To provide a polar compound having high chemical stability, a high ability to align liquid crystal molecules, and high solubility in a liquid crystal composition, and a high voltage holding ratio of a liquid crystal display element.

A compound represented by Formula (1):

##STR00001## R.sup.1 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group that may be substituted; a is 2 to 12; and R.sup.2 is Formula (1-a), Formula (1-b), and Formula (1-c);

##STR00002## Sp.sup.1 to Sp.sup.3 are a single bond or an alkylene group that may be substituted; M.sup.1 and M.sup.2 are H, F, Cl, or an alkyl group that may be substituted; and X.sup.1 is OH, NH.sub.2, OR.sup.3, N(R.sup.3).sub.2, COOH, SH or Si(R.sup.3).sub.3.

A liquid-crystalline medium which comprises at least one compound selected from the group of compounds of the formulae IA to IH, ##STR00001##
in which Z.sup.1 denotes a single bond, CH.sub.2CH.sub.2, CH?CH, CH.sub.2O, OCH.sub.2, CF.sub.2O, OCF.sub.2, COO, OCO, C.sub.2F.sub.4, (CH.sub.2).sub.4, CHFCHF, CF.sub.2CH.sub.2, CH.sub.2CF.sub.2, C?C, CF?CF, CH?CHCHO or CH.sub.2CF.sub.2O,
and the use thereof for an active-matrix display, in particular based on the VA, PSA, PS-VA, PALC, FFS, PS-FFS, SA-VA, PS-IPS or IPS effect.

A liquid-crystalline medium which comprises at least one compound selected from the group of compounds of the formulae IA to IH, ##STR00001##
in which Z.sup.1 denotes a single bond, CH.sub.2CH.sub.2, CH?CH, CH.sub.2O, OCH.sub.2, CF.sub.2O, OCF.sub.2, COO, OCO, C.sub.2F.sub.4, (CH.sub.2).sub.4, CHFCHF, CF.sub.2CH.sub.2, CH.sub.2CF.sub.2, C?C, CF?CF, CH?CHCHO or CH.sub.2CF.sub.2O,
and the use thereof for an active-matrix display, in particular based on the VA, PSA, PS-VA, PALC, FFS, PS-FFS, SA-VA, PS-IPS or IPS effect.

To prevent arcing discharge of a liquid crystal device. Provided is a liquid crystal device including a liquid crystal layer, a first substrate, a second substrate and an insulating film, wherein the liquid crystal layer is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate, the first substrate includes electrode 1, the second substrate includes electrode 2, the insulating film is arranged between electrode 1 and electrode 2, and the insulating film is a cured product of a thermosetting polymer composition.

A liquid crystal composition without requiring an alignment film or alignment treatment on a substrate. The problem is solved by a low molecular weight polar compound capable of homogeneously aligning a liquid crystal medium relative to the substrate, for example, a low molecular weight polar compound represented by formula (1):

M-P(1)

In formula (1), M is a nonpolar group having 1 or more carbons, and P is a polar group.

The present invention relates to liquid-crystalline media comprising one or more compounds of formula C

##STR00001##

as defined in claim 1, and to high-frequency components comprising these media, especially microwave components for high-frequency devices, such as devices for shifting the phase of microwaves, tunable filters, tunable metamaterial structures, and electronic beam steering antennas (e.g. phased array antennas).

A liquid-crystalline medium which is suitable for use in a guest-host system. An LC device, preferably a device for the regulation of the passage of energy, containing the liquid-crystalline medium.

A liquid crystal display includes a first substrate, a second substrate opposing the first substrate, an electrode portion provided on at least one of the first and second substrates, and a liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate and including a liquid crystal composition. The liquid crystal composition includes a liquid crystal compound including a cyclohexenylene group, and provides the liquid crystal display with low rotary viscosity and high voltage holding ratio.

Shown is a method for producing a liquid crystal capsule having a particle diameter of 30 to 150 nanometers, and a method for producing a liquid crystal capsule without using a homogenizer. The disclosure concerns a method for producing a liquid crystal capsule, including a step of preparing an emulsion by performing phase inversion emulsification of a mixed material obtained by mixing a liquid crystal composition, a monomer, a surfactant, and a polymerization initiator; and a step of producing a liquid crystal capsule by applying a coacervation method to the emulsion. The disclosure also concerns a liquid crystal capsule having a liquid crystal composition, a surfactant and a capsule wall, wherein the capsule wall has a closed curved shape, the liquid crystal composition and a hydrophobic moiety of the surfactant are arranged inside the capsule wall, and a hydrophilic moiety of the surfactant is arranged outside the capsule wall.

A liquid crystal composition satisfying at least one of characteristics such as high maximum temperature, low minimum temperature, small viscosity, suitable optical anisotropy and large dielectric anisotropy, or having a suitable balance regarding at least two of the characteristics. The liquid crystal composition contains a quencher as a first additive, and may contain a specific compound having large negative dielectric anisotropy as a first component, a specific compound having high maximum temperature or small viscosity as a second component, or a specific compound having a polymerizable group as a second additive.