LiGa(IO3)4: An Excellent NLO Material with Unprecedented 2D [Ga(IO3)4]∞− Layer Synthesized by Aliovalent Substitution

Nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals are indispensable for the solid-state lasers for their ability to expand wavelength spectral to the regions where the directing lasing is difficult or even impossible, yet the rational design of a high-performance NLO crystal remains a great challenge owing to the severe structural and properties’ requirements. Herein, a new noncentrosymmetric (NCS) and polar gallium iodate, LiGa(IO 3 ) 4 , with a novel 2D anionic layer, is successfully designed and synthesized by the aliovalent substitution strategy based on classic α-LiIO 3 . The 2D [Ga(IO 3 ) 4 ] ∞ − layer in LiGa(IO 3 ) 4 is built from the GaO 6 octahedra and highly polarizable units IO 3 . Compared with its parent compound, the partial replacement of A-site Li + cation with main group Ga 3+ cation facilitates LiGa(IO 3 ) 4 to possess excellent NLO properties, including the large second-harmonic generation (SHG) response (14 × KH 2 PO 4 (KDP) @ 1064 nm), wide bandgap (4.25 eV), large birefringence (0.23 @ 1064 nm), and wide optical transparency from UV to mid-IR. These reveal that LiGa(IO 3 ) 4 will be a promising NLO crystal.