Ligand-capped scattering nanoparticles, curable ink compositions containing the ligand-capped scattering nanoparticles, and methods of forming films from the ink compositions are provided. Also provided are cured films formed by curing the ink compositions and photonic devices incorporating the films. The ligands bound to the inorganic scattering nanoparticles include a head group and a tail group. The head group includes a polyamine chain and binds the ligands to the nanoparticle surface. The tail group includes a polyalkylene oxide chain.

A polarizing plate and an optical display apparatus including the same are provided. A polarizing plate includes a polarizer; and a first retardation layer and a second retardation layer sequentially stacked on a lower surface of the polarizer, and the first retardation layer has an in-plane retardation of about 180 nm to about 220 nm at a wavelength of about 550 nm; and the second retardation layer has an in-plane retardation of about 80 nm to about 100 nm at a wavelength of about 550 nm.

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal aligning agent composition for producing a liquid crystal alignment film having improved film strength together with liquid crystal alignment properties, a method for producing a liquid crystal alignment film using the same, and a liquid crystal alignment film and a liquid crystal display device using the same.

A display panel, a sealant coating device and a method for sealant coating are provided. The display panel includes a display area and a peripheral area and further includes oleophobic sealant provided in the peripheral area on a side near the display area and hydrophobic sealant provided in the peripheral area on a side away from the display area and surrounding the oleophobic sealant.

A liquid crystal dimming film includes two substrates, two conductive layers, two free radical resisting layers and a liquid crystal layer. After the two conductive layers are electrically conducted, the electric field generated by the conductive layer can change the liquid crystal light transmission state of the liquid crystal layer. In addition, the free radical resisting layers are coated and photo-cured on both surfaces of the liquid crystal layer respectively. When the two liquid crystal layers are situated in a lighting environment, the free radical resisting layer can capture the free radicals produced by the liquid crystal layer to prevent the free radicals from affecting the conductive layer, thereby maintaining good photoelectric properties of the conductive layer.

Provided are a transfer-type decorative sheet and a method of manufacturing a transfer-type decorative sheet, the transfer-type decorative sheet including a decorative layer that has excellent peelability from a temporary support and excellent glossiness in case of being seen from an oblique direction. The transfer-type decorative sheet includes: a temporary support; an underlayer that is peelable from and disposed on one surface of the temporary support; and a decorative layer that is disposed on the underlayer, in which the decorative layer includes at least one cholesteric liquid crystal layer, the underlayer is a layer that is formed of a composition including a monomer having one or two polymerizable groups, and a water contact angle of the underlayer is 50° or more.

A compound represented by formula (i) has, as K.sup.i1 in the formula (i), a structure represented by any one of formula (K-1) to formula (K-3). When used in a liquid crystal composition, it adheres to substrates which hold the liquid crystal composition (liquid crystal layer) therebetween, thereby permitting liquid crystal molecules to be maintained in the state of being aligned in the vertical direction. The liquid crystal composition using the compound enables liquid crystal molecules to be aligned even when the PI layer is not provided (vertical alignment of liquid crystal molecules is induced without the voltage applied and horizontal alignment of liquid crystal molecules is realized with the voltage applied). It is possible to provide a polymerizable compound being excellent in storability and capable of uniform vertical alignment of liquid crystal molecules with no PI layer provided.

An electronic device may be provided with a display and other electrical components. The display may be covered with a display cover layer. A rear housing member, the display cover layer, and other structures in the device may be formed from a transparent member. Transparent members in the device may be covered with layers such as layers of ink. The ink may have a polymer with colorant such as dye or pigment. Light-scattering particles such as inorganic dielectric particles may be incorporated into the polymer. The inorganic dielectric particles may have cores formed from materials such as titanium dioxide and coatings that help prevent discoloration of the titanium dioxide and degradation of surrounding polymer when the inorganic dielectric particles are exposed to ultraviolet light.

A liquid crystal display device includes a TFT substrate having a first alignment film and an opposing substrate having a second alignment film with liquid crystals sandwiched therebetween. One of the first and second alignment films, comprises a first polyimide produced via polyamide acid ester containing cyclobutane as a precursor and a second polyimide produced via polyamide acid as a precursor. The polyamide acid has a higher polarity than that of the polyamide acid ester. The one of the first and second alignment films is responsive to photo-alignment. A first side of the one of the first and second alignment films is adjacent to the liquid crystals, and a second side thereof is closer to one of the TFT substrate and the counter substrate than the first side. The first side contains more of the first polyimide and less of the second polyimide than the second side.

A photo-alignment film of the present invention includes a polymer layer containing a photoreactive polymer and metal nanoparticles dispersed in the polymer layer at a concentration of 10.sup.9 particles/(cm.sup.2×100 nm) or more and 10.sup.19 particles/(cm.sup.2×100 nm) or less. The metal nanoparticles have an absorption peak in a wavelength region of 420 nm or less. An absorbance A1 at the absorption peak of the metal nanoparticles and an absorbance A2 at an absorption peak of the polymer layer satisfy a relationship represented by the following formula 1:
0.2≤A1/A2≤25  (Formula 1).