A liquid crystal display includes: a first substrate, a second substrate overlapping the first substrate, a liquid crystal layer positioned between the first substrate and the second substrate and including a plurality of liquid crystal molecules, a first alignment layer positioned between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer, a second alignment layer positioned between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer, and a plurality of protrusions positioned at at least one of between the first alignment layer and the liquid crystal layer and between the second alignment layer and the liquid crystal layer, wherein at least one among the plurality of protrusions includes a polymer of a reactive mesogen, and the reactive mesogen is represented by Chemical Formula 1:
P.sub.aA.sub.1OCH.sub.2.sub.nOA.sub.2P.sub.bChemical Formula 1.

An object of the invention is to provide a polymer liquid crystal compound with which a light absorption anisotropic film having a high alignment degree can be formed, a liquid crystalline composition, a light absorption anisotropic film which is formed of the liquid crystalline composition, a laminate, and an image display device. A liquid crystalline composition according to an embodiment of the invention includes a polymer liquid crystal compound which contains a repeating unit represented by Formula (1) and a dichroic substance. In Formula (1), a difference between a log P value of P1, L1, and SP1 and a log P value of M1 is 4 or greater. In Formula (1), P1 represents a main chain of the repeating unit, L1 represents a single bond or a divalent linking group, SP1 represents a spacer group, M1 represents a mesogenic group, and T1 represents a terminal group.

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An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid-crystal display element using a liquid-crystal composition having negative dielectric anisotropy, capable of realizing excellent display characteristics by being used in a liquid-crystal display element provided with a photo-alignment film, without deteriorating various characteristics as a liquid-crystal display element such as dielectric anisotropy, viscosity, a nematic phase upper limit temperature, nematic phase stability at low temperatures, and 1, and burn-in characteristics of a display element. A liquid-crystal display element using a liquid-crystal composition containing at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by the following General Formula (I) is provided. ##STR00001##

A phase difference film is formed by using a liquid crystal compound and that indicates an Nz factor of more than 0 and less than 1, an optical film with same, and a display device. The phase difference film is formed by using a composition including a polymerizable liquid crystal compound having a mesogen group, where an order parameter of the mesogen group in an in-plane slow axis direction of the phase difference film is set as Sx, an order parameter of the mesogen group in a direction orthogonal to the in-plane slow axis direction in a plane is set as Sy, and an order parameter of the mesogen group in a thickness direction of the phase difference film is set as Sz, in a case where the mesogen group has a rod or a disc shape, differing Expressions are satisfied.

A shape-programmable liquid crystal elastomer. The elastomer comprising cross-linked and polymerized nematic, isotropic monomers with carbon nanotubes that are organized into a plurality of voxels. Each voxel has a director orientation such that each voxel of the plurality has a first state according to the director orientation and a second state according to cross-linkages of the polymerized nematic monomers. The elastomer transitions between the first and second states with exposure to an electric field.

An object of the present invention is to provide a compound (particularly, a liquid crystal compound having excellent light fastness) which has excellent light fastness and can be used for an optically anisotropic body, a reflective film obtained by immobilizing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, or the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a composition containing the above-mentioned compound (particularly, a liquid crystal compound having excellent light fastness); and a cured object, an optically anisotropic body, and a reflective film, which are obtained by curing the above-mentioned composition.

The compound of the present invention is represented by General Formula (1).

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A liquid crystal display device, containing: a pair of substrates provided with an electrode and a liquid crystal layer formed by disposing a liquid crystal composition between the pair of substrates and by irradiating and curing the liquid crystal composition with ultraviolet rays using an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus, wherein at least one of the substrates is further provided with a liquid crystal alignment film to vertically align a liquid crystal, the liquid crystal composition contains a liquid crystal, a curable resin, a bifunctional monomer and a monomer having at least one polar group of a hydroxy group, a carboxy group or a phosphoric acid group, and the liquid crystal alignment film is a liquid crystal alignment film obtained from a liquid crystal aligning agent containing a polymer having a specific side chain structure.

A compound represented by General Formula (I), A.sup.1 to A.sup.4 each independently represent a non-aromatic ring group, an aromatic hydrocarbon ring group, or an aromatic heterocyclic group, which may have a substituent, Z represents O, S, CHRCHR, OCHR, CHRO, CO, SO, SO.sub.2, COO, OCO, COS, SCO, OCOO, SCHR, CHRS, SOCHR, CHRSO, SO.sub.2CHR, CHRSO.sub.2, CF.sub.2O, OCF.sub.2, CF.sub.2S, SCF.sub.2, OCHRCHRO, SCHRCHRS, SOCHRCHRSO, SO.sub.2CHRCHRSO.sub.2, CH?CHCOO, CH?CHOCO, COOCH?CH, OCOCH?CH, COOCHRCHR, OCOCHRCHR, CHRCHRCOO, CHRCHROCO, COOCHR, OCOCHR, CHRCOO, CHROCO, CR?CR, CR?N, N?CR, N?N, CR?NN?CR, CF?CF, C?C, or a single bond, R represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and m1 represents an integer of 2 to 7.

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A light modifying composition includes a first liquid crystal reactive mesogen material having attached functional groups that allow crosslinking. A second liquid crystal reactive mesogen material having attached functional groups and a differing molecular weight from the first liquid crystal reactive mesogen material is arranged to crosslink with the first crystal reactive mesogen material. For use in light valves, at least one of a photoalignment material and a rubbed LCD alignment material are contacted with the first and second liquid crystal reactive mesogen material.

An object is to provide an optical system capable of improving the brightness of a main image while eliminating a ghost image. In an optical system including: an image display device that emits an image; a linear polarizer through which light associated with the image passes; a first quarter wavelength plate which receives the light from the linear polarizer; a half mirror; a reflective polarizer; and a second quarter wavelength plate provided between the reflective polarizer and the half mirror, retardance of the first quarter wavelength plate and retardance of the second quarter wavelength plate are equal, and thus the object is achieved.