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.

Provided are a compound represented by the following general formula (1) ##STR00001##
and a liquid crystal composition containing the compound, and a liquid crystal display device or a light control device having the liquid crystal composition. The compound represented by general formula (1) has both a large dichroic ratio and high solubility in the host liquid crystal. In addition, it has excellent chemical stability at a level usable as a device. Therefore, by using the compound represented by general formula (1) as a component of a GH-type liquid crystal composition, it is possible to provide a liquid crystal display device or a light control device with high contrast.

Provided is an optical laminate used for a viewing angle control system, and an image display device, including a light absorption anisotropic layer formed of a liquid crystal composition containing a liquid crystal compound and a dichroic substance, a first adjacent layer in contact with one surface of the light absorption anisotropic layer, and a second adjacent layer in contact with a surface of the light absorption anisotropic layer opposite to the one surface, in which a content of the dichroic substance is 7.0% by mass or greater, an angle θs between a transmittance central axis of the light absorption anisotropic layer and a surface of the light absorption anisotropic layer in a normal direction is in a range of 5° to 60°, and both refractive indices n1 and n2 of the first and second adjacent layers, respectively, are in a range of 1.46 to 1.72.

A polarizing film including a polarizer that is a cured product of a polymerizable liquid crystal composition is provided. The polymerizable liquid crystal composition contains both a polymerizable liquid crystal compound having at least one polymerizable group and a dichroic coloring matter. The polarizer is laminated on a surface, having a pore size of 0.45 nm to 0.57 nm, of a base material. The pore size is obtained by converting, into a diameter, an average free volume radius calculated by a positron lifetime measurement method in which the positron lifetime is measured by irradiating the surface with positrons with an injection energy of 3 kV.

Provided is an optical film capable of neutralizing both the tint as viewed in a transmittance central axis direction and the tint as viewed in a direction inclined from a transmittance central axis, and an optical laminate and an image display device formed of this optical film. The optical film includes a light absorption anisotropic layer in which an angle θ between a transmittance central axis and a normal direction of a layer surface is in a range of 0° to 45°, and a tint adjusting layer containing at least one organic coloring agent compound

Provided is a composition that is capable of forming a polarizer layer having an excellent degree of alignment and excellent adhesiveness to another layer in a case of being applied to a laminate, a polarizer layer, a laminate, and an image display device. The composition of the present invention is a composition including at least a polymer liquid crystal compound, a dichroic material, and a low-molecular-weight liquid crystal compound, in which the polymer liquid crystal compound is a copolymer having a repeating unit (1) represented by Formula (1), the low-molecular-weight liquid crystal compound is a compound represented by Formula (LC), and relationships represented by Expressions |log P(SP1)−log P(SPL1)|≤2.0 (11), |log P(MG1)−log P(SP1)|≥4.5 (12), and |log P(ML)−log P(SPL1)|≥4.0 (13) are satisfied.

##STR00001##

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition capable of forming an optically anisotropic layer with suppressed cissing during formation of an optically anisotropic layer and an excellent alignment degree, a fluorine-containing polymer, an optically anisotropic layer, a laminate, and an image display device. The liquid crystal composition of the present invention is a liquid crystal composition including a liquid crystal compound and an interface improver, in which the interface improver is a fluorine-containing polymer having a repeating unit B1 represented by Formula (B-1) and a repeating unit B2 having a fluorine atom.

##STR00001##

The invention relates to a liquid-crystalline medium having negative dielectric anisotropy comprising one or more compounds of formula I ##STR00001##
and
one or more compounds selected from the group of the compounds of the formulae IIA, IIB and IIC, ##STR00002##
wherein the groups and parameters have the meanings indicated in claim 1, to a guest-host liquid crystal medium derived therefrom comprising one or more dichroic dyes and the use of said medium in devices such as light shutters, switchable windows, switchable mirrors and guest-host displays. The invention further relates to devices containing the liquid crystalline medium according to the invention.

An object of the present invention is to provide a polarizer having a high degree of alignment and an image display device including the polarizer. The polarizer according to the embodiment of the present invention is a polarizer which is formed of a polarizer-forming composition containing a polymer liquid crystal compound and a dichroic material, in which the polymer liquid crystal compound is a thermotropic liquid crystal and a crystalline polymer, and the polymer liquid crystal compound and the dichroic material are horizontally aligned.

A compound represented by Formula (1) or (11) below,

X-A.sup.1-(N═N-A.sup.2).sub.n-N═N-A.sup.3-Y  (1) (in Formula (1), -A.sup.1- and -A.sup.2- each independently represent an unsubstituted or substituted divalent group of an aromatic heterocyclic ring including one or more S atoms wherein atoms constituting the aromatic heterocyclic ring other than a carbon atom are not adjacent to one another, an unsubstituted or substituted divalent group of a benzisothiazole ring, or an unsubstituted or substituted divalent group of an aromatic hydrocarbon ring; -A.sup.3- represents an unsubstituted or substituted divalent group of an aromatic hydrocarbon ring; —X represents a branched alkyl, alkoxy, or alkylsulfanyl group having 3 or more carbon atoms; —Y represents a monovalent organic group; n represents 1, 2, or 3; when n is 2 or 3, a plurality of -A.sup.2-'s may be identical to or different from one another; and -A.sup.1- and -A.sup.2- do not represent an unsubstituted or substituted divalent group of an aromatic hydrocarbon ring at the same time),

X-A.sup.41-(N═N-A.sup.42).sub.n-N═N-A.sup.43-Y  (11) (in Formula (11), at least one -A.sup.42- represents an unsubstituted or substituted divalent group of an aromatic heterocyclic ring including one or more S atoms; -A.sup.41- and -A.sup.43- each independently represent an unsubstituted or substituted divalent group of an aromatic hydrocarbon ring; —X represents a branched alkyl, alkoxy, or alkylsulfanyl group having 3 or more carbon atoms; —Y represents a monovalent organic group; n represents 1, 2, or 3; and when n is 2 or 3, a plurality of -A.sup.42-'s may be identical to or different from one another).