S. Sagadevan, N. Nithya, R. Mahalakshmi,
Volume 13, Issue 1 (3-2016)
Abstract
The study of amino acid based nonlinear optical (NLO) materials with optimum physical properties is an important area due to their practical applications such as optical communication, optical computing, optical information processing, optical disk data storage, laser fusion reactions, laser remote sensing, colour display, medical diagnostics, etc. Also, microelectronic industries require crystals which possess low dielectric constant at higher frequency. Keeping this in view, attempts have been made to grow nonlinear optical crystals and study their optical, electrical and mechanical properties. Nonlinear optical single crystals of dichloro-diglycine zinc II have been grown by slow evaporation method. The grown crystals were characterized using single crystal X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-VIS-NIR spectrum, thermal, mechanical and dielectric studies. The results of characterization studies have been discussed in detail to understand their properties. The grown crystals have better thermal stability and sufficient mechanical strength. They are capable of inducing polarization due to dielectric behaviour when powerful laser beam is incident on them. The various characterization studies suggest that the grown crystals are promising materials for optoelectronic and nonlinear optical applications.
Farhood Heydari, Seyed Mohammad Mirkazemi, Bijan Eftekhari Yekta, Seyyed Salman Seyyed Afghahi,
Volume 22, Issue 3 (9-2025)
Abstract
This study systematically investigates the crystallization behavior, phase evolution, and dielectric properties of a BaO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ glass system modified with 10 wt% TiO₂. Thermal characterization revealed that TiO₂ addition notably reduced the glass transition temperature (from 781.6°C to 779.4°C) and softening point (from 838°C to 824.8°C) compared to the TiO₂-free glass, consequently decreasing the calculated nucleation temperature (from 810°C to 800°C). While differential thermal analysis indicated sluggish crystallization kinetics, isothermal heat treatments identified 1000°C as the optimal processing temperature, leading to the development of a multiphase crystalline assemblage that beneficially included the target monoclinic Ba3.75Al7.5Si8.5O32 phase, which was absent in the TiO₂-free glass. X-ray diffraction identified this phase, along with celsian (BaAl₂Si₂O8) polymorphs and barium titanate crystallites, as the dominant crystalline phases. SEM revealed anisotropic crystal growth (1.14-1.52 μm length). Dielectric characterization in the Ku-band (12.4-18 GHz) demonstrated significant property enhancements, with the relative permittivity decreasing from 10.40 to 6.38 and loss tangent improving from 0.3 to 0.2 after crystallization. These improvements, attributed to the specifically tailored crystalline phase assemblage facilitated by TiO₂, make this glass-ceramic system particularly suitable for advanced microwave applications requiring low dielectric loss and high-frequency stability. The effectiveness of TiO₂ as a crystallization modifier for achieving optimized dielectric properties through controlled devitrification and targeted phase formation is underscored.
