Researchers have focused on inorganic compounds to design deep ultraviolet (UV) nonlinear optical (NLO) materials according to anionic group theory, such as CO32−, NO3−, SO42− and PO43− anions. Here we provide a new route to design an UV NLO material using a pure organic compound without any anions. Compound PO(CH2CH2CF3)3 1, an UV NLO material, has light transmittance up to 83% in the UV spectral region which is larger than most inorganic UV NLO materials. It also displays a wide transparent band, a SHG response of 0.30 × KH2PO4, and a cut-off edge below 200 nm. It displays ladder-like nonlinear optical properties weakened by 1.4 times at around Tc, making compound 1 a potential temperature-controlled UV NLO material. Theoretical analyses reveal that the nonlinear optical properties are primarily due to O-2p, P-2p and F-2p.

