RETRACTED ARTICLE: Growth and spectra studies of nonlinear optical manganese zinc hydrogen phosphate (MnZnHPO₄) single crystals

High-quality single crystals of magnesium zinc hydrogen phosphate (MgZnHPO₄) with diameters of up to 8 × 2 × 2 mm³ have been successfully grown using sodium meta silicate gelatin. The crystal’s classification has been confirmed as orthorhombic, belonging to the Pnma space group, using single crystal X-ray diffraction investigations. Moreover, the calculated lattice parameters and volume were a = 10.491 Å, b = 18.152 Å, c = 5.043 Å, Z = 4, respectively. Fourier transform infrared results suggest that the intense peak observed at 1110 cm⁻¹ is ascribed to the stretches mode of the P–O bond and the planar bent shape of the (PO4)₃⁻ ion. Scanning electron microscope images show that both the crystals having needle shaped platelets like surface morphology. The energy absorption gap is a straight band gap with a magnitude of 3.72 eV. The crystal’s high band gap clearly indicates its exceptional transparency. The crystal’s activation energy had been determined to be 0.34 eV at a frequency of 1 kHz. Moreover, the AC conductivity and photocurrent measurement was carried out for grown crystal. The second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of MgZnHPO₄ was determined to be 28.9 millivolts (mV), which is 2.7 times higher than that of a potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) single crystal (10.71 mV). It is very clear that this crystal has potential and prospects for frequency conversion applications.