100) plane of grown crystals reveals the mechanical behavior of the crystals. The laser damage threshold value significantly enhanced for dye admixtured crystal in comparison with pure LAP crystal. The relative SHG efficiency of methylane blue admixtured LAP crystal was found to be 1.3 times higher than that of pure LAP crystal.

Growth, crystalline perfection and characterization of hexaaquanickel(II) dipotassium tetrahydrogen tetra-o-phthalate tetrahydrate crystals

Pale-green single crystals of hexaaquanickel(II) dipotassium tetrahydrogen tetra-o-phthalate tetrahydrate K(2)[Ni(H(2)O)(6)] (C(8)H(5)O(4))(4)·4H(2)O (PNHP), of dimension ~33 mm × 18 mm × 4 mm have been grown by slow evaporation solution growth technique (SEST) and modified Sankaranarayanan-Ramasamy (SR) method. The powder XRD profiles and FT-IR are used for identifying the material. The lattice parameters of the as-grown crystals obtained by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis confirm the formulae. Lower optical cut-off at ~300 nm and optical transparency in the visible region were observed. The structural perfection of the grown crystal has been analyzed for SEST and SR method grown crystals by high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) rocking curves (DC). The DCs of both the specimens are asymmetric with respect to Bragg position and more of scattered intensity in the negative direction is indicative of predominantly vacancy defects. Interestingly, SR method grown crystal has a better crystalline perfection than the conventionally grown crystal. The dielectric, thermal and mechanical behaviors of the specimen were also studied.

Growth, spectral, optical, thermal, crystallization perfection and nonlinear optical studies of novel nonlinear optical crystal--urea thiosemicarbazone monohydrate

Single crystals of organic nonlinear material urea thiosemicarbazone monohydrate (UTM) have been grown by slow evaporation method. The grown crystals were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that sample crystallized in triclinic system with noncentrosymmetric space group P1. Powder XRD pattern confirmed that grown crystal posses highly crystalline nature. FTIR spectrum was recorded to identify the presence of functional groups and molecular structure was confirmed by (1)H NMR spectrum. Material confirmation of title compound has been performed by using mass spectroscopic analysis. Elemental composition of grown crystal was confirmed by energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS). To study the crystalline perfection of the grown crystals, high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD) study was carried out. Thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses were employed to understand the thermal and physio-chemical stability of the synthesized compound. UV-Vis-NIR spectrum revealed the transmission properties of the crystal specimen. Relative SHG efficiency is measured by Kurtz and Perry method and found to about 0.89 times that of standard potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystals.

Enhancement in crystalline perfection and optical properties of benzophenone single crystals: the remarkable effect of a liquid crystal

The remarkable enhancement of the crystalline perfection of benzophenone (BP) crystals induced by liquid crystal (LC) doping has been investigated, and has in turn led to better optical properties. High-resolution X-ray diffractometry demonstrates that the structural grain boundaries present in pure crystals can be eliminated when the crystal is grown with LC doping. Thus, the high alignment capability of LCs has for the first time been utilized to enhance the quality of BP bulk single crystals. The LC-doped crystal exhibits higher optical transparency over its entire transparent region. The optical polarizing behaviour of the doped BP crystal is also improved.