Effect of adding L-serine on the structural, thermal, optical, nonlinear optical, mechanical and electrical properties of a single crystal of monopotassium orthophosphate

Monopotassium orthophosphate (MPOP) crystals in pure form and monopotassium orthophosphate crystals in doped form with non-essential amino acid L-serine (LSMPOP) are obtained by implementing slow evaporation solution growth techniques. The peaks of powder XRD graphical output, while comparing with the powder XRD pattern of pure MPOP, is found that 2θ values shifted slightly for L-serine-doped MPOP and this suggests that the formation of parent material is slightly disturbed by the dopant L-serine. The lattice constant and other crystal characteristics like volume, space group crystal system were analysed in detail by single crystal X-ray diffraction investigations and it is found that it belongs to I-42d space group and tetragonal structure. The infra-red Fourier transforms’ spectral studies give information about the functional groups present in the pure and L-serine-doped parent material MPOP. The properties like optical energy gap, lower cut-off wavelength and transmittance were given by ultraviolet visible spectral inspections and the cut-off wavelength is found to be 382 nm for MPOP and 385 nm for LSMPOP, the band gap is found to be 2.85 eV for MPOP and 3.03 eV for LSMPOP. The microhardness of the title materials are calculated by Vickers microhardness studies. The electrical behaviours of MPOP and LSMPOP, such as dielectric constant, ac conductivity, impedance spectroscopy, activation energy are diagnosed and calculated by dielectric analysis.