A side chain type polymer liquid crystalline compound with which a light absorption anisotropic film having a high alignment degree can be formed, which includes a liquid crystalline composition, a light absorption anisotropic film which is formed of the liquid crystalline composition, a laminate, and an image display device. A liquid crystalline composition contains a side chain type polymer liquid crystalline compound and a dichroic substance, the side chain type polymer liquid crystalline compound is a copolymer having repeating units 1 and 2, the repeating unit 1 has a mesogenic group and an electron-withdrawing group having a Hammett's substituent constant p of greater than 0 at a terminal of the mesogenic group, and the repeating unit 2 has a mesogenic group and a group having a Hammett's substituent constant p of 0 or less at a terminal of the mesogenic group.

A method of manufacturing a modified liquid crystal polymer includes: providing a liquid crystal polymer having a first melting point; heating the liquid crystal polymer to a first temperature and maintaining at the first temperature for a first time period, in which the first temperature is lower than or equal to the first melting point; and cooling the liquid crystal polymer to a second temperature to form a first modified liquid crystal polymer, the second temperature being lower than the first temperature, the first modified liquid crystal polymer having a second melting point, in which the second melting point is higher than the first melting point.

Liquid crystalline hydroquinone-3,4-biphenyl dicarboxylate polyesters, and methods of making them. The polyesters may be melt processed at a temperature below the thermal decomposition temperature and the isotropic temperature, and may form a liquid crystalline glass phase. The polyesters may be formed by polycondensation of hydroquinone or a hydroquinone derivative with 3,4-biphenyl dicarboxylic acid.

Liquid crystalline hydroquinone-3,4-biphenyl dicarboxylate polyesters, and methods of making them. The polyesters may be melt processed at a temperature below the thermal decomposition temperature and the isotropic temperature, and may form a liquid crystalline glass phase. The polyesters may be formed by polycondensation of hydroquinone or a hydroquinone derivative with 3,4-biphenyl dicarboxylic acid.

A compound which is represented by a formula (IIa), ##STR00001##
wherein each of Y.sup.1 to Y.sup.8 independently represents a chemical single bond, O, S, OC(O), C(O)O, OC(O)O, NR.sup.1C(O), C(O)NR.sup.1, OC(O)NR.sup.1, NR.sup.1C(O)O, NR.sup.1C(O)NR.sup.1, ONR.sup.1, or NR.sup.1O, R.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; each of G.sup.1 and G.sup.2 independently represents a divalent linear aliphatic group; each of Z.sup.1 and Z.sup.2 independently represents an alkenyl group; A.sup.x represents a group represented by a formula (II), ##STR00002##
wherein X represents NR.sup.2, an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, and R.sup.2 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; D represents an alkylene group or a cycloalkanediyl group; A.sup.1 represents a trivalent aromatic group; each of A.sup.2 and A.sup.3 independently represents a divalent alicyclic hydrocarbon group; each of A.sup.4 and A.sup.5 independently represents a divalent aromatic group; Q.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom, or an alkyl group.

An optically anisotropic layer including a polymer and a compound having a mesogen skeleton, wherein the polymer has a property such that a film of the polymer that is formed by a coating method using a solution of the polymer satisfies nz(P)>nx(P)ny(P), wherein nx(P) is a refractive index in a direction which, among in-plane directions of the film, gives a maximum refractive index, ny(P) is a refractive index in a direction which is perpendicular to the direction of nx(P) among the in-plane directions of the film, and nz(P) a refractive index in a thickness direction of the film, and the compound having a mesogen skeleton shows an in-plane retardation with reverse wavelength distribution under specific conditions.

A liquid crystal polymer including structural units derived from an aromatic hydroxy carboxylic acid in an amount of greater than about 30 mol % and less than or equal to about 50 mol %, an aromatic dicarboxylic acid which includes about 50 mol % or greater of a structural unit derived from a compound including two carboxyl groups at a meta-position of an aromatic ring in an amount greater than or equal to about 50 mol % of the amount of the structural unit derived from the aromatic hydroxy carboxylic acid, each based on total moles of the structural units in the liquid crystal polymer, and an aromatic diol that is 4,4-dihydroxybiphenyl, hydroquinone, or a combination thereof; a composite composition including the liquid crystal polymer, an article produced from the liquid crystal polymer or the composite composition, a battery case including the article, and a battery including the battery case and an electrode assembly.

A circularly polarized light separating film including a resin layer containing a polymer of a polymerizable liquid crystal compound, wherein the polymerizable liquid crystal compound contains a main-chain mesogen and a side-chain mesogen bonded to the main-chain mesogen in a molecule of the polymerizable liquid crystal compound, and the polymer has cholesteric regularity.

A light control layer contains a liquid crystal composition and a resin composition. The liquid crystal composition is composed of a liquid crystal compound having a nematic-isotropic phase transition temperature of 110 C. or greater and 140 C. or less, the resin composition contains an acrylic polymer, a bridging group of the acrylic polymer is a saturated alkyl group having 1 or more and 12 or fewer carbon atoms, and the resin composition contains, in the acrylic polymer, a moiety in which the saturated alkyl group is a linear alkyl group, whereby a light control device operates normally over a wider temperature range.

A polymeric scaffold contains pendant liquid crystal side chains and has fully interconnected pores. Such a polymeric scaffold will preferably be 3D in nature and elastomeric, biocompatible and biodegradable. Such 3D liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) scaffolds can be used for various biomedical applications, including cell culture applications. A method for the production of such a polymeric scaffold containing liquid crystals and having interconnected pores is also disclosed that uses a metal foam sacrificial template as a scaffold to produce the polymeric smart response scaffold of the present invention. Consistent and controlled pore sizes result from etching the sacrificial metal foam template away from the polymeric scaffold, permitting the incorporation of growth factors, when needed, for enhancing cell viability and proliferation.