Crystal growth, linear optical, thermal, mechanical and third-order nonlinear optical properties of 1,3-diphenyl prop‑2-en-1-one single crystals

•Growth of good optical quality DPP single crystals.•Structural analysis of DPP crystals including elucidation of unit cell features and indexing of hkl values.•Investigation into the optical transparency and bandgap of DPP.•Study on the mechanical strength of DPP to understand its suitability in device fabrication.•The potential of DPP crystals in nonlinear optical applications. This work brings out the viability of the chalcone derivative (E)-1,3-diphenyl-2-propen-1-one (DPP) for industrial applications in nonlinear optical technology and device fabrication, through investigations on its crystal structure and nonlinear optical properties. The unit cell features of the DPP single crystals grown by slow evaporation solution growth method have been determined and hkl values indexed. The optical transparency of DPP in the near infrared and visible range is found to be admirable and an optical bandgap of 3.42 eV is revealed in the UV–Vis-NIR analysis. The work hardening coefficient (n) of DPP, determined as 2 from Vickers microhardness measurement, shows the moderate mechanical strength of the crystal. The Laser Damage Threshold value of 3.9 GW/cm2 sheds light on the high tolerance of DPP to optical damage and suggests its suitability in device fabrication. The potential of DPP crystal in nonlinear optical applications is suggested from its superior value of 1.16×10−7 esu for third order susceptibility and appealing values of other nonlinear optical parameters. [Display omitted]