Studies on structural and third order nonlinear optical properties of bulk size DAST: an interesting organic single crystal for photonic applications

The growth of optically good quality bulk size (35 x 9 x 8 mm(3)) single crystal of pure 4-N, N-dimethylamino-4-N-methyl stilbazolium tosylate (DAST) crystal was reported by adopting the conventional slow evaporation solution technique. Moreover, we have found that so far nobody has detailed this enormous size DAST crystal which isn't yet announced in the literatures. The cell dimensions of the grown single crystals were obtained by single crystal and power x-ray diffraction studies reveals that the crystal belongs to monoclinic system. The etching study indicates the occurrences of surface dislocations on the crystal. The Vickers microhardness tester was employed to study the mechanical strength and it's found that the crystal belongs to a soft material category. The third order nonlinear optical properties were determined by Z-scan studies which shows significantly higher values of the nonlinear absorption coefficient (beta) and third order nonlinear susceptibility (chi(3) = 9.41 x 10(-6) esu). The enhanced third order nonlinear behavior suggests that the title compound is suitable for nonlinear optical applications.

Automated summary

The growth of high-quality, large-volume single crystal of pure DAST using the slow evaporation solution technique is reported. The crystal structure and properties were characterized by crystallography, etching, and hardness tests. Z-scan studies showed that the crystal exhibited strong third-order nonlinear optical properties, making it suitable for nonlinear optical applications.