Single crystals of a potential nonlinear optical material, L-arginine maleate, were successfully grown by slow evaporation of the saturated aqueous solution at room temperature (30degreesC) and crystals up to 20 x 6 x 3 mm(3) were grown. The grown crystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction (single crystal and powder) to determine the unit cell parameters. The grown crystals were also subjected to FT-NMR and FT-IR techniques to confirm the presence of the functional groups present in the compound. Thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses reveal the good thermal stability of the material. UV-Vis-NIR transmittance shows a lower cutoff at 300 nm and powder SHG studies illustrate the phase matching characteristics of the material. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.