The present invention relates to a liquid-crystal (LC) medium comprising polymerizable compounds, 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.

The present invention relates to polymerizable compounds, to processes and intermediates for the preparation thereof, to liquid-crystal media comprising them, and to the use of the polymerizable compounds and liquid crystalline media for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in liquid crystalline displays, especially in liquid crystalline displays of the polymer sustained alignment type.

There are provided a liquid crystal composition containing one or two or more compounds represented by general formula (L) and three or four or more dichroic dyes selected from azo compounds, and a guest-host liquid crystal display device or light-controlling device that uses the liquid crystal composition. The liquid crystal composition according to the present invention contains dichroic dyes that satisfy high contrast, high solubility, high nematic-isotropic transition temperature (T.sub.NI), and low birefringent anisotropy (Δn) effective for high light resistance and high thermal resistance at the same time. The use of the liquid crystal composition according to the present invention provides a liquid crystal display device or a light-controlling device that exhibits a good-looking black color and has high contrast, high display quality, and high practicality.

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal (LC) medium comprising a polymerisable compound, to a process for its preparation, to its use for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in LC displays, especially in an LC display of the polymer sustained alignment (PSA) type, and to an LC display, especially a PSA display, comprising it.

The present invention relates to an LC medium comprising and a liquid-crystalline host consisting of an LC component H) comprising one or more mesogenic or liquid-crystalline compounds and an optically active component D) and optionally a polymerizable component P) comprising one or more polymerizable compounds; and to the use of the polymerizable compounds and LC media for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in LC displays, especially in LC displays of the polymer sustained alignment type.

The present invention relates to a liquid-crystal material (LC media) comprising thiophene derivatives which are stabilised by sterically hindered amines or amine derivatives (HALS, hindered amine light stabilisers), and to liquid-crystal displays (LC displays) which contain these LC materials.

The present invention relates to liquid-crystal (LC) media as defined in claim 1, having negative dielectric anisotropy and to the use thereof for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in LC displays.

Liquid-crystalline media containing one or more mesogenic compounds, one or more chiral compounds, and one or more polymerizable mesogenic compounds, wherein the media exhibit a pitch of 0.55 μm or more and a clearing point of 80° C. or more and wherein the one or more polymerizable mesogenic compounds are contained in an amount, based on the overall contents of the media, of 5% by weight or less, are suitable as modulation materials. Such modulation materials can be used in switching layers and window elements.

There is provided the use of an aligned nematic elastomer to form a material having auxetic properties wherein the aligned nematic material has a mechanical Fréedericksz transition. Also provided is a method of producing an aligned nematic elastomer for said use.

A PSA-type liquid crystal composition includes a host liquid crystal A and a polymerizable component B, where the host liquid crystal A includes one or more liquid crystal compounds, and the polymerizable component B includes at least one compound selected from compounds of general formula I-1, general formula I-2 and general formula I-3. A liquid crystal display device includes the PSA-type liquid crystal composition above. The PSA-type liquid crystal composition has better intersolubility, cannot be crystallized at a low-temperature environment, can form a relatively stable pretilt angle after the polymerization of the polymerizable component, avoids the image sticking, and inhibits the occurrence of a display defect, such as Zara Particle, during the polymerization. ##STR00001##