Jiao Jinmiao, Liang Fei, Li Conggang, Han Tao, Zhao Wenli, She Yuheng, Ye Ning, Hu Zhanggui, Wu Yicheng
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Crystal Materials, Institute of Functional Crystal, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China.
State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials and Institute of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China.
Inorg Chem. 2022 Jul 25;61(29):11471-11477. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c01892. Epub 2022 Jul 13.
Nonlinear optical (NLO) materials have recently aroused great interest owing to their capability of frequency conversion in solid-state lasers. Herein, we report an acentric zinc germanate KZnGeO obtained successfully through spontaneous crystallization methods. It affords a novel three-dimensional (3D) framework comprised of [GeO] and [ZnO] motifs with K atoms located in the tunnels. KZnGeO displays a moderate second-harmonic-generation (SHG) intensity (0.73 × KDP) with phase-matchable behavior. Optical characterization demonstrated that it has a UV cutoff edge located at 368 nm with a large energy band of 3.23 eV, accompanied by a wide transmission window, covering a 3-5 μm atmospheric window. Moreover, thermal properties implied that it possesses intriguing thermal stability of 987 °C and a congruent melting nature. Additionally, first-principles calculations unveiled that the NLO performance was primarily attributed to the collective effect of [GeO] and [ZnO] building units. These findings indicate that KZnGeO is a potential NLO crystal.
