A low birefringence ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) mixture composed of at least two components shows birefringence in the range 0.05 to 0.14, which is suitable for the modern display and photonic devices. The cell gap can be tuned from 1.5 m to 4 m to reduces the fabrication complexity and chromatic distortion by electro-optical modulation. The FLC mixtures can be employed in a wide temperature range. The characteristics of the said FLC mixture can be tuned by tuning the concentration of the constituents of the mixture. The helical pitch of the FLC mixtures can be varied from 100 nm to 10 m. A smectic tilt angle can be varied between 17 to 45 and the spontaneous polarization can be tuned over a wide range to meet requirements of different electro-optical modes, and the FLC mixture is applicable for a wide variety of electro-optical effects.

Provided is a liquid crystal compound containing 2,3,4-trisubstituted benzene, a liquid crystal composition thereof, and a liquid crystal display element or a liquid crystal display comprising the liquid crystal compound or the liquid crystal composition, wherein the liquid crystal composition has a lower viscosity, can achieve a quick response, and further has a moderate dielectric anisotropy , a moderate optical anisotropy n, and high stability to heat and light. The liquid crystal display element or liquid crystal display comprising the liquid crystal composition has the properties of a wider nematic phase temperature range, an appropriate birefringence anisotropy, a very high electrical resistivity, a good ultraviolet resistant property, a high charge retention rate, a low vapor pressure etc., and particularly, the liquid crystal compound or the liquid crystal composition has the advantage of a high light transmittance.

A main object of the present invention is to provide a birefringence improving agent that can realize a satisfactory white display even in a liquid crystal display device in which a ferroelectric liquid crystal composition is used and which can reduce the birefringence and has a large cell gap; a ferroelectric liquid crystal composition and a liquid crystal display device that use the birefringence improving agent; and a compound that can be used in a ferroelectric liquid crystal composition.

A composition for ultraviolet light intensity detection comprises nematic mixed crystals, chiral additives, cholesteric liquid crystals, azobenzene monomers, photopolymerizable monomers and a photoinitiators. When preparing a film having the composition, the steps include mixing each of components of the composition and spreading out the mixture to form a pre-formed film of the mixture, and irradiating the pre-formed film by light to form a film for ultraviolet light intensity detection.

Disclosed are a liquid crystal panel, a display apparatus and a manufacturing method of the liquid crystal panel. The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal panel includes: forming a first alignment layer covering a substrate surface and having an alignment direction along a first direction on a first substrate; the first substrate includes multiple column pixel areas; forming a second alignment layer having an alignment direction along a second direction on the first alignment layer, the first direction and the second direction are different directions, in correspondence with each of the column pixel areas, the second alignment layer has at least one aligning unit that penetrates the column pixel areas, and a width of each of the aligning unit is smaller than a width of the column pixel area.

Disclosed herein is a light emitting device and method of manufacturing such a device comprised of a series of photopolymerizable, chiral liquid crystalline layers that can be solvent cast on a substrate. The mixture of chiral materials in each successive layer may be blended in such a way that each layer has the same chiral pitch. Further the chiral materials in each layer may also be blended so that the ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices in each layer match the other layers such that the complete assembly of layers will optically function as a single relatively thick layer of chiral liquid crystal. The chiral nematic material in each layer can spontaneously adopt a helical structure with a helical pitch. The light emitting layers of the light emitting device can further comprise electroluminescent material that emits light into the band edge light propagation modes of the photonic crystal.

A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for improved switching speed and/or tunability for radio-frequency (RF) devices are described. In one embodiment, a liquid crystal (LC) component comprises an LC structure in a mixture with right-handed (R) and left-handed (S) chiral dopants.

Methods for monitoring catalytic chemical reactions are provided. Such a method may comprise (a) exposing a solid surface to conditions to induce a chemical reaction of reactants at an interface formed between the solid surface and a liquid crystal, wherein the solid surface catalyzes the chemical reaction and the liquid crystal is characterized by an anchoring orientation that changes during the chemical reaction; and (b) measuring the anchoring orientation of the liquid crystal at one or more time points and at one or more locations on the solid surface during step (a). Systems for carrying out the methods are also provided.

A liquid crystal composition contains at least one compound selected from compounds represented by Formula (1), at least one compound selected from compounds represented by Formula (2), and at least one compound selected from compounds represented by Formula (3).

##STR00001##

For example, R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 are C1-12 alkyl, L.sup.11, L.sup.14, L.sup.15, L.sup.22, L.sup.23, L.sup.32, L.sup.33, Y.sup.11, Y.sup.21, Y.sup.31, and Y.sup.32 are hydrogen, L.sup.12 is fluorine, and L.sup.13, L.sup.21, and L.sup.31 are methyl.

A ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) material for the deformed helix FLC (DHFLC) electro-optical mode devices and shows optimum electro-optical properties including high tilt angle (>38), and short helix pitch (<120 nm), and spontaneous polarization (>100 nC/cm.sup.2) comprising at least two components, wherein at least one FLC component is a chiral compound of Formula (I): ##STR00001##
particularly: ##STR00002##
wherein W.sub.1 and W.sub.2 are chiral groups with polar substituent at chiral centre, A and B are independently N atom or CH groups providing that at least one of A or B is N atom. Other various groups are as defined herein.