The purpose of the present invention is to provide: elements, in particular, a display element and an optical element, which are obtained by controlling orientation of liquid crystals in a liquid crystal bulk without using a liquid crystal orientation film; and/or a photoreactive liquid crystal composition for manufacturing the elements. The present invention provides: a photoreactive liquid crystal composition comprising (A) a photoreactive polymer liquid crystal which includes a photoreactive side chain in which at least one type of reaction selected from the group consisting of (A-1) photocrosslinking and (A-2) photoisomerization occurs, and (B) a low molecular weight liquid crystal; and an optical element or display element which is formed having a liquid crystal cell including the composition.

A liquid crystal display device having a liquid crystal composition, requiring neither an alignment film nor alignment treatment on a substrate. The problem is solved by a low molecular weight polar compound for homogeneously aligning a liquid crystal medium relative to the substrate, for example, the low molecular weight polar compound represented by formula (1).
Formula 95
M-P(1) In formula (1), M is a nonpolar group having 1 or more carbons, and P is a polar group.

Disclosed are a liquid-crystalline medium which contains at least one compound of formula IA,

##STR00001##

and in addition at least one compound of formula CC-n-V and/or CC-V-V1,

##STR00002##

where the percentage proportion of the compound(s) of formula IA is greater than or equal to the percentage proportion of CC-n-V, and/or the percentage proportion of the compound(s) of formula IA is greater than the percentage proportion of CC-V-V1, where the percentage proportion is based on the liquid-crystalline medium,
and the use thereof in active-matrix displays, in particular based on the VA, PSA, PVA, PS-VA, SS-VA, SA-VA, PA-VA, PALC, FFS, PS-FFS, PS-IPS or IPS effect.

A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate, a second substrate facing the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. The liquid crystal layer includes liquid crystal molecules having a negative dielectric anisotropy, a response speed of about 4.0 ms or less, and a rotational viscosity of about 47 mPa.Math.S to about 75 mPa.Math.S.

A photoreactive liquid crystal composition containing (A) a photoreactive polymer liquid crystal which includes a photoreactive side chain in which at least one type of reaction selected from (A-1) photocrosslinking and (A-2) photoisomerization occurs, and (B) a low molecular weight liquid crystal. An optical element or display element is formed having a liquid crystal cell including the photoreactive liquid crystal composition.

An object of the present invention is to provide a composition that realizes high n, has a wide liquid crystal phase temperature range, small viscosity, excellent low-temperature solubility, and high resistivity and voltage holding ratio, and is stable against heat and light, and to provide a liquid crystal composition having an excellent lens effect and excellent chemical stability using the composition, and a liquid crystal display device and a liquid crystal lens that use the liquid crystal composition. The present invention provides a liquid crystal composition that contains one or two or more compounds represented by general formula (i) and one or two or more compounds represented by general formula (ii), a liquid crystal display device using the liquid crystal composition, a liquid crystal lens using the liquid crystal composition, and a birefringence lens for stereoscopic image display using the liquid crystal composition.

The present invention relates to dielectrically positive liquid-crystalline media comprising one or more compounds of the formula I, ##STR00001##
and one or more compounds selected from the group of the compounds of the formulae II and III and/or IV, ##STR00002##
in which the parameters have the respective meanings indicated in the specification, and optionally one or more further dielectrically positive compounds and optionally one or more further dielectrically neutral compounds, and to liquid-crystal displays, especially active-matrix displays and in particular TN, IPS and FFS displays, containing these media.

The present application relates to mixtures which have liquid-crystalline properties. The application furthermore relates to the use of the mixtures in devices which regulate the transmission of light through an area element.

The purpose of the invention is to control, by using a colorless alignment control monomer, the alignment of liquid crystal molecules of a liquid crystal display element that does not include an alignment film, and to provide a liquid crystal composition with which the colorless alignment control monomer exhibits excellent compatibility. The invention uses a liquid crystal display element that comprises an alignment control monomer including an aromatic ester that undergoes photo-Fries rearrangement by light irradiation, and that employs a liquid crystal composition having a positive dielectric anisotropy. The invention also uses the liquid crystal composition.

The present invention relates to liquid-crystalline media comprising one or more compounds selected from the group of compounds of formulae I, II and III, ##STR00001##
in which the parameters R.sup.1-R.sup.3, Z.sup.21, Z.sup.31, Z.sup.32 and rings A.sup.11, A.sup.12, A.sup.13, A.sup.21, A.sup.22, A.sup.31, and A.sup.32 are as defined herein, and to components comprising these media for high-frequency technology, in particular phase shifters and microwave array antennas.