Experimental and theoretical exploration of the new stilbazolium-family single crystal grown by the integration of a novel anion for optical limiting and optoelectronic applications

Abstract

Recently, laser-oriented devices have emerged as an essential component of modern technology. These high-intensity devices also adversely affect the human eyes and skin. To avoid such scenarios, the development of materials capable of cutting off high-intensity laser light is an active area of research. The current work aims to develop novel optical limiting single crystals capable of restricting the intensity of laser light. In order to achieve this, a novel third-order-active single crystal of 4-[2-(4-dimethylamino-phenyl)-vinyl]-1-methyl-pyridinium 4-aminoazobenzene-4′-sulfonate (DMMA) was efficaciously grown through a slow evaporation technique. The structure of this new ionic crystal was confirmed via single-crystal X-ray analysis (SCXRD). The characteristic peaks of each of the functional groups in the DMMA crystal were explored via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The linear optical characteristics of the DMMA crystal were evaluated through ultraviolet-visible-infrared (UV-VIS-NIR) spectroscopy and photoluminescence analysis. The calculated optical constants and emission wavelength (610 nm) indicate that the grown crystal can be employed in optoelectronic applications. Computational analysis was carried out to probe the inter- and intra-molecular interactions occurring within the crystal. The third-order susceptibility (χ³) value of the novel ionic crystal shows the suitability of the title compound for optical limiting applications.