Experimental assessment of quasi-binary picture of thermotropics: Induced smectic A phase in 7CB-n-heptane system J. Chem. Phys. 135, 044705 (2011) Does transparent nematic phase exist in 5CB/DDAB/water microemulsions? From the viewpoint of temperature dependent dielectric spectroscopy J. Chem. Phys. 134, 034505 (2011) A kind of two-dimensional electroconvection at ultralow electric frequency Appl. Phys. Lett. 97, 203507 (2010) Study of the isotropic to smectic-A phase transition in liquid crystal and acetone binary mixtures J. Chem. Phys. 133, 174501 (2010) Thermotropic nematic and smectic order in silica glass nanochannels Appl. Phys. Lett. 97, 153124 (2010) Additional information on J. Appl. Phys. ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), synthesized in an alcoholic medium at room temperature, were added to electroclinic liquid crystal (ELC) materials. The addition of ZnO NPs in ELCs, caused a remarkable shift in SmC * -SmA * phase transition which was investigated from the dielectric and electro-optical measurements. The anchoring of ELC molecules around ZnO NPs creates orientational distortions near the surface, which may give additional ordering to the ELC molecular arrangement. After analyzing collective dielectric relaxation processes of ZnO NP doped ELCs, three distinct loss peaks were observed. The different behavior of ZnO NP doped ELC from pure ELC has been explained by determining the dielectric strength, the distribution parameter and the corresponding relaxation frequency, and so on, and then these results have been compared with the data calculated by using the theoretical model. The effect of ZnO NPs addition on physical parameters, such as spontaneous polarization (P s ) and rotational viscosity (g) has also been observed.