Growth and characterization of a new semi-organic nonlinear optical sodium paranitrophenolate paranitrophenol dihydrate single crystal

A new semi-organic nonlinear optical sodium paranitrophenolate paranitrophenol dihydrate single crystal is grown successfully using methanol as solvent by slow evaporation technique to dimensions of 14 × 5 × 4 mm3 in a period of 7 days. The grown crystal is characterized by X-ray diffractometry and UV–Visible spectral analysis. X-ray diffraction data reveals that the crystal belongs to monoclinic system with space group C2. Optical absorption studies illustrate low absorption in the entire UV and Visible region. The second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of the crystal measured by Kurtz's powder technique infers that the crystal has NLO coefficient 5 times greater than that of KDP crystal. Remarkable mechanical strength with the work hardening coefficient less than 2 and thermal stability up to 120 °C of the grown crystal is reported.