Provided are a liquid crystal composition which has excellent planarity in a case of being formed into a coating film and is also capable of forming a reflective layer having excellent diffuse reflectivity, a reflective layer that is formed using the liquid crystal composition, and a method for producing a reflective layer. Provided also is a copolymer that can be used as an alignment control agent for a liquid crystal compound.

The invention relates to a liquid-crystalline medium having a nematic phase comprising one or more compounds of formula X

##STR00001##

wherein the parameters have the meaning 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 X for improvement of the transmission and/or response times of a liquid-crystalline medium which comprises one or more additional mesogenic compounds, as well as to certain compounds of formula X, as specified in the text.

A liquid-crystalline medium which comprises at least one compound selected from the group of compounds of the formulae IA to IH,

##STR00001##

in which Z.sup.1 denotes a single bond, —CH.sub.2CH.sub.2—, —CH═CH—, —CH.sub.2O—, —OCH.sub.2—, —CF.sub.2O—, —OCF.sub.2—, —COO—, —OCO—, —C.sub.2F.sub.4—, —(CH.sub.2).sub.4—, —CHFCHF—, —CF.sub.2CH.sub.2—, —CH.sub.2CF.sub.2—, —C≡C—, —CF═CF—, —CH═CHCHO— or —CH.sub.2CF.sub.2O—,
and the use thereof for an active-matrix display, in particular based on the VA, PSA, PS-VA, PALC, FFS, PS-FFS, SA-VA, PS-IPS or IPS effect.

An optical element includes an optically-anisotropic layer that is formed of a liquid crystal composition including a liquid crystal compound having a polymerizable group, in which a ratio of a bend elastic constant K33 to a splay elastic constant K11 in the liquid crystal composition satisfies 0.8≤K33/K11≤1.2 at any temperature of a nematic temperature range, and the optically-anisotropic layer has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from the liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating in at least one in-plane direction.

Provided are an optical element that can make the brightness of light emitted from a light guide plate uniform, a light guide element, and an image display device. The optical element includes a patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer that is obtained by immobilizing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, in which the patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from a liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating in at least one in-plane direction, and the patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer has regions having different pitches of helical structures in a plane.

Provided are a decorative film including a base material and a reflective layer having a convex structure, in which, in a cross section obtained by cutting the convex structure in a direction perpendicular to a plane direction of the decorative film, in a case where a direction in which an average Φ.sub.AVE of positive tilt angles is a largest is defined as a first direction and a direction in which the average Φ.sub.AVE of the positive tilt angles is a smallest is defined as a second direction, the decorative film has a region A in which Φ.sub.AVE in the first direction is 3° or more and Φ.sub.AVE in the second direction is less than 3°; and applications thereof.

The present disclosure provides a cholesteric liquid crystal film including a first cholesteric liquid crystal layer having a stripe pattern in which dark portions and bright portions, which are observed with a microscope, are alternately arranged and a second cholesteric liquid crystal layer which is disposed in contact with the first cholesteric liquid crystal layer and has a stripe pattern in which dark portions and bright portions, which are observed with a microscope, are alternately arranged, in which, at an interface between the first cholesteric liquid crystal layer and the second cholesteric liquid crystal layer, the dark portions observed in the second cholesteric liquid crystal layer is connected to the dark portions observed in the first cholesteric liquid crystal layer.

A transfer film in an image display apparatus includes a temporary support including a substrate and an optically anisotropic layer, in which an in-plane retardation of the substrate at a wavelength of 550 nm is 0 to 20 nm, the optically anisotropic layer is formed of a liquid crystal compound, and where the optically anisotropic layer obtained by peeling the temporary support from the transfer film is allowed to stand in a predetermined environment, and then a maximum value of a dimensional change rate in an in-plane direction of the optically anisotropic layer is defined as ΔL (max) and a minimum value of the dimensional change rate is defined as ΔL (min), the transfer film satisfies at least one of Expression (1) ΔL (max)/ΔL (min)≤1.5 or Expression (2) ΔL (max)≤0.08%.

A liquid crystal mixture applied in light modulating devices includes at least one compound selected from the group of compounds of formula I, at least one compound selected from the group of compounds of formula II and/or formula III, and at least one chiral compound. A light modulating device includes the liquid crystal mixture, where the light modulating device has reduced haze in the transparent state while increased opacity in the light scattering state.
R.sub.1-MG.sub.1-X-MG.sub.2-R.sub.2  I ##STR00001##

The invention relates to bimesogenic compounds of formula I

##STR00001##

wherein R.sup.11, R.sup.12, MG.sup.11, MG.sup.12 and CG.sup.1 have the meaning given in claim 1, to the use of bimesogenic compounds of formula I in liquid crystal media and particular to flexoelectric liquid crystal devices comprising a liquid crystal medium according to the present invention.