The present invention pertains to: a liquid crystal composition for controlling light that contains, as a dichroic dye, an anthraquinone compound having a specific structure; and a light-controlling element that contains a cured product of said liquid crystal composition for controlling light and exhibits excellent contrast, light-blocking performance, lightfastness, and heat tolerance during current supply. More specifically, the present invention pertains to: a liquid crystal composition for controlling light that contains a compound represented by formula (A) (in the formula. R1 represents a C1-12 alkyl group or a C1-12 alkoxy group, and each R2 independently represents a C1-8 alkyl group), a liquid crystal material, a photocurable compound, and a photoinitiator; and a light-controlling element that is formed by sandwiching a photocured product of said composition between a pair of substrates.

##STR00001##

The present invention pertains to: a liquid crystal composition for controlling light that contains, as a dichroic dye, an anthraquinone compound having a specific structure; and a light-controlling element that contains a cured product of said liquid crystal composition for controlling light and exhibits excellent contrast, light-blocking performance, lightfastness, and heat tolerance during current supply. More specifically, the present invention pertains to: a liquid crystal composition for controlling light that contains a compound represented by formula (A) (in the formula, R1 represents a C4-12 alkyl group or a C4-12 alkoxy group, and each R2 independently represents a C6-12 alkyl group), a liquid crystal material, a photocurable compound, and a photoinitiator; and a light-controlling element that is formed by sandwiching a photocured product of said composition between a pair of substrates.

##STR00001##

The present invention relates to a liquid-crystal composition comprising (A) dye compounds and (B) a liquid-crystal material, wherein the dye compounds (A) include an anthraquinone compound represented by general formula (1) and an anthraquinone compound represented by general formula (2) in a specific proportion and further include a dye compound which is neither the anthraquinone compound represented by general formula (1) nor the anthraquinone compound represented by general formula (2). The present invention further relates to a liquid-crystal composition comprising the (A) and (B) components and further containing (C) a. photocurable compound and (D) a photopolymerization initiator, a cured object obtained from the liquid-crystal composition, and a light-modulating element in which the liquid-crystal composition or the cured object is sandwiched therein.

##STR00001##

New dichroic dyes having a composition with slave materials. The dyes may be used for a dichroic polymer network, a dichroic liquid crystalline polymer film (LCP film) or a dichroic liquid crystalline polymer gel, which for instance find application as electro-optical or optical devices.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a novel anthraquinone compound, and to provide: a dichroic dye constituted of the novel anthraquinone compound; a liquid crystal composition which contains the dichroic dye; and preferably a dimming element having excellent contrast and light resistance and containing said composition. The present invention discloses an anthraquinone compound represented by formula A below (wherein R.sub.1 represents a C3-16 branched alkyl group, and R.sub.2 represents a hydrogen atom, a C1-8 straight-chain or branched alkyl group, or a C1-8 straight-chain or branched alkoxy group). In addition, the present invention discloses a liquid crystal composition including the anthraquinone compound and a liquid crystal material, and a dimming element containing said composition.

##STR00001##

A linear polarizer may be formed a blue dichroic dye compound, having a maximum dichroic ratio Kd?12 in an entire visible wavelength range, and a red dichroic dye compound, having a maximum dichroic ratio Kd?16 in the entire visible wavelength range. The linear polarizer has a dichroic ratio Kd?18 and a thickness of less than or equal to 2 micrometers. The linear polarizer may form an achromatic polarizer.

A transparent structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first panel and a second panel, wherein the first panel includes: a first electrode; a second electrode separated from the first electrode; and a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the second panel includes: a third electrode; a fourth electrode separated from the third electrode; and a colloid layer disposed between the third electrode and the fourth electrode, the fourth electrode includes multiple openings, and the colloid layer includes charged particles of which surfaces exhibit (+) charge or (?) charge.

An optical film includes a polarizer. The polarizer includes a base layer, and a material of the base layer is obtained by dyeing a base material with a dye. The base material includes a polyvinyl alcohol material, and the dye is selected from blue dichroism organic dyes.

Provided is a liquid crystal device. The liquid crystal device includes a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other, a first electrode disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate and adjacent to the first substrate, a second electrode disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate and adjacent to the second substrate, a first alignment film disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and adjacent to the first electrode, a second alignment film disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and adjacent to the second electrode, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first alignment film and the second alignment film, wherein the liquid crystal layer includes a liquid crystal portion containing liquid crystal molecules, and a hydrophobic portion containing a hydrophobic material, the liquid crystal portion and the hydrophobic portion are phase-separated from each other, and the hydrophobic portion includes fluorine.

Provided is an optically anisotropic film, an optical film, and a display device, which have a high contrast and excellent light fastness. The optically anisotropic film includes a liquid crystal compound and a dichroic substance, in which the liquid crystal compound is vertically aligned, the dichroic substance forms an arrangement structure, and in a case where, in a cross section observed with a scanning transmission electron microscope, a length of a major axis of the arrangement structure is defined as L, and a length of a minor axis of the arrangement structure is defined as D, 16 or more arrangement structures satisfying L?30 nm are observed per 40 ?m.sup.2.