A Nonlinear Optically Active Bismuth–Camphorate Coordination Polymer

The novel 2D bismuth–camphorate IEF‐1, formulated as [Bi(L)(HL)] (where H2L = camphoric acid), has been successfully isolated as large single crystals and easily scaled up by hydrothermal synthesis. The crystalline structure of IEF‐1 was unveiled by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, in the monoclinic space group P21, and fully characterized by using several standard solid‐state techniques. IEF‐1 material is thermally stable up to ca. 240 °C without any visible structural change. In addition, the study of the nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of IEF‐1 by second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy evidenced that IEF‐1 is noncentrosymmetric and has a more intensive blue component that may be explained by the ligand to metal charge transfer behavior. A novel Bi–camphorate was prepared by scalable hydrothermal synthesis. Its noncentrosymmetry along with its thermal stability and optical transparency in the visible region make it a promising host material for optical emission purposes.