Shown is a liquid crystal composition satisfying at least one or having suitable balance regarding at least two of characteristics such as high maximum or low minimum temperature of a nematic phase, large optical anisotropy, large positive dielectric anisotropy and high stability to ultraviolet light, a liquid crystal display device including such a composition, particularly including an encapsulated composition, and a liquid crystal display device including the composition serving as a constituent of 3D lens. The liquid crystal composition contains a specific compound having large optical anisotropy as a first component, and a specific compound having large optical anisotropy and positive dielectric anisotropy as a second component; a specific compound having large positive dielectric anisotropy as a third component; and a specific compound having large optical anisotropy and further having high maximum or low minimum temperature as a fourth component, and the liquid crystal display device includes the composition.

The present invention provides a polymerizable composition containing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by Formula (I) and an oxime compound,

##STR00001## in the formula, A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 each represent a phenylene group or a trans-1,4-cyclohexylene group, L.sup.1 and L.sup.2 each represent single bond, —C(═O)O—, or —OC(═O)—, Q.sup.1 and Q.sup.2 each represent a polymerizable group or the like, m and n represent an integer of 0 to 2, X may represent —X.sup.3-Sp.sup.3-Q.sup.3 or two X's may be bonded to each other to form a fused ring, X.sup.3 represents —C(═O)O—, Sp.sup.1, Sp.sup.2, and Sp.sup.3 each represent single bond, an alkylene group, or the like, Q.sup.3 represents hydrogen atom, a cycloalkyl group, a polymerizable group, or the like, and l represents an integer of 0 to 4. The polymerizable composition hardly causes yellowing after curing and is useful for manufacturing a film and a half mirror for displaying a projection image.

The present invention relates to an LC medium comprising two or more polymerizable compounds, at least one of which contains a substituent comprising a tertiary OH group, to its use for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in LC displays, especially in LC displays of the PSA (polymer sustained alignment) or SA (self-aligning) mode, to an LC display of the PSA or SA mode comprising the LC medium, and to a process of manufacturing the LC display using the LC medium, especially an energy-saving LC display and energy-saving LC display production process.

Provided is a liquid crystal composition capable of suppressing a decrease in phase transition temperature from a smectic phase to a nematic phase and suppressing alignment defects in a liquid crystal cured layer thus formed, a liquid crystal cured layer, an optical film, a polarizing plate, and an image display device. The liquid crystal composition includes a liquid crystal compound exhibiting a smectic phase and a freezing point depressant, in which the liquid crystal compound is a compound represented by Formula (I) SP1-MG-SP2, and the liquid crystal composition satisfies Expression (1) |Am−Asl≥0.2 and Expression (2-1) in a case of Am≤As, Aa≥(Am+As)/2 or Expression (2-2) in a case of Am>As, Aa≤(Am+As)/2.

The present invention belongs to the technical field of liquid crystal materials, and in particular relates to a liquid crystal composition and a liquid crystal display element or liquid crystal display containing the liquid crystal composition. The liquid crystal composition of the present invention is characterized in that the liquid crystal composition comprises more than or equal to 30% of a compound represented by Formula I, and also comprises one or more compounds represented by Formula II and one or more compounds represented by Formula III. The liquid crystal composition of the present invention has a high refractive index, a high clearing point and also a low rotational viscosity, and is mainly used for the display of a projector with a relatively high working temperature and a low cell thickness.

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Provided is a laminate, which has a polarizer and an optically anisotropic layer and is excellent in thermal durability, and an organic electroluminescent device and a liquid crystal display device, which include the laminate. The laminate has two substrates and a polarizing plate disposed between the two substrates, in which the polarizing plate has a polarizer and an optically anisotropic layer, the polarizer contains a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin, the optically anisotropic layer is formed of a composition containing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by General Formula (I): L.sub.1-G.sub.1-D.sub.1-Ar-D.sub.2-G.sub.2-L.sub.2, a moisture permeability of the substrate is 10.sup.−3 g/m.sup.2.Math.day or less, and a water content of the polarizing plate is 3.0 g/m.sup.2 or less.

The present invention relates to a compound of the general formula I ##STR00001##
in which the occurring groups and parameters have the meanings indicated in claim 1, to the use thereof in liquid-crystalline or mesogenic media and to liquid-crystalline or mesogenic media comprising these derivatives.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical film having excellent alignment, and a polarizing plate and an image display device using the same. The optical film of the present invention is an optical film having at least an optically anisotropic layer, and the optically anisotropic layer contains a smectic liquid crystal compound not including a fluorine atom and a compound partially having a cyclohexane ring in which the hydrogen atom is substituted with a linear alkyl group.

The present invention aims to provide a polymerizable compound that has high storage stability without causing crystal precipitation when added to a polymerizable composition and to provide a polymerizable composition containing the polymerizable compound. A polymer film produced by polymerization of the polymerizable composition has a low haze, high thickness uniformity, low occurrence of nonuniform orientation, high surface hardness, high adhesiveness, and good appearances and fewer orientation defects even after ultraviolet irradiation. The present invention also aims to provide a polymer produced by polymerization of the polymerizable composition and an optically anisotropic body produced from the polymer.

The present invention belongs to the technical field of liquid crystal materials, and in particular relates to a negative liquid crystal composition and a liquid crystal display element or liquid crystal display containing the liquid crystal composition. The present invention discloses a negative dielectric nematic liquid crystal composition, comprising a compound represented by Formula I, one or more compounds represented by Formula II, and one or more compounds represented by Formula III. The liquid crystal composition has a relatively low rotational viscosity (γ.sub.1), a high clearing point (Cp), a good solubility and a high stability to heat and light (VHR) on the basis of maintaining an appropriate optical anisotropy (Δn), and can be used for developing a liquid crystal display element or liquid crystal display with a low cell thickness, a wide temperature for display, and a fast response.

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