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Updated: May 2, 2026
From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
Published on: March 24, 2018
KCd(IO3)2Cl: A New UV NLO Crystal with Balanced Optical Properties Engineering via Target-Driven Multi-Ion
Lei Hou1, Siyu Li2, Wencong Li1
1Institute of Crystal Growth, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai, 201418, China.
Abstract:
The exploration of novel nonlinear optical (NLO) materials plays a pivotal role in advancing laser science and technology. It remains a challenge to achieve a trade-off among bandgap, second harmonic generation (SHG), and birefringence in NLO crystals. Here, pursuing these target properties, KCd(IO3)2Cl, a novel NLO crystal, is rationally designed and synthesized through a multi-ion substitution strategy. KCd(IO3)2Cl crystallizes in the non-centrosymmetric (NCS) chiral space group P212121 (No. 19), and it features a 3D framework composing with 2D [Cd(IO3)Cl]∞ layers linked by [I(1)O3]‒ pyramids. KCd(IO3)2Cl exhibits excellent balanced optical properties with strong SHG response (2.2 × KDP), large birefringence (0.18 @ 546 nm), wider optical transparent window (206 nm-12.0 µm), and good thermal stability (up to 392 °C). Notably, KCd(IO3)2Cl possesses the shortest UV cutoff edge (≈206 nm) and correspondingly the broadest bandgap (6.0 eV) among the reported NCS inorganic metal iodates. As a promising UV NLO crystal, the discovery of KCd(IO3)2Cl not only enriches the iodate halide family but also provides an effective strategy for increasing the bandgap of iodate compounds.
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