Studies on the growth and physical properties of nonlinear optical crystal: 2-Amino-5-nitropyridinium-toluenesulfonate

Single crystals of 2-amino-5-nitropyridinium-toluenesulfonate (2A5NPT) were grown by the slow cooling method. The unit cell dimensions were determined from single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The thermal parameters - thermal diffusivity (α), thermal effusivity (e), thermal conductivity (K) and heat capacity (C_p) of 2A5NPT were measured by an improved photopyroelectric technique at room temperature. Single and multiple shot experiments performed on the grown crystals for the second harmonic of pulsed Nd:YAG laser (532 nm) show that it exhibits a high laser damage threshold which is a favorable property for nonlinear optical applications. Dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the grown crystal were evaluated for the frequency range 1 kHz-1 MHz in the temperature region 40-130 °C. Hardness values were measured using Vickers hardness measurement.