An alignment composition is presented that includes an alignment polymer and a reactive mesogen. The alignment polymer includes a polyimide backbone and a vertical alignment side chain combined with the polyimide backbone. The reactive mesogen may be represented by the formula
M5-M1-M2-M3-M4
in which M1 represents a divalent organic group including an aromatic ring group, M2 represents ##STR00001##
M3 represents a single bond, O, O(CH.sub.2).sub.aO, or (CH.sub.2).sub.aO, wherein a represents an integer of 1 to 20, M4 represents an alkenyl group or an alkynyl group having a carbon number of 2 to 20 an alkenylcarbonyl group having a carbon number of 3 to 20, an alkenylcarbonyloxy group having a carbon number of 3 to 20, a an oxotetrahydrofuryl group having (CCH.sub.2) substituted for at least one CH.sub.2, or an epoxy group. M5 represents -M2-M3-M4 or -M3-M4.

A composition, an alignment layer and a method for preparing the same, a liquid crystal alignment unit and a liquid crystal display panel are provided. The composition comprises a nematic liquid crystal polymerizable monomer and a cholesteric liquid crystal polymerizable monomer. The composition can be used for solving the drawbacks existing in the multi-domain display field, such as complex manufacturing processes, high cost, and difficult to be manufactured. The composition allows controlling the alignment of the molecules in the surface of the coating of the composition through adjusting the amounts of the components in the composition and through adjusting the thickness of the coating. The alignment layer, the liquid crystal alignment unit, and the liquid crystal display panel according to the present invention can be prepared by using a simple process and allow to achieve a multi-domain display at a lower cost.

The present application provides a multiple steady state LCD panel, in which a side of a first substrate close to a liquid crystal layer has a first plane electrode and spaced several horizontal electrodes disposed thereon, a side of a second substrate close to the liquid crystal layer has a second plane electrode disposed thereon; the liquid crystal layer includes plural positive liquid crystal molecules and bipolar low molecular weight alignment molecules; thus, to adopt PI materials for the horizontal or perpendicular alignment of the liquid crystal molecules is not needed for the present application. By adjusting one or two of the voltage applied to the first plane electrode and the second plane electrode and the voltage applied to any two of the horizontal electrodes, the positive liquid crystal molecules are arranged at a specific angle under an alignment action of the bipolar low molecular weight alignment molecules.

Optical films are described having a polymerized microstructured surface that comprises the reaction product of a polymerizable resin composition comprising at least one polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated triphenyl monomer. Also described are certain triphenyl (meth)acrylate monomers and polymerizable resin compositions.

A liquid crystal display panel includes substrates opposed to each other, a liquid crystal layer interposed between the substrates, a seal line surrounding an outer peripheral portion of the liquid crystal layer and disposed between the substrates and a liquid crystal alignment layer including a polyimide, the liquid crystal alignment layer including a first region and a second region disposed in an outer peripheral portion of the first region and disposed on one surface of at least one of the substrates, wherein at least a portion of the second region is overlapped with the seal line, the second region having a surface roughness value greater than that of the first region.

Provided are a liquid crystal device, a composition capable of forming a liquid crystal layer, a method of manufacturing the liquid crystal device, a system for manufacturing the liquid crystal device, and a use of the liquid crystal device. The liquid crystal device is a device capable of exhibiting, for example, a normally transparent or black mode, exhibiting a high contrast ratio, being driven with a low driving voltage, and exhibiting excellent durability such as thermal stability. Such a liquid crystal device may be applied to various optical modulators such as a smart window, a window protective film, a flexible display device, an active retarder for displaying 3D images, or a viewing angle control film.

A liquid crystal display includes a first substrate, a second substrate facing the first substrate, a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, a first liquid crystal alignment layer disposed between the liquid crystal layer and the first substrate, and a second liquid crystal alignment layer disposed between the liquid crystal layer and the second substrate, wherein at least one of the first liquid crystal alignment layer and the second liquid crystal alignment layer includes a reactive mesogen.

An optical device is provided, which includes a first transparent substrate, a second transparent substrate, and a liquid-crystal material disposed between the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate. The liquid-crystal material includes a photo responsive material with a chemical structure of: ##STR00001##
wherein A.sup.1 is ##STR00002##
A.sup.2 and A.sup.3 are independently ##STR00003##
X is halogen. R is H, C.sub.1-12 alkyl group, or C.sub.1-12 alkoxy group. R is C.sub.1-12 alkyl group.

The transparent electroconductive film is provided with: a transparent substrate formed from a film-shaped polymer resin; a first hard coat layer laminated on one surface of the substrate; and a first transparent conductor layer laminated on the upper side of the first hard coating layer. The substrate has a film thickness of 2 to 250 m. The first hard coating layer is formed from a curable resin containing an inorganic oxide, and has a film thickness of 0.01 m to less than 0.5 m, or more than 6 m to 10 m. The first transparent conductor layer is formed from at least one material selected from the group consisting of an inorganic oxide, a metal, and carbon, has a film thickness of 10 nm to 2 m, and is patterned so as to have formed thereon a patterned section and a non-patterned section.

Mesogenic media comprising a first component, component A, consisting of bimesogenic compounds optionally a second component, component B, consisting of nematogenic compounds, and optionally a second or third component, component C, consisting of one or more chiral molecules, is suitable for use in flexoelectric liquid crystal devices.