Provided is a liquid crystal composition capable of suppressing a decrease in phase transition temperature from a smectic phase to a nematic phase and suppressing alignment defects in a liquid crystal cured layer thus formed, a liquid crystal cured layer, an optical film, a polarizing plate, and an image display device. The liquid crystal composition includes a liquid crystal compound exhibiting a smectic phase and a freezing point depressant, in which the liquid crystal compound is a compound represented by Formula (I) SP1-MG-SP2, and the liquid crystal composition satisfies Expression (1) |Am−Asl≥0.2 and Expression (2-1) in a case of Am≤As, Aa≥(Am+As)/2 or Expression (2-2) in a case of Am>As, Aa≤(Am+As)/2.

Disclosed is a mixture containing polymerizable compounds having Formulas (III) and (IV) wherein Ar.sup.1 and Ar.sup.2 are divalent aromatic hydrocarbon or heteroaromatic ring group having D1 or D2 as a substituent; D.sup.1 and D.sup.2 are C1-C20 organic group having at least one aromatic ring selected from the group consisting of aromatic hydrocarbon ring and heteroaromatic ring; A.sup.11-A.sup.22 and B.sup.11-B.sup.22 are alicyclic or aromatic group which may have a substituent, Y.sup.11-Y.sup.22 and L.sup.11-L.sup.22 are single bond, —O—, —CO—, —C0—O—, —O—CO—, —NR.sup.21—CO—, —CO—NR.sup.22—, —O—CO—O—, —NR.sup.23—CO—O—, —O—CO—NR.sup.24— or —NR.sup.25—CO—NR.sup.26— where R.sup.21-R.sup.26 are hydrogen or C1-C6 alkyl group; R.sup.4-R.sup.9 are hydrogen, methyl group or chlorine; one of f and k is integer of 1 to 3 with the other being integer of 0 to 3; g, j, m and q are integer of 1 to 20; and h, i, n and p are 0 or 1.

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A liquid crystal composition which prevents production of an alignment defect of a liquid crystal compound and also has excellent storage stability during dissolution in a solvent is provided. The liquid crystal composition is suitable for constituting a retardation film capable of favorable circular polarization conversion. The liquid crystal composition includes a polymerizable liquid crystal compound having 3 or more ring structures in the main chain, and aluminum. A content of the aluminum is 1 ppm or more and 170 ppm or less relative to the polymerizable liquid crystal compound.

Provided is a laminate, which has a polarizer and an optically anisotropic layer and is excellent in thermal durability, and an organic electroluminescent device and a liquid crystal display device, which include the laminate. The laminate has two substrates and a polarizing plate disposed between the two substrates, in which the polarizing plate has a polarizer and an optically anisotropic layer, the polarizer contains a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin, the optically anisotropic layer is formed of a composition containing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by General Formula (I): L.sub.1-G.sub.1-D.sub.1-Ar-D.sub.2-G.sub.2-L.sub.2, a moisture permeability of the substrate is 10.sup.−3 g/m.sup.2.Math.day or less, and a water content of the polarizing plate is 3.0 g/m.sup.2 or less.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical film having excellent alignment, and a polarizing plate and an image display device using the same. The optical film of the present invention is an optical film having at least an optically anisotropic layer, and the optically anisotropic layer contains a smectic liquid crystal compound not including a fluorine atom and a compound partially having a cyclohexane ring in which the hydrogen atom is substituted with a linear alkyl group.

The present invention aims to provide a polymerizable compound that has high storage stability without causing crystal precipitation when added to a polymerizable composition and to provide a polymerizable composition containing the polymerizable compound. A polymer film produced by polymerization of the polymerizable composition has a low haze, high thickness uniformity, low occurrence of nonuniform orientation, high surface hardness, high adhesiveness, and good appearances and fewer orientation defects even after ultraviolet irradiation. The present invention also aims to provide a polymer produced by polymerization of the polymerizable composition and an optically anisotropic body produced from the polymer.

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.

The present invention provides a polymerizable compound that reduces, for example, the likelihood of crystals precipitating in a polymerizable composition including the polymerizable compound and enables the polymerizable composition to have high preservation stability and a polymerizable composition including the polymerizable compound which reduces the likelihood of inconsistencies being formed in a film-like polymer produced by polymerizing the polymerizable composition. Also provided are a polymer-produced by polymerizing the polymerizable composition and an optically anisotropic body including the polymer. The present invention provides the compound represented by General Formula (I), a composition including the compound, a polymer produced by polymerizing the composition, and an optically anisotropic body including the polymer.

Provided is a composition which can be used for formation of an optical film having high quality and a high dichroic ratio even after the composition is stored for a predetermined period of time. The composition includes a compound represented by the general formula (A) and a compound represented by the general formula (B), wherein R.sup.1a in the general formula (A) and R.sup.1b in the general formula (B) are mutually different groups.

R.sup.1a—Ar.sup.1a—N═N—Ar.sup.2a—N═N—Ar.sup.3a—R.sup.10a   (A)

R.sup.1b—Ar.sup.1b—N═N—Ar.sup.2b—N═N—Ar.sup.3b—R.sup.10a   (B)

The present invention relates to compounds that have ultraviolet light absorbing properties, and which can also have mesogenic properties. The present invention also relates to compositions that include one or more such compounds, and to articles of manufacture that include one or more such compounds, such as optical elements that include an optical substrate and a layer that includes at least one compound of the present invention.