Novel thiol-terminated bent-core liquid crystals (LCs) are used to decorate gold nanoparticles. Thioacetate or xanthate/xanthogenate functional groups are used to effect the attachment of the LCs to the gold nanoparticles. Such bent-core decorated nanoparticles may be dissolved in bent-core liquid crystal host media to provide polarizable systems which respond quickly to applied electric fields and exhibit other interesting and useful optical and electro-optic behaviour.