Synthesis, growth, structural, spectral, optical and thermal studies of creatininium tartrate organic nonlinear optical single crystal for frequency conversion applications

Creatininium tartrate (CT) single crystals were effectively grown via the slow evaporation technique and established to crystallise in the orthorhombic system. The crystals exhibited excellent optical properties, counting a UV cut-off at 235 nm and a strong photoluminescence emission at 572 nm, indicating high transparency and material purity. The laser damage threshold was intended to be 3.24 GW/cm², demonstrating robust resistance to high-intensity laser irradiation, while thermogravimetric analysis confirmed stability up to 460 K. Nonlinear optical investigations showed a second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency 1.23 times greater than standard KDP and third-order nonlinear susceptibility χ³ = 2.104 × 10⁻⁴ esu, highlighting the crystal’s strong third-order optical response. The material also exhibited an optical limiting threshold of 1.79 × 10¹⁶ J/cm², confirming its potential for high-power laser protection. These results found creatininium tartrate single crystals to be promising candidates for applications in nonlinear optics, photonic devices, laser systems, and optical sensor technologies.