The present invention relates to a liquid-crystal medium which comprises one or more compounds each of formulae I and II ##STR00001##
in which the occurring groups and parameters have the meanings given in claim 1.

A liquid crystal medium containing a compound of formula I

##STR00001## and one or more compounds of the formulae IIA, IIB, IIC and IID,

##STR00002## useable in optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in LC displays.

Provided is a polymerizable liquid crystal composition used for formation of an optically anisotropic film having excellent durability, an optically anisotropic film, an optical film, a polarizing plate, and an image display device. The polymerizable liquid crystal composition contains a polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by Formula (1) and an acidic compound, in which a pKa of the acidic compound is more than −10 and 5 or less, and a content of the acidic compound is 20 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polymerizable liquid crystal compound. ##STR00001##

The present invention relates to azo dye of formula I ##STR00001##
defined in claim 1, to a liquid crystalline medium comprising said azo dye, the use of said medium for optical, electrooptical and electronic purposes, in particular in devices for regulating the passage of energy from an outside space into an inside space, for example in windows. The invention further relates to a device containing the liquid crystalline medium according to the invention.

A polymerizable composition containing: a) a polymerizable compound having one or two or more polymerizable groups and satisfying formula (I): Re(450 nm)/Re(550 nm)<1.0 (I); b) at least one photopolymerization initiator selected from the group consisting of alkylphenone-based compounds, acylphosphine oxide-based compounds, and oxime ester-based compounds; and c) a polymerization inhibitor. An optically anisotropic body, a retardation film, an antireflective film, and a liquid crystal display device that are produced using the polymerizable liquid crystal composition. The polymerizable composition is excellent in solubility and has high storage stability, so that no precipitation of crystals etc. occurs. When a film-shaped polymer is produced by polymerizing the above composition, the unevenness of the surface of the coating film is small while the alignment of the liquid crystal is maintained, and high durability is obtained. Therefore, the polymerizable composition is useful.

The present invention provides a liquid crystal composition with which a light absorption anisotropic film excellent in plane shape uniformity with a high alignment degree can be formed, a method of producing same, a light absorption anisotropic film, a laminate, and an image display device. The liquid crystal composition contains a high-molecular weight liquid crystal compound, and a dichroic substance, where the composition is a copolymer containing 90% by mass or more of a repeating unit (1) of Formula (1) and 10% by mass or less of a repeating unit (2) of Formula (2). In Formulae (1) and (2), P1 to P3 represent main chains, L1 to L3 represent a single bond or divalent linking group, P2 to SP3 represent a single bond or spacer group (SP1), M1 to M3 represent mesogenic groups, T1 represents a terminal group, and n and m are integers of 0 or 1. ##STR00001##

A polymerizable LC material comprising one or more reactive mesogenic compounds, one or more chiral compounds and a block copolymer that comprises at least one polyfluorooxetane block bonded to a polyether block, said polyfluorooxetane block having a repeating unit of the formula ##STR00001## Further, a method for its preparation, a polymer film obtainable from a corresponding polymerizable LC material, a method of preparation of such polymer film, and the use of such polymer film and said polymerizable LC material in optical, electro-optical, decorative or security devices.

Provided are a light color conversion material and a light color conversion ink. The light color conversion material includes a quantum dot and a cross-linkable cholesteric liquid crystal material. The cross-linkable cholesteric liquid crystal material encapsulates the quantum dot. The cross-linkable cholesteric liquid crystal material has Bragg diffraction characteristic after cross-linking, and blue light with a wavelength between 400 nm and 480 nm may be reflected by the cross-linked cholesteric liquid crystal material and transmitted through the cross-linked cholesteric liquid crystal material at the same time.

To prevent arcing discharge of a liquid crystal device. Provided is a liquid crystal device including a liquid crystal layer, a first substrate, a second substrate and an insulating film, wherein the liquid crystal layer is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate, the first substrate includes electrode 1, the second substrate includes electrode 2, the insulating film is arranged between electrode 1 and electrode 2, and the insulating film is a cured product of a thermosetting polymer composition.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical film which is excellent in the adhesiveness between a polymer support and a photo alignment film and in which a liquid crystal compound having reverse wavelength dispersibility is uniformly aligned. The optical film is obtained by laminating, in the following order: a polymer support containing an additive; a photo alignment film; and an optically anisotropic film, wherein the optically anisotropic film is formed of a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound having reverse wavelength dispersibility, and an amount of a component derived from the additive of the polymer support, which is contained in a boundary region with the optically anisotropic film in the photo alignment film is 0.10 to 0.50 mass % with respect to a total mass of the photo alignment film.