The present invention relates to an assembly of switching layers for dimming and scattering of light and to window elements comprising the arrangement of switching layers.

The present invention provides a liquid crystal composition with which a light absorption anisotropic film excellent in plane shape uniformity with a high alignment degree can be formed, a method of producing same, a light absorption anisotropic film, a laminate, and an image display device. The liquid crystal composition contains a high-molecular weight liquid crystal compound, and a dichroic substance, where the composition is a copolymer containing 90% by mass or more of a repeating unit (1) of Formula (1) and 10% by mass or less of a repeating unit (2) of Formula (2). In Formulae (1) and (2), P1 to P3 represent main chains, L1 to L3 represent a single bond or divalent linking group, P2 to SP3 represent a single bond or spacer group (SP1), M1 to M3 represent mesogenic groups, T1 represents a terminal group, and n and m are integers of 0 or 1.

##STR00001##

Described herein are liquid crystal compositions containing a five-member heterocyclic ring that can allow for the adjustment of their refractive indices under the application of an electric field. In addition, selectively dimmable reverse-mode polymer dispersed liquid crystal elements and devices using the aforementioned compositions are also described, which are transparent when no voltage is applied and opaque when a voltage is applied.

An optically anisotropic layer is formed by a liquid crystal compound represented by General Formula 1, in which the long axes of the molecules are oriented. ##STR00001##
wherein L.sub.1 and L.sub.2 independently represent a linking group having a carbonyl group; F.sub.1 and F.sub.2 independently represent an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or a halogen atom; n and m independently represent an integer from 0 to 4; a and b independently represent an integer from 1 to 4; T.sub.1 and T.sub.2 independently represent a spacer portion including a straight chain or branched alkylene or alkylene oxide group having 2 to 20 carbon atoms; and Ar represents a divalent group having at least one aromatic ring selected from a group consisting of aromatic hydrocarbon rings and aromatic heterocycles, the number of Π electrons in the Ar group being 8 or greater.

Described herein are compounds of formula (I), and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates, hydrates, isotopically labeled derivatives and radiolabeled derivative thereof, and pharmaceutical compositions thereof. Also provided are methods and kits involving the inventive compounds or compositions for detecting and imaging Tau aggregates in the brain for detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in a subject.

A polarizing plate and a display device including the same. The polarizing plate includes a retardation layer exhibiting ultraviolet blocking characteristics even in a state where the retardation layer does not include any ultraviolet absorber or light stabilizer. The polarizing plate can be used alone or in combination with an appropriate sunscreen or a light stabilizer as needed to selectively block ultraviolet rays in a region requiring blocking, without affecting display performance, such as color senses and image quality, of a display device. The polarizing plate can also be formed with a small thickness without requiring a separate ultraviolet blocking layer, and also has excellent durability, because the polarizing plate exhibits a certain ultraviolet blocking property even in the absence of an ultraviolet absorber or light stabilizer.

The polymerizable liquid crystal compound has reverse wavelength dispersion or low wavelength dispersion and has high solubility in various solvents. The polymerizable liquid crystal compound provides an optically anisotropic body having high adhesiveness to substrates (or alignment films), by adding the polymerizable liquid crystal compound to a polymerizable composition and polymerizing the polymerizable composition using ultraviolet light. The invention provides a polymerizable composition containing the polymerizable liquid crystal compound having reverse wavelength dispersion or low wavelength dispersion, a polymer obtained by polymerizing the polymerizable composition, and an optically anisotropic body using the polymer. The present invention provides a polymerizable low wavelength dispersion or polymerizable reverse wavelength dispersion compound having in the molecule a partial structure represented by the general formula (AO-1); and also provides a composition containing the compound, a polymer obtained by polymerizing the composition, and an optically anisotropic body and the like using the polymer. ##STR00001##

A composition includes a polymerizable liquid crystal compound (A), a photopolymerization initiator (B), and a crosslinking agent (C), and satisfies:

|λ.sub.a1−λ.sub.b1|≤20 nm   (i), and

λ.sub.c1≤250 nm   (ii),

where λ.sub.a1 represents a wavelength of an absorption local maximum that is the longest one of wavelengths of absorption local maxima in a light absorption spectrum of from 200 nm to 500 nm of the polymerizable liquid crystal compound (A), λ.sub.b1 represents a wavelength of an absorption local maximum that is the longest one of wavelengths of absorption local maxima in a light absorption spectrum of from 200 nm to 500 nm of the photopolymerization initiator (B), and λ.sub.c1 represents a wavelength of at least one absorption local maximum in a light absorption spectrum of from 200 nm to 500 nm of the crosslinking agent (C)).

A laminate film comprising a retardation layer exhibiting blocking characteristics against specific ultraviolet rays even in a state where the retardation layer does not include any ultraviolet absorber or light stabilizer. The laminate film which can be used alone or in combination with an appropriate sunscreen or a light stabilizer as needed to selectively block ultraviolet rays in a region requiring blocking, without affecting display performance, such as color senses and image quality, of a display device. The laminate film can also be formed with a lower thickness without requiring a separate ultraviolet blocking layer, and also has excellent durability, because the laminate film exhibits a certain ultraviolet blocking property even in the absence of an ultraviolet absorber or light stabilizer.

The present invention relates to liquid crystalline media comprising one or more naphthothiadiazol derivatives of formula I, ##STR00001##
in which R.sup.11, R.sup.12, A.sup.11, A.sup.12, A.sup.21, A.sup.22, Z.sup.11, Z.sup.12, Z.sup.21, Z.sup.22, W, X.sup.11, X.sup.12, L, r, s and t have the meanings indicated in claim 1, to the use of such liquid crystal media for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in devices for regulating the passage of energy from an outside space into an inside space, for example in windows.