The microcrystal prism method for refractive index measurements on zeolite-based nanocomposites

A new method for the measurement of the refractive index of small crystals is described. The method is based on the refraction of transmitted light by prismatic crystals. The usage of the method is demonstrated on dye-loaded molecular sieve crystals, which are of interest as nonlinear optical materials. For these birefringent materials the wavelength- and polarization-dependent refractive indices are determined for the first time. These measurements allow the calculation of the phase matching conditions for the SHG process of these crystals