New nonlinear optical potassium iodate K[IO3] and borates K3[B6O10]Br, KTa[B4O6(OH)4](OH)2•1.33H2O-Synthesis, structures and relation to the properties

Three optically uniaxial non-centrosymmetric potassium compounds, iodate K[IO3] and two borates K-3[B6O10]Br, KTa[B4O5(OH)(4)](OH)(2)center dot 1.33H(2)O have been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The materials were synthesized through hydrothermal techniques using initial reagents and mineralizers. All the compounds are trigonal-hexagonal: the space groups are R3 (K[IO3]), R3m (K[B6O10]Br) and P-62m (KTa[B4O6(OH)(4)](OH)(2)center dot 1.33H(2)O). Powder second-harmonic generation (SHG) measurements on crystals, using 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser radiation, indicate the materials are all phase-matchable and have strong second-order nonlinearities. The correlation with the perovskite structure has been found and described for K,Br-borate and K-iodate. Structure-properties relation is discussed and attributed to stereo-active lone-pair on I5+ and asymmetrical bonds in the compounds. The role of K atoms is pronounced from crystal chemistry point of view, contributing optical nonlinearities. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.