Ziting Yan, Dongdong Chu, Zhihua Yang, Shilie Pan, Min Zhang
{"title":"Cation-modulated aligned arrangement of [B3O7] units in an unprecedented 2∞[B3O5] layer with remarkable birefringence","authors":"Ziting Yan, Dongdong Chu, Zhihua Yang, Shilie Pan, Min Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s40843-025-3444-0","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Birefringence, as a crucial linear optical property of optical crystals, is pivotal for polarization modulation in birefringent crystals and phase-matching in nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals. Based on anionic group theory, the arrangement of advantageous B–O functional motifs in borate anionic frameworks can be adjusted by rational application of modification strategies, which can effectively promote the exploration of novel structures and optimization of optical properties. In this work, two novel borates containing distinct assembly modes of [B<sub>3</sub>O<sub>7</sub>] groups, Li<sub>2</sub>Rb<sub>2</sub>BaB<sub>18</sub>O<sub>30</sub> (LRBBO) and K<sub>0.7</sub>Rb<sub>1.3</sub>BaB<sub>6</sub>O<sub>11</sub> (KRBBO), were designed and synthesized based on the dimension reduction strategy induced by cation modification using LiB<sub>3</sub>O<sub>5</sub> as the parent structure. Notably, KRBBO features an unprecedented <sup>2</sup><sub>∞</sub>[B<sub>3</sub>O<sub>5</sub>] layered structure and exhibits significantly enhanced birefringence (Δ<i>n</i> = 0.08@546 nm) compared to both the parent compound and other compounds consisting of only [B<sub>3</sub>O<sub>7</sub>] groups. This work provides an effective strategy for designing novel short-wavelength borate optical crystals with large birefringence and enhancing the birefringence of [B<sub>3</sub>O<sub>7</sub>]-based NLO crystals to expand the deep-ultraviolet phase-matching capability.\n</p>","PeriodicalId":773,"journal":{"name":"Science China Materials","volume":"56 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Science China Materials","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-025-3444-0","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Birefringence, as a crucial linear optical property of optical crystals, is pivotal for polarization modulation in birefringent crystals and phase-matching in nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals. Based on anionic group theory, the arrangement of advantageous B–O functional motifs in borate anionic frameworks can be adjusted by rational application of modification strategies, which can effectively promote the exploration of novel structures and optimization of optical properties. In this work, two novel borates containing distinct assembly modes of [B3O7] groups, Li2Rb2BaB18O30 (LRBBO) and K0.7Rb1.3BaB6O11 (KRBBO), were designed and synthesized based on the dimension reduction strategy induced by cation modification using LiB3O5 as the parent structure. Notably, KRBBO features an unprecedented 2∞[B3O5] layered structure and exhibits significantly enhanced birefringence (Δn = 0.08@546 nm) compared to both the parent compound and other compounds consisting of only [B3O7] groups. This work provides an effective strategy for designing novel short-wavelength borate optical crystals with large birefringence and enhancing the birefringence of [B3O7]-based NLO crystals to expand the deep-ultraviolet phase-matching capability.
期刊介绍:
Science China Materials (SCM) is a globally peer-reviewed journal that covers all facets of materials science. It is supervised by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and co-sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The journal is jointly published monthly in both printed and electronic forms by Science China Press and Springer. The aim of SCM is to encourage communication of high-quality, innovative research results at the cutting-edge interface of materials science with chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering. It focuses on breakthroughs from around the world and aims to become a world-leading academic journal for materials science.