An Investigation of the Thermal and Dielectric Properties of Nickel Sulfate Hexahydrate Single Crystal for Sensors, Bandpass Filters and Optical Applications

In the present work, a good-quality nickel sulfate hexahydrate (NSH) single crystal measuring 30 x 20 x 15 mm(3) was grown via a slow evaporation solution technique (SEST). NSH single crystal is an inorganic material and is widely used in optical applications, UV sensors, and missile detection systems, among others. The grown crystal was characterized using powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD), UV-visible spectroscopy, microhardness test and etching analysis. Photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) was used to identify the thermal diffusivity of the grown crystal. The thermal diffusivity of the NSH crystal was found to be superior to that of various common nonlinear optical (NLO) materials, and is thus suitable for use in optical and sensor applications. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was utilized to determine the material decomposition at a certain temperature. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) were performed to identify the melting point of the grown crystal. The dielectric analysis showed that the crystal has low dielectric loss, fewer defects, and better optical properties, and is suitable for NLO applications. Thermal analysis showed that the grown crystal can be utilized for a wide array of applications including optical communications, UV bandpass filters, UV sensors, harmonic generation, and missile detection systems.