Au9+ swift heavy ion irradiation of Zn[CS(NH2)2]3SO4 crystal: Crystalline perfection and optical properties

TL;DR

This study investigates how 150 MeV Au9+ swift heavy ion irradiation affects the crystalline structure and optical properties of Zn[CS(NH2)2]3SO4, revealing increased defects, altered vibrational modes, and enhanced photoluminescence.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the effects of swift heavy ion irradiation on the structural and optical characteristics of this specific crystal.

Findings

Irradiation causes disordering and bond breaking without new phase formation.

Defects act as color centers, increasing photoluminescence.

Optical transparency and band gap decrease after irradiation.

Abstract

The single crystal of tris(thiourea)zinc sulphate (Zn[CS(NH2)2]3SO4) was irradiated by 150 MeV Au9+ swift heavy ions and analyzed in comparison with pure crystal for crystalline perfection and optical properties. The Fourier transform infrared and x-ray powder diffraction inferred that swift ions lead the disordering and breaking of molecular bonds in lattice without formation of new structural phases. High resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) revealed the abundance of point defects, and formation of mosaics and low angle grain boundaries in the irradiated region of crystal. The swift ion irradiation found to affect the lattice vibrational modes and functional groups significantly. The defects induced by heavy ions act as the color centers and resulted in enhance of photoluminescence emission intensity. The optical transparency and band gap found to be decreased.