Provided are a liquid-crystal-medium having stability to heat, light and so forth, a wide liquid-crystal-phase temperature-range and significantly large dielectric-anisotropy and developing an optically isotropic liquid-crystal-phase; and various optical-devices used in a wide temperature-range, having short response-time, a large contrast-ratio and low drive-voltage and suppressing decrease in an effective dielectric-constant in a high-frequency range.

A Liquid-crystal composition contains achiral-component T containing at least one compound selected from a first component represented by formula (1) and at least one compound selected from a second component represented by formula (2) or (3) and a chiral-agent to develop optically-isotropic liquid-crystal-phase:

##STR00001##

In formula (1), R.sup.1: alkyl, ring A.sup.1: 1,4-cyclohexylene, ring B.sup.1: 1,4-phenylene, L.sup.11 to L.sup.14: fluorine, Y.sup.1: fluorine, n.sup.1: 1 or 2, R.sup.2: alkyl, Z.sup.21 and Z.sup.22: single-bond or CF.sub.2O, L.sup.21 to L.sup.23: fluorine, Y.sup.2: fluorine, R.sup.3: alkyl, Z.sup.31 and 2.sup.32: single-bond or CF.sub.2O, L.sup.31 to L.sup.34: fluorine, Y.sup.3: fluorine, for example.

Disclosed are liquid crystal compounds of cycloalkyl-containing dibenzofuran derivatives, a preparation method therefor and use thereof. The compounds are as represented by formula I. In the molecular structures of the compounds of formula I provided by the present invention, liquid crystal compounds of cycloalkyl terminal group-containing dibenzofuran derivatives, compared with those having flexible alkyl chains as terminal groups, exhibit better intersolubility, and thus the use of a compound as represented by formula I provided by the present invention can improve the intersolubility of a liquid crystal compound and extend the application range of a liquid crystal mixture, producing an important application value.

##STR00001##

The invention relates to a liquid-crystalline medium, preferably having a nematic phase and dielectric anisotropy of 0.5 or more, which comprises one or more compounds of formula Y

##STR00001##

in which the parameters have the meanings given in the text,
to the use thereof in an electro-optical display, particularly in an active-matrix display based on the IPS or FFS effect, to displays of this type which contain a liquid-crystalline medium of this type, and to the use of the compounds of formula Y for the improvement of the transmission and/or response times of a liquid-crystalline medium which comprises one or more additional mesogenic compounds.

The present invention provides a birefringent lens material for a stereoscopic image display, the birefringent lens material containing two or more liquid crystal compounds each having at least one polymerizable functional group, a birefringent lens for a stereoscopic image display, the birefringent lens being formed by using the lens material, and a method for producing a birefringent lens for a stereoscopic image display using the lens material. The birefringent lens material for a stereoscopic image display and the birefringent lens for a stereoscopic image display of the present invention are good in terms of optical characteristics, durability, and productivity, in particular, productivity. The method for producing a birefringent lens for a stereoscopic image display of the present invention has good productivity.

Provided are a reactive mesogen that may improve display quality of a liquid crystal display, and a liquid crystal composition including the same. The reactive mesogen is represented by the following Formula:

##STR00001## where A.sub.1, A.sub.2, and A.sub.3 are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted divalent hydrocarbon ring, or a substituted or unsubstituted divalent heterocycle, L.sub.1 and L.sub.2 are each independently a direct linkage, O, S, CO, COO, OCOO, O(CH.sub.2).sub.k1, S(CH.sub.2).sub.k1, O(CF.sub.2).sub.k1, S(CF.sub.2).sub.k1, (CH.sub.2).sub.k1, CF.sub.2CH.sub.2, (CF.sub.2).sub.k1, CHCH, CFCF, CC, CHCHCOO, or (CH.sub.2).sub.k1COO(CH.sub.2).sub.k2O, Z.sub.1 and Z.sub.2 are each independently a direct linkage, O, S, CO, COO, OCOO, O(CH.sub.2).sub.m1, S(CH.sub.2).sub.m1, O(CF.sub.2).sub.m1, S(CF.sub.2).sub.m1, (CH.sub.2).sub.m1, CF.sub.2CH.sub.2, (CF.sub.2).sub.m1, CHCH, CFCF, CC, CHCHCOO, (CH.sub.2).sub.m1COO, (CH.sub.2).sub.m1COO(CH.sub.2).sub.m2O, CH(S.sub.pPa), CH.sub.2CH(S.sub.pPa), or (CH(S.sub.pPa)CH(S.sub.pPa)), Pa is a polymerizable group, B is an unsubstituted heterocycle, a substituted or unsubstituted crown ether group, or

##STR00002##

wherein T.sub.1 and T.sub.2 are each independently OH, CH.sub.3, CF.sub.3, CHF.sub.2, CH.sub.2F, CH.sub.2Br, CHBr.sub.2, CHCl.sub.2, or CH.sub.2Cl.

A polymerisable LC material comprising one or more di- or multireactive mesogenic compounds and one or more compounds of formula UVI, ##STR00001##
and one or more compounds of formula UVII, ##STR00002## Further, a method for its preparation, a polymer film with improved thermal durability and UV stability obtainable from a corresponding polymerisable LC material, a method of preparation of such polymer film, and the use of such polymer film and said polymerisable LC material for optical, electro-optical, decorative or security devices.

There is provided a method for producing a birefringent lens for a stereoscopic image display using a birefringent material having two or more liquid crystal compounds each having at least one polymerizable functional group. The method includes the steps of providing the birefringent lens material; applying the birefringent lens material onto an alignment layer that has been subjected to an alignment treatment in a uniaxial direction, and forming the coating film into a lens shape by conducting curing with ultraviolet light.

A polymerizable compound has a practical low melting point, excellent solubility in a general-purpose solvent, and can produce an optical film at low cost, exhibits low reflected luminance, and achieves uniform conversion of polarized light over a wide wavelength band, an optically anisotropic article. A carbonyl compound is useful as a raw material for producing the polymerizable compound. (In the formula (I), Y.sup.1 to Y.sup.8 represent C(O)O, G.sup.1 and G.sup.2 represent a C.sub.1-20 divalent linear aliphatic group, Z.sup.1 and Z.sup.2 represent a C.sub.2-10 alkenyl group that is unsubstituted, or substituted with a halogen atom, A.sup.x represents a C.sub.2-30 organic group with at least one aromatic ring, A.sup.y represents a hydrogen atom or C.sub.1-20 alkyl group, A.sup.1 represents a trivalent aromatic group, A.sup.2 and A.sup.3 represent a C.sub.3-30 divalent alicyclic hydrocarbon group, A.sup.4 and A.sup.5 represent a C.sub.6-30 divalent aromatic group or the like, and Q.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom.) ##STR00001##

Embodiments of improved methods are provided to form ordered structures on a surface of a substrate using direct self-assembly (DSA) of ionic liquid crystals (ILCs). More specifically, various embodiments of methods are provided to control the phase of an ordered structure formed on a substrate surface via self-assembly of ILCs having cation head groups, alkyl tail groups having a plurality of hydrocarbons and anions. In the embodiments disclosed herein, the phase of the ordered structure is controlled by replacing the hydrogen (H) atoms of the hydrocarbons included the alkyl chain with larger sized functional groups. Adding larger sized functional groups to the alkyl chain changes the phase of the ordered structure by: (a) increasing the separation between the hydrophilic (cation) and hydrophobic (alkyl tail) groups of the ILCs, and (b) changing the orientation of alkyl tails within the tail groups of the self-assembled ILCs.

The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of liquid crystal materials, and particularly relates to a polymerizable compound and the use thereof. The polymerizable compound of the present disclosure has a structure as shown in general formula I. Compared with the prior art, the polymerizable compound of the present disclosure has good solubility, a better alignment effect, a higher polymerization rate, more complete polymerization, and lower residue, thereby greatly improving the problem of poor display; a liquid crystal composition containing the polymerizable compound has a better alignment effect, more complete polymerization, and lower residue; and the polymerizable compound has a low price and stable performance, can be widely applied to the field of liquid crystal display, and has an important application value.

##STR00001##