Unraveling the structure–property relationship of a chalcone-based push–pull molecule for optical limiting application in high-powered laser

In this work, the structure–property relationship of push–pull chalcone derivative (3DPNP) has been studied through spectroscopic experiments and density functional theory calculations. The figure on the right side shows the non-linear absorption and non-linear refraction curves of 3DPNP. [Display omitted] •The structure–property relationship of a chalcone-based push–pull molecule (3DPNP) was explored using combined experimental and theoretical studies.•The vibrational and electronic contribution to NLO activity of 3DPNP was estimated.•Frequency-dependent NLO calculations shows abrupt changes when the incident frequency is doubled which confirms SHG efficiency of 3DPNP.•Z-scan studied indicated that the molecule 3DPNP is suitable for optical limiting application in CW laser regime.•The optical limiting threshold of 3DPNP is found to be 3.26 kJ/cm2. In this work, the optical limiting response of a highly π-conjugated push–pull chalcone derivative (2E)-3-(2,3-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-(3-nitrophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (abbreviated as 3DPNP) has been investigated. The structure–property relationship of 3DPNP was explored through spectroscopic investigation and quantum chemical computations. The existence of weak-non-covalent interactions and charge transfer species that responsible for the chemical stability of 3DPNP were studied by AIM and NBO analyses. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of vibrational and electronic contribution to non-linear optical (NLO) response of 3DPNP were discussed in detail. The normal vibrational modes associated with a change in the dipole moment, polarizability, first- and second-order hyperpolarizabilities of 3DPNP were identified using DFT calculations followed by potential energy distribution (PED) analysis using Gaussian 09 W software and Gar2ped program, respectively. The changes in the NLO parameters with respect to the varying frequencies and electric dipole fields were studied. The abrupt changes in the NLO properties were noticed when the frequency doubled, confirming the second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of 3DPNP. From the non-linear absorption and refraction studies through the z-scan experiment, the optical limiting threshold value of 3DPNP is determined to be 3.26 kJ/cm2, which shows the suitability of the material for optical limiting applications in the continuous wave (CW) laser regime.