A comparative study on growth, structural, optical, thermal and mechanical properties of undoped and dye doped bis glycine cadmium chloride single crystals

Dye inclusion crystals have attracted researchers in the context of crystal growth for applications in solid state lasers. Attempt to grow tris glycine cadmium chloride (TGCC) crystals yielded bis glycine cadmium chloride crystals. Single crystals of bis glycine cadmium chloride (BGCC) and organic dye, namely xylenol orange tetra sodium salt (XO) doped BGCC crystals, were grown from aqueous solutions by slow evaporation technique from the mixture of an aqueous solution of glycine and cadmium chloride in 3:1 molar ratio at a constant temperature of 35 degrees C. The grown crystals are up to the dimension of 20 x 20 x 5 mm(3). Characterization of the crystals was made using a single crystal X-ray diffractometer for obtaining the structure. The crystal is monoclinic with P2(1)/n space group. High-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) was used to evaluate crystalline perfection. Perfection of the undoped crystals is higher than those of the dye doped crystals. Thermal stability of the crystals is tested from differential scanning calorimetry. There is only one endothermic peak, indicating melting point. The optical transparency range of the crystals was identified from the UV-vis spectrum. Functional groups present in the crystals were studied by FT-IR spectral analysis. The mechanical strength of the crystals, measured by Vickers microhardness, and it has increased due to the presence of dye in the crystals. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.