A compound having a maximum absorption in a wavelength range of 350 nm to 550 nm that functions as a dichroic dye is provided. In particular, a compound represented by formula (1) is provided. In the compound of formula (1), R.sup.1 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms or the like; R.sup.2 represents an acyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms or the like; R.sup.3 represents a hydrogen atom or the like; and Y represents a group of formula (Y1). In the formula (Y1), * represents a bonding site with N, or a group of formula (Y2). In the formula (Y2), * represents a bonding site with N; P.sup.1 and P.sup.2 each independently represent —S— or the like; and Q.sup.1 and Q.sup.2 each independently represent ═N— or the like.

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An optical film of the present invention includes a positive A-plate and a positive C-plate, in which the Re(450), Re(550), and Re(650) of the positive A-plate satisfy the relationship of Re(450)≦Re(550)≦Re(650), the positive A-plate is formed of a cured product of a composition including the liquid crystal compound A, and the positive C-plate is formed of a cured product of a composition including the liquid crystal compound C.

The present invention relates to liquid crystalline (LC) medium, to a method of its production and to the use of such LC media in polymer network liquid crystalline (PNLC) light modulation elements operated in the normally transparent mode. Furthermore, the present invention relates to such light modulation elements, as such, to the use of such light modulation elements as light shutters for transparent OLED displays, to the use of such light modulation elements in smart windows, and to a method of production of such light modulation elements according to the present invention.

The present application relates to a device for regulating the passage of energy from an outside space into an inside space, to compounds, windows and uses of the devices and compounds.

A liquid crystal display device, including: a display substrate including a first base substrate, a switching device disposed on the first base substrate, a color filter layer disposed on the switching device, and a first electrode disposed on the color filter layer; a counter display substrate including a second base substrate and a second electrode disposed on the second base substrate and facing the first electrode, wherein the counter display substrate is disposed separately from and facing the display substrate; a liquid crystal layer disposed between the display substrate and the counter display substrate, wherein the liquid crystal layer includes at least one first liquid crystal compound represented by Formula 1 and at least one second liquid crystal compound represented by Formula 2; and a light-shielding spacer disposed between the display substrate and the counter display substrate and maintaining a thickness of the liquid crystal layer:

##STR00001##

wherein in Formula 1 and Formula 2, each of R.sub.11—*,

##STR00002##

R.sub.12—*, L.sub.11-*, L.sub.12-*, L.sub.13-*, L.sub.14-*, R.sub.21—*, *-L.sub.21-*, m, n, i, j, o is same as defined in the specification.

A laminate including a vertically oriented liquid crystal cured film and a horizontally oriented phase difference film is provided. The vertically oriented liquid crystal cured film is a cured product of a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound and a dichroic coloring matter. The composition includes, as the dichroic coloring matter, at least one type of dichroic coloring matter having maximum absorption between a wavelength of 400 nm and a wavelength of 750 nm. The vertically oriented liquid crystal cured film is a cured product of the polymerizable liquid crystal composition that is cured in a state in which the polymerizable liquid crystal compound is oriented in a vertical direction with respect to a flat plane of the liquid crystal cured film, and satisfies the following formula (1) and the following formula (2):

0.001≤AxC≤0.3   (1);

AxC(z=60)/AxC>2   (2).

Provided is a polarizer with excellent durability and an image display device including the polarizer. The polarizer includes a composition for forming a polarizer which contains a polymer liquid crystal compound and a dichroic material, in which the dichroic material includes a first dichroic material and a second dichroic material, an absolute value of a difference between a log P value of the first dichroic material and a log P value of the second dichroic material is 1.0 or less, and a stabilization energy indicating an energy loss in a case where one dichroic material of the first dichroic material and the second dichroic material is incorporated into a structure singly formed of the other dichroic material that is aligned therein is 30 kcal/mol or less.

Provided is an organic electroluminescent display device having excellent thermal durability including, in order from a visual recognition side, at least a circularly polarizing plate, and an organic electroluminescent display element having a pair of electrodes and an organic light emitting layer sandwiched therebetween, in which the circularly polarizing plate has a polarizer and an optically anisotropic layer, the polarizer having a thickness of 10 μm or less and containing a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin, or having a dichroic organic coloring agent, the optically anisotropic layer being formed of a composition containing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound exhibiting reverse wavelength dispersibility, a silicon nitride layer being included between the circularly polarizing plate and the organic electroluminescent display element, and the circularly polarizing plate being disposed between two substrates having a moisture permeability of 1 g/m2.Math.day or less, and one of the low moisture permeability substrates is the silicon nitride layer.

Provided is a liquid crystal composition capable of forming a light absorption anisotropic film with excellent light resistance, a dichroic material, a light absorption anisotropic film, a laminate, and an image display device. The liquid crystal composition contains a liquid crystal compound and a dichroic material having a structure represented by Formula (1).

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Provided is a polarizer having a high degree of alignment and an image display device including the polarizer. The polarizer 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, the polymer liquid crystal compound and the dichroic material are horizontally aligned, and crystallinity of the polymer liquid crystal compound in the polarizer-forming composition is higher than the crystallinity of the polymer liquid crystal compound alone.