Provided is a method for producing an optically anisotropic layer, with a polarizer, which has a plurality of regions in which alignment states of a liquid crystal compound are fixed and different from one another; laminate, with a polarizer; and a composition. The method includes: 1) forming a composition layer containing a chiral agent containing at least a photosensitive chiral agent and a polymerizable liquid crystal compound on a substrate, 2) subjecting the composition layer to a heat treatment, 3) subjecting the composition layer to light irradiation under oxygen concentration of 1% by volume or more, after step 2), and 4) subjecting the composition layer to a curing treatment to form an optically anisotropic layer, and 5) carrying out step 3) under heating conditions, or subjecting the composition layer to a heat treatment between step 3) and step 4), with a predetermined amount of chiral agent.

Provided is an optical film with a resin substrate adhered to an optically anisotropic layer and suppression of occurrence of optical defects in the optically anisotropic layer. The optical film has a resin substrate having an alignment regulating force and an optically anisotropic layer arranged thereon, in which the optically anisotropic layer contains a liquid crystal compound and a compound having a heteroatom different from the liquid crystal compound, and in a case where a surface of the optical film on an optically anisotropic layer side thereof is a first surface and a surface of the optical film on a resin substrate side thereof is a second surface, and components of the optical film in a depth direction are analyzed by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry while irradiating the optical film with an ion beam from the first surface toward the second surface, the obtained profile satisfies a predetermined requirement.

Provided is an image recording method including a step of preparing at least two ink compositions including a first ink composition that contains a polymerizable liquid crystal compound, a chiral compound, a polymerization initiator, and an organic solvent and a second ink composition that contains a polymerizable liquid crystal compound, a chiral compound, a polymerization initiator, and an organic solvent, a step of applying the first ink composition onto a substrate by an inkjet recording method, a step of forming a first ink film by irradiating the first ink composition applied onto the substrate with an active energy ray, a step of applying the second ink composition onto the first ink film by an inkjet recording method, and a step of forming a second ink film by irradiating the second ink composition applied onto the first ink film with an active energy ray, in which the first ink film has a hexadecane-contacting angle of 45° or less.

An optical component and a electro optical devices comprising the optical component. Further, a cholesteric polymerizable liquid crystalline (LC) material, preferably utilized in an optical component in accordance with the present invention, a process for the production of the cholesteric polymerizable LC material, a process to convert the cholesteric polymerizable material into a polymer film, a polymer film obtainable from the cholesteric polymerizable LC material, and the use of the polymer films in an optical component or device comprising a polymer film.

An object is to provide a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal layer in which an alignment film is repeatedly used and a liquid crystal compound in a liquid crystal layer can be sufficiently aligned. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal layer includes: an alignment film forming step of forming an alignment film on a support; a liquid crystal alignment film alignment step of laminating a first liquid crystal composition including a polymerizable liquid crystal compound on the alignment film and aligning the first liquid crystal composition; a liquid crystal alignment layer forming step of polymerizing the aligned first liquid crystal composition to form a liquid crystal alignment layer; a peeling step of laminating and immobilizing a surface of the liquid crystal alignment layer opposite to the alignment film on an adherend and peeling the liquid crystal alignment layer from the alignment film at an interface between the liquid crystal alignment layer and the alignment film; a liquid crystal layer alignment step of laminating a second liquid crystal composition including a polymerizable liquid crystal compound on a surface of the liquid crystal alignment layer from which the alignment film is peeled off and aligning the second liquid crystal composition; a liquid crystal layer forming step of polymerizing the aligned second liquid crystal composition to form a liquid crystal layer; and a liquid crystal layer separation step of separating the formed liquid crystal layer from the liquid crystal alignment layer, in which the liquid crystal layer alignment step to the liquid crystal layer separation step are repeated to repeatedly prepare the liquid crystal layer.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition capable of forming a reflective layer having excellent diffuse reflectivity. A second object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a reflective layer having excellent diffuse reflectivity and a reflective layer having excellent diffuse reflectivity. A third object of the present invention is to provide a cured product and an optically anisotropic body, each of which is formed of the liquid crystal composition. The present invention relates to a liquid crystal composition including a liquid crystal compound; a chiral agent A whose helical twisting power is reduced upon light irradiation; and a chiral agent B which induces a helix in a direction opposite to that of the chiral agent A, in which the liquid crystal compound is cholesterically aligned in the direction of the helix induced by the chiral agent B in a case where the liquid crystal compound is aligned into a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase state.

Provided are a cholesteric liquid crystal layer having an excellent reflection anisotropy, a low haze, and a high circular polarization degree of reflected light, and a method for producing the same. In addition, provided are a laminate, an optically anisotropic body, and a reflective film, each of which including the cholesteric liquid crystal layer. A cholesteric liquid crystal layer formed using a liquid crystal compound, in which, in at least one main plane out of a pair of main planes of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer, a direction of a molecular axis of the liquid crystal compound changes while continually rotating along at least one in-plane direction, the molecular axis of the liquid crystal compound is tilted with respect to the main plane of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer, and an arrangement direction of bright portions and dark portions derived from the cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, as observed under a scanning electron microscope in a cross section perpendicular to the main plane, is tilted with respect to the main plane of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer.

An object of the present invention is to provide a compound having an excellent rate of change in HTP caused by exposure. Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition formed of the compound, a cured product, an optically anisotropic body, and a reflective film.

The compound of the present invention is represented by General Formula (1).

##STR00001##

In General Formula (1), a portion where a solid line and a broken line are parallel to each other represents a single bond or a double bond.

In General Formula (1), X.sup.1 to X.sup.8 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a monovalent substituent. However, at least one of X.sup.1, X.sup.3, X.sup.5, or X.sup.7 and at least one of X.sup.2, X.sup.4, X.sup.6, or X.sup.8 represent a substituent including a group represented by General Formula (2).

##STR00002##

In General Formula (2), Z represents a single bond or —O—. Y.sup.1 and Y.sup.2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group not including an aryl group. *1 and *2 represent bonding positions.

Provided is a laser oscillation element including a cholesteric liquid crystal layer, in which even in a case where the intensity of excitation light is weak, laser oscillation can be induced. The laser oscillation element includes a cholesteric liquid crystal layer obtained by cholesteric alignment of a liquid crystal compound, in which in a cross-section of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer observed with a scanning electron microscope, bright portions and dark portions derived from the cholesteric liquid crystalline phase are tilted with respect to a main surface of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer, the cholesteric liquid crystal layer includes a colorant that emits light by excitation, and a luminescence wavelength range of the colorant and a selective reflection wavelength range of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer at least partially overlap each other.

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.