Self-aligned liquid crystal materials and structures are disclosed. The structures can exhibit piezoelectric and flexoelectric properties.

Liquid crystal mixtures containing a photoalignment component A) containing a photoreactive mesogen of formula I,

##STR00001## a liquid-crystalline component B) containing one or more nematogenic compounds, and a polymerizable component C) containing one or more polymerizable compounds of formula P,

P.sup.a-Sp.sup.a-(A.sup.p).sub.n2-Sp.sup.b-P.sup.b  P and a method of producing such LC media, the use of such media in LC devices, and LC devices containing such a LC medium, and further a process for the fabrication of such liquid crystal displays and the use of the liquid crystal mixtures for the fabrication of such liquid crystal display.

The invention relates to liquid crystal mixtures comprising a photoalignment component A) comprising one or more photoreactive mesogens of formula I,

##STR00001## wherein R.sup.11, R.sup.21, A.sup.11, A, Z, X.sup.11, X.sup.21, Y.sup.11, Y.sup.12, Sp.sup.11, Sp.sup.21, o, and p have one of the meanings as given in claim 1, a liquid-crystalline component B), comprising one or more nematogenic compounds, and a polymerizable component C) comprising one or more polymerizable compounds of formula P,

P.sup.a-Sp.sup.a-P.sup.b  P wherein P.sup.a, P.sup.b and Sp.sup.a have one of the meanings as given in claim 1. Further, the invention relates to a method of production of such LC media, to the use of such media in LC devices, and to a LC device comprising a LC medium according to the present invention. The present invention further relates to a process for the fabrication such liquid crystal display and to the use of the liquid crystal mixtures according to the invention for the fabrication of such liquid crystal display.

Provided are a cholesteric liquid crystal film including a cholesteric liquid crystal, in which, in a cross section in a thickness direction observed with a microscope, the cholesteric liquid crystal film has a stripe pattern in which dark portions and bright portions are alternately arranged, and has a folded structure due to the dark portions at a surface layer portion of one main surface of a pair of main surfaces; and a manufacturing method thereof.

The disclosure provides a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, a manufacturing method thereof, and an LCD device. The LCD panel adopts a structure with multiple electrodes and dual-frequency liquid crystals. When a temperature of the LCD panel is low (below 0° C.), the LCD panel is driven at high frequency, so that it emits more heat. Therefore, a working temperature of the LCD panel is increased without adding a heating element. LCD devices using such LCD panels have wide working temperature ranges, and are well suited to be used outdoors.

The present application discloses a display substrate. The display substrate includes a base substrate; a color filter on the base substrate and including a plurality of color filter blocks; and an actuator configured to actuate each of the plurality of color filter blocks thereby controlling a wavelength of light transmitted through each of the plurality of color filter blocks.

Disclosed is a polymerizable liquid crystal material wherein an amount of a salt represented by the following formula (I) is less than 0.01 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of a polymerizable liquid crystal compound, and an amount of a nitrogen-containing compound represented by the following formula (II) is 0.01 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the polymerizable liquid crystal compound. R.sup.1 to R.sup.5 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a C1-C7 alkyl group, R.sup.6 and R.sup.7 represents a hydrogen atom, and X represents F.sup.−, Br.sup.−, Cl.sup.−, I.sup.−, HSO.sub.4.sup.−, 1/2(HPO.sub.4.sup.2−), H.sub.2PO.sub.4.sup.−, R—C(═O)—O.sup.−, 1/2(.sup.−O—(C═O)—R′—(C═O)—O.sup.−) or R—SO.sub.3.sup.−, where R represents a hydrogen atom or a monovalent hydrocarbon group, and R′ represents a single bond or a divalent hydrocarbon group. ##STR00001##

To suppress a phenomenon where an optical axis of the optically anisotropic layer is tilted when the optically anisotropic layer is produced by using a liquid crystalline compound showing smectic phase as a materials showing a higher level of orderliness. An optically anisotropic layer wherein a polymerizable composition, containing one or more polymerizable rod-like liquid crystal compound showing a smectic phase, is fixed in a state of smectic phase, and a direction of maximum refractive index of the optically anisotropic layer is inclined at 10° or smaller to the surface of the optically anisotropic layer, a method for manufacturing the same, a laminate and a method for manufacturing the same, a polarizing plate, a liquid crystal display device, and an organic EL display device.

A liquid crystal composition is provided containing a first liquid crystal compound represented by formula (1): ##STR00001##
and a second liquid crystal compound represented by formula (2): ##STR00002## Also provided is a method for producing the liquid crystal composition having a desired wavelength dispersion characteristic.

The present invention relates to a cholesteric liquid crystalline (LC) medium for a Polymer-Network Liquid Crystalline (PNLC) light modulation element, to a method of its production and to the use of such cholesteric LC media in PNLC light modulation elements. Furthermore, the present invention relates to PNLC light modulation elements, as such, to a method of their production, to the use of such light modulation elements in optic or electro optic devices, in particular in LC displays, and to optic or electro optic devices comprising such light modulation elements according to the present invention.