A LC lens and a liquid-crystal medium used in said LC lens, wherein the medium contains one or more compounds of each of formulae I and II ##STR00001##

There is provided a composition including a first polymer compound having a photoreactive functional group, a second polymer compound, and an ultraviolet absorber having a benzotriazole skeleton, wherein a content of the ultraviolet absorber is less than 20 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of a total of the first polymer compound and the second polymer compound.

A liquid crystal composition includes at least one compound of general formula I, at least one compound of general formula II and at least one compound of general formula III. The liquid crystal composition has a higher optical anisotropy, the relatively large elastic constants K.sub.11 and K.sub.33 while maintaining a relatively high clearing point, an appropriate dielectric anisotropy and a better low-temperature intersolubility. A liquid crystal display device which includes the liquid crystal composition has advantages of a fast response, a high contrast and a wide temperature range, thereby having a good display effect and a large range of applicability. ##STR00001##

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.

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.

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##

A liquid crystal composition contains: at least one compound of general formula I and at least one polymerizable compound of general formula II. Such a liquid crystal composition has a suitable optical anisotropy, a suitable dielectric anisotropy, and a better pretilt angle consistency while maintaining a relatively high clearing point, and the drop mura is good. When the liquid crystal composition is applied to a PSA liquid crystal display, the liquid crystal composition has an excellent display effect. ##STR00001##

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition suitable for producing liquid crystal display elements which reduces the risk of the formation of droplet traces during production and allows a liquid crystal material to be ejected at a constant rate during an ODF process without deteriorating the properties of the liquid crystal display element, such as dielectric anisotropy, viscosity, nematic-phase upper-limit temperature, nematic-phase stability at a low temperature, and γ.sub.1, and the image sticking resistance of the display element, and a liquid crystal display element including the liquid crystal composition. Provided are a liquid crystal composition having a negative dielectric anisotropy, the liquid crystal composition including one or more compounds represented by General Formula (I), one or more compounds represented by General Formula (II), and the compound represented by Formula (IIIb-1) and a liquid crystal display element including the liquid crystal composition.

A nematic liquid crystal composition having a high Δn and a high Δε in a liquid crystal material that enables greater phase control over electromagnetic waves in the microwave or millimeter wave range, and a liquid crystal element, a sensor, a liquid crystal lens, an optical communication device, and an antenna including the nematic liquid crystal composition. Specifically, a liquid crystal composition containing one or two or more compounds represented by general formula (i) in the specification and one or two or more compounds represented by general formula (ii) in the specification, and having a high Δn and a high Δε.

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.