Growth, structural, optical, thermal, mechanical and electrical properties of potassium chromium sulphate single crystals

• Published in: Journal of materials science. Materials in electronics Vol. 33; no. 7; pp. 3994 - 4010
• Main Authors: Thilaga, K., Selvarajan, P., Abdul Kader, S. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-03-2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chromium salts; Crystal growth; Crystal structure; Crystals; Diamond pyramid hardness; Electrical properties; Electrical resistivity; Fluorescence; Functional groups; Harmonic generators; Materials Science; Optical and Electronic Materials; Optical properties; Photoluminescence; Potassium; Refractivity; Room temperature; Second harmonic generation; Single crystals; Spectrum analysis; Thermal analysis; Ultraviolet lasers; Visible spectrum
• ISSN: 0957-4522; 1573-482X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10854-021-07592-w

The inorganic single crystal of potassium chromium sulphate (PCS) was grown by slow evaporation solution technique at room temperature. The grown crystal has been characterized by using UV, FTIR, photoluminescence technique, SHG and Vickers microhardness test and the detailed results have been reported for the first time. The grown PCS crystal was found to be crystallizing in centrosymmetric cubic structure. EDAX analysis affirms the elements present in the sample and substantiate the purity of the grown crystal. Functional groups of the PCS crystal were corroborated by FTIR spectral analysis. The UV–Visible spectrum was examined to determine the optical band gap. Additionally, the linear optical parameters such as extinction coefficient, reflectance, refractive index, dielectric constant, optical conductivity and electrical conductivity were determined. Thermal analysis, in the temperature range of 40–730 K, shows two endothermic peaks at 90 and 170 K. The PL spectrum recorded shows an intense blue emission at 490 nm indicating that the grown crystal can be beneficial for fluorescence in blue LED applications. The microhardness study reveals that the PCS crystal has a high mechanical strength, implying that it can endure significant stress without permanent deformation. The grown crystal was also subjected to second harmonic generation and the results of which has been discussed. PCS crystal could be used for third-order nonlinear optical applications and hence it is a third harmonic generator to produce UV laser light.