Growth of a novel nonlinear optical crystal 4-nitro-4 '-methyl benzylideneaniline in different organic solvents

The organic nonlinear optical crystal 4-nitro-4'-methyl benzylidene aniline , also known as NMBA, was grown from solutions with different organic polar and non-polar solvents. NMBA single crystals with three different morpholo gies were obtained, viz. needles tone-dimensional), platelets (two-dimensio nal) and octahedral (three-dimensional). Large size three-dimensional octah edral crystals were grown with one-dimensional needles as seeds. All the gr own crystals were subjected to X-ray powder diffraction analysis and the re sults reveal that all of them belong to monoclinic system with space group Pc. Lattice parameters calculated from the X-ray data are in line with the literature value. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.