Electro-optic properties of liquid crystal devices doped with cucurbit(6)uril-protected zirconia nanowires

Zirconia protected by cucurbit(6)uril nanoparticles were prepared by using a microwave reactor equipped with ultrasonic nozzle mixing at 240 °C for 30 min in a tetraethylene glycol solution of zirconium (IV) ethoxide in the presence of cucurbit(6)uril. Particles in cucurbit(6)uril-protected ZrO2 nanoparticles had an average diameter of 7.4 nm and mainly distribute within the range of about 4–11 nm. Cucurbit(6)uril-protected ZrO2 nanowires were prepared by refluxing method at 240 °C for 5–20 min. The average width and length of cucurbit(6)uril-protected ZrO2 nanowires were 240 nm and 13.7 μm, respectively. Cucurbit(6)uril-protected ZrO2 nanowires were mixed with 4′-pentylbiphenyl-4-carbonitrile at room temperature resulting in a liquid crystal sol of 4′-pentylbiphenyl-4-carbonitrile containing 0.075 wt% of total metal. The response time of this twisted nematic liquid crystal devices in the presence of cucurbit(6)uril-protected ZrO2 nanowires was faster than that in the absence.