Synthesis, growth and characterization of a new promising organic nonlinear optical crystal: 4-Nitrophenyl hydrazone

4-Nitrophenyl hydrazone single crystals were grown by slow evaporation of solvent method using acetone as a solvent. The grown crystals were subjected to various characterizations such as X-ray diffraction studies, UV-visible studies, thermogravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis (TGA/DTA) and second harmonic generation (SHG). The cell parameters were calculated by using single crystal XRD measurement and the crystal system was found as orthorhombic with non-centro-symmetric space group Pca21. The crystallinity of the grown crystal was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction analysis. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies confirmed the presence of functional groups in the sample. The optical transmittance spectrum shows that the crystal is transparent in the visible wavelength range. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to study the surface morphology of the grown crystal. The chemical composition of the grown crystal was confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The TGA/DTA results showed that the material is stable up to 146°C. The NLO property of the crystal was confirmed by Kurtz and Perry method and SHG conversion efficiency is 15.39 times when compared to KDP crystal.