Elucidation of the properties of Lithium bis(2-methyllactato) borate monohydrate crystal for laser applications

Lithium bis(2-methyllactato) borate monohydrate (LiMB) a semiorganic crystal is grown by solvent evaporation process. Sharp peaks present in powder XRD (PXRD) pattern reveals the good crystallinity. Linear transmission window is observed from 220 to 1100 nm. Functional groups such as CH₃, OH and B–O present in the crystal structure are established through FTIR and FT-Raman vibrational analyses. ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy confirms molecular structure of LiMB crystal. The organic part of LiMB is elucidated through the observed chemical shifts. The influence of intermolecular interactions was well identified and established. Thermal stability of LiMB extends upto 218 °C. The presence of electron delocalization and intermolecular interaction enhances the third-order susceptibility (χ³) and it is 4.5517 × 10^–5 esu. Nonlinear refractive index (n₂) and nonlinear absorption coefficient (β) are also found. The self-defocussing and reverse saturable absorption behavior of grown crystal made it useful for Q-switching, optical pulse shorteners and optical energy limiters applications.