The present application relates to mixtures which have liquid-crystalline properties. The application furthermore relates to the use of the mixtures in devices which regulate the transmission of light through an area element.

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal (LC) medium comprising polymerisable compounds, to a process for its preparation, to its use for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in LC displays, and to LC displays comprising it.

The present invention relates to liquid-crystalline media (LC media) having negative or positive dielectric anisotropy, comprising a low-molecular-weight component and a polymerisable component. The polymerisable component comprises self-aligning, polymerisable mesogens (polymerisable self-alignment additives) which effect homeotropic (vertical) alignment of the LC media at a surface or the cell walls of a liquid-crystal display (LC display). The invention therefore also encompasses LC displays having homeotropic alignment of the LC medium without alignment layers. The invention discloses novel structures for polymerisable self-alignment additives which have a certain position of the functional groups.

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal (LC) medium comprising polymerisable compounds, to a process for its preparation, to its use for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in LC displays, and to LC displays comprising it.

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal (LC) medium comprising polymerisable compounds, to a process for its preparation, to its use for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in LC displays, and to LC displays comprising it.

The present invention provides a liquid-crystalline elastomer having large generation force and a large amount of displacement. The liquid-crystalline elastomer according to the present invention is composed of a polymer of liquid-crystalline molecular units and cross-linking reagent units. Each of the cross-linking reagent units contains a bicyclo structure selected from the group consisting of a bicyclo [2,2,1] heptane structure or a bicyclo [2,2,2] octane structure. A molar ratio of the cross-linking reagents to the liquid-crystalline molecular units is not less than 0.1 and not more than 0.2. The bicyclo [2,2,1] heptane structure may be a trycyclodecane structure. The bicyclo [2,2,2] octane structure may be a trycycloundecane structure.

An object of the invention is to provide a polymerizable compound having small refractive index anisotropy and having high storage stability and high alignment properties when constituting a polymerizable liquid crystal composition, and provide a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing the polymerizable compound. Further, the object is to provide a polymer produced by polymerizing the polymerizable liquid crystal composition and an optically anisotropic body including the polymer. The present invention provides a polymerizable compound represented by general formula (I), a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing the compound as a constituent component, and further provides a polymer produced by polymerizing the polymerizable liquid crystal composition and an optically anisotropic body including the polymer.

The present invention relates to a switch element, which is thermoresponsive and which switches between a less transmissive state for radiant energy and a more transmissive state for radiant energy, and which comprises a liquid-crystalline medium. The invention furthermore relates to the use of the switch element for the regulation of radiant energy flow between interior spaces and the environment and for the regulation of the temperature of interior spaces. The invention furthermore relates to a liquid-crystalline medium, characterised in that it comprises 5-95% of a compound of the formula (I), in particular for use in the switch elements according to the invention.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a compound that can provide a liquid crystal composition with a high T.sub.ni, a high n, a low V.sub.th, a high .sub.r, a low tan .sub.iso, and high storage stability at low temperatures, a liquid crystal composition, as well as a liquid crystal display element, a sensor, a liquid crystal lens, optical communication equipment, and an antenna each using this. Specifically disclosed are a compound represented by the general formula (i) having an ethynylene group (CC) and an isothiocyanate group (NCS) and a liquid crystal composition containing one or two or more of the compounds.