Crystal Growth, Optical, Thermal, Mechanical and Laser Damage Threshold Properties of Nonlinear Optical l-Methionine Inserted Potassium Pentaborate (LMKB₅) Single Crystal for Optoelectronic Applications

l-methionine, boric acid and potassium carbonate were used to prepare l-methionine inserted potassium pentaborate (LMKB₅) solution using deionized water as a solvent. A semi-organic crystal was grown by solvent vaporization at lab temperature. Structural analysis was performed on the LMKB₅ crystal to affirm cell dimensions. Morphology of the grown crystal was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Energy dispersive x-ray (EDAX) study was used to obtain the elemental composition. The vibrational analysis was performed on the as-grown crystal, which confirms the presence of LMKB_5. The optical analysis was performed using a UV–VIS–NIR spectrophotometer to calculate the energy gap of the title material. Thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis are performed on a grown crystal to evaluate the thermal stability of LMKB₅ crystal. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) curve affirms that the title material has crystalline nature due to a sharp endothermic peak at 193.49°C. Mechanical strength of the material was estimated using Vicker's microhardness. Laser damage threshold (LDT) studies were carried out to analyze surface damage tolerance stability in crystal. Grown material is essential for a second harmonic generation (SHG).