Tuning the optical, electrical and thermal properties of l-arginine maleate dihydrate (LAMD) single crystals for optical limiter applications

Pure and manganese chloride (MnCl2) doped l-arginine maleate dihydrate (LAMD) single crystals are synthesized by slow solvent evaporation technique. Three different doping concentrations are used for the study. The grown crystals are confirmed by single crystal X-ray analysis. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is used to ascertain the presence of the dopant. The changes in the optical parameters of the pristine and doped LAMD crystals are analyzed using UV–Vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence technique. The nonlinear absorption coefficient of pure and doped crystals is determined using open aperture Z-scan technique. The variations in the dielectric constant, dielectric loss, ac conductivity and electronic polarizability of the crystal by doping are also studied. The changes in the thermal properties of the pure and doped LAMD crystals are studied using TGA–DTG and DSC analyses.