Provided are: an infrared control film in which an infrared light transmittance changes depending on the temperature, a tint in a front direction is excellent, and durability is excellent; and a window including the infrared control film. The infrared control film includes: a liquid crystal layer; and two substrates each of which includes at least one of an ultraviolet absorber or a colorant, in which the liquid crystal layer is disposed between the two substrates, the substrate includes 0.001 mass % or higher of the ultraviolet absorber or the colorant, a transmittance of the infrared control film at 0 C. with respect to an incidence ray at 1000 nm at a polar angle of 0 is higher than 70%, a transmittance of the infrared control film at 40 C. with respect to an incidence ray at 1000 nm at a polar angle of 0 is lower than 60%, and the following expressions are satisfied.

0.8<a1<1.2

0.8<b1<1.2 a1=(Transmittance of Incidence Ray at 450 nm at Polar Angle of 0)/(Transmittance of Incidence Ray at 550 nm at Polar Angle of 0) b1=(Transmittance of Incidence Ray at 550 nm at Polar Angle of 0)/(Transmittance of Incidence Ray at 700 nm at Polar Angle of 0)

Disclosed herein is a method for obtaining a material comprising mesogenic compounds forming a liquid crystal mix with a stabilized blue phase. The method includes the steps of a) inducing the liquid crystal mix, contained in a chemical composition, to form the blue phase, then b) illuminating the chemical composition with a light beam of visible wavelength in order to trigger the polymerization of monomers contained in the chemical composition, to obtain the material comprising the liquid crystal mix in the blue phase stabilized by the polymerized monomers. The chemical composition contains a mesogenic system and a chemical photo-initiator system adapted to trigger the polymerization of the monomers when illuminated by the light beam of visible wavelength, in which the mesogenic system includes the mesogenic compounds forming the liquid crystal mix, a chiral dopant adapted to induce the blue phase, and a monomer mix comprising the monomers adapted to polymerize.

A flexoelectric liquid crystal composition containing at least one kind of smectic liquid crystal compound, a chiral dopant, and a charge scavenger, and exhibiting photoconductivity.

A laminate includes at least one first reflective layer formed by immobilizing a liquid crystal phase in which a rotational direction of the helical axis is rightward, and at least one second reflective layer formed by immobilizing a liquid crystal phase in which the rotational direction of the helical axis is leftward, in which the laminate has a first transmission band in the wavelength range of 300 to 3,000 nm, the half-width of the first transmission band is 200 nm or less, an average transmittance in a wavelength range from a half-value wavelength A on the short wavelength side of the first transmission band to a half-value wavelength B on the long wavelength side of the first transmission band is 50% or more, and the average transmittance in the wavelength range of 100 nm from the half-value wavelength A to the short wavelength side and the average transmittance in the wavelength range of 100 nm from the half-value wavelength B to the long wavelength side are respectively less than 20%.

Provided are a liquid crystal composition satisfying at least one of characteristics such as high maximum temperature, low minimum temperature, small viscosity, suitable optical anisotropy, large dielectric anisotropy and a short helical pitch, or the liquid crystal composition having a suitable balance regarding at least two of the characteristics; and an AM device including the composition. The liquid crystal composition contains a specific optically active compound as an additive, and a specific compound having high maximum temperature or small viscosity as a first component, and may contain a specific compound having positive dielectric anisotropy as a second component, or a specific compound having negative dielectric anisotropy as a third component.

A liquid crystal composition having one or more compounds shown as formula I and one or more compounds shown as formula II, and the liquid crystal composition comprising a compound shown as formula II-A: ##STR00001## wherein substituents are all defined. The composition has a low viscosity .sub.1, a moderate dielectric anisotropy and a moderate optical anisotropy n, and can achieve fast response of a liquid crystal display.

A dual frequency liquid crystal may be stabilized in the blue phase by a polymer matrix to provide an improved blue phase temperature range having a magnitude of at least about 65 C. Polymer-stabilized, blue phase dual frequency liquid crystal compositions and methods for producing polymer-stabilized, blue phase dual frequency liquid crystals are disclosed.

Provided are a liquid-crystal-medium having stability to heat, light and so forth, a wide liquid-crystal-phase temperature-range and significantly large dielectric-anisotropy and developing an optically isotropic liquid-crystal-phase; and various optical-devices used in a wide temperature-range, having short response-time, a large contrast-ratio and low drive-voltage and suppressing decrease in an effective dielectric-constant in a high-frequency range.

A Liquid-crystal composition contains achiral-component T containing at least one compound selected from a first component represented by formula (1) and at least one compound selected from a second component represented by formula (2) or (3) and a chiral-agent to develop optically-isotropic liquid-crystal-phase:

##STR00001##

In formula (1), R.sup.1: alkyl, ring A.sup.1: 1,4-cyclohexylene, ring B.sup.1: 1,4-phenylene, L.sup.11 to L.sup.14: fluorine, Y.sup.1: fluorine, n.sup.1: 1 or 2, R.sup.2: alkyl, Z.sup.21 and Z.sup.22: single-bond or CF.sub.2O, L.sup.21 to L.sup.23: fluorine, Y.sup.2: fluorine, R.sup.3: alkyl, Z.sup.31 and 2.sup.32: single-bond or CF.sub.2O, L.sup.31 to L.sup.34: fluorine, Y.sup.3: fluorine, for example.

Provided are a cholesteric liquid crystal composition, and a liquid crystal display panel including the composition, and their preparation methods. The cholesteric liquid crystal composition contains a block copolymer and a cholesteric liquid crystal, wherein the block copolymer has a block A including a chiral group M.sub.1 and a block B including a chiral group M.sub.2, and the cholesteric liquid crystal has at least two different pitches. The display panel includes an array substrate and a counter substrate placed by cell assembly, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the array substrate and the counter substrate, wherein the liquid crystal layer comprises the cholesteric liquid crystal composition. The liquid crystal layer in the planar texture is capable of reflecting light of at least two wavelengths in the visible light region.

The invention relates to a light modulation element comprising a cholesteric liquid crystalline medium sandwiched between two substrates (1), provided with a common electrode structure (2) and a driving electrode structure (3) individually, wherein the substrate with driving and/or common electrode structure is additionally provided with an alignment electrode structure (4) which is separated from the driving and or common electrode structure on the same substrate by a dielectric layer (5). The invention is further related to a method of production of said light modulation element and to the use of said light modulation element in various types of optical and electro-optical devices, such as electro-optical displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), non-linear optic (NLO) devices, and optical information storage devices.