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A Comprehensive Review on Phenol Derivative Based Organic Crystals for Nonlinear Optical Applications: Crystal Engineering, Structure–property Relationships, and SHG Performance
E. Mohanapriya, S. Thennarasu, R. Gowri Shankar Rao and N. Kanagathara
Organic nonlinear optical (NLO) materials have attracted significant interest due to their large optical susceptibilities, structural tunability, and fast optical response. Among these, phenol derivatives represent an important class of materials due to their ϖ-conjugated aromatic structures, strong hydrogen-bonding capability, and inherent donor–acceptor properties.This complexation of phenol derivatives with organic acids, especially picric acid and other dicarboxylic acids, provides a powerful crystal-engineering approach for achieving non-centrosymmetric structures required for second-order nonlinear optical activity. This review presents recent developments in phenol derivative-based organic NLO crystals, focusing on crystal-engineering strategies, structure–property relationships, and second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency. The roles of substitution, hydrogen bonding, and supramolecular assembly are critically examined, and future opportunities for the rational design of high-performance phenol-based NLO materials are discussed.
Keywords: Phenol derivatives, organic NLO crystals, crystal engineering, SHG, structure–property relationship