Spectral, optical, and thermal studies of pure and Zn(II)-doped l-histidine hydrochloride monohydrate (LHHC) crystals

The influence of doping the transition metal Zn(II) on the growth, spectral, optical, and thermal properties of l -histidine hydrochloride monohydrate (LHHC) crystals grown by slow solvent evaporation method has been investigated. Structural characterizations of the grown crystals were carried out by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and it shows slight structural changes as a result of doping. The FT-IR spectral study reveals the presence of various functional groups and confirms the slight distortion of the structure of the crystals due to doping. The energy dispersive X-ray analysis reveals the incorporation of Zn(II) in the crystalline matrix of LHHC crystal. The UV–Vis spectral study was carried out to analyze the optical transmittance of the grown crystals and found that the transmittance is very high in the visible and UV regions for both pure and doped crystals. The second harmonic generation (SHG) for the grown crystals was confirmed by Nd:YAG laser. The scanning electron microscopy reveals the presence of defect centers and crystal voids. The thermal stability and purity of the grown crystals were analyzed by thermogravimetry, differential thermal analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry techniques.