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 phase difference plate for an organic EL display device having excellent light resistance, an organic EL display device, and a method for producing a phase difference plate. The phase difference plate for an organic EL display device of an embodiment of the present invention has a phase difference layer formed from a composition containing a polymer having a repeating unit A including a photo-alignment group and a polymerizable liquid crystal compound having reciprocal wavelength dispersion, in which the photo-alignment group includes a double bond structure of C═C or C═N.

The present invention relates to a polymer composition which contains (A) a photosensitive side-chain polymer that exhibits liquid crystallinity in a predetermined temperature range and has a repeating unit comprising a vertically aligning group, and (B) an organic solvent. The present invention provides: a liquid crystal alignment film which has excellent tilt angle characteristics, while being provided with alignment controllability with high efficiency; a polymer composition which enables the achievement of this liquid crystal alignment film; a twisted nematic liquid crystal display element; and a vertical field switching mode liquid crystal display element.

Provided is a polarizer with excellent durability and an image display device including the polarizer. The polarizer includes a composition for forming a polarizer which contains a polymer liquid crystal compound and a dichroic material, in which the dichroic material includes a first dichroic material and a second dichroic material, an absolute value of a difference between a log P value of the first dichroic material and a log P value of the second dichroic material is 1.0 or less, and a stabilization energy indicating an energy loss in a case where one dichroic material of the first dichroic material and the second dichroic material is incorporated into a structure singly formed of the other dichroic material that is aligned therein is 30 kcal/mol or less.

Provided is an organic electroluminescent display device having excellent thermal durability including, in order from a visual recognition side, at least a circularly polarizing plate, and an organic electroluminescent display element having a pair of electrodes and an organic light emitting layer sandwiched therebetween, in which the circularly polarizing plate has a polarizer and an optically anisotropic layer, the polarizer having a thickness of 10 μm or less and containing a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin, or having a dichroic organic coloring agent, the optically anisotropic layer being formed of a composition containing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound exhibiting reverse wavelength dispersibility, a silicon nitride layer being included between the circularly polarizing plate and the organic electroluminescent display element, and the circularly polarizing plate being disposed between two substrates having a moisture permeability of 1 g/m2.Math.day or less, and one of the low moisture permeability substrates is the silicon nitride layer.

Provided is a liquid crystal composition capable of forming a light absorption anisotropic film with excellent light resistance, a dichroic material, a light absorption anisotropic film, a laminate, and an image display device. The liquid crystal composition contains a liquid crystal compound and a dichroic material having a structure represented by Formula (1).

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Liquid crystal polymers (LCPs) are described herein that include novel arrangements of bio-mimicking properties for use in surgery, therapy, and treatment of medical or comfort issues. Through the particular arrangements medical devices and portions of them may be adapted to have properties that dampen and dissipate vibrations such as shocks to body tissues during surgical recovery and/or during subsequent use. This dampening is attained by novel arrangements of LCP and processes for forming them that vary from prior attempts at synthesizing activated LCP elements. These novel arrangements include using LCP bodies that include thicknesses and properties that have not been demonstrated or achieved for medical or other purposes and that are achieved using distinct processes. These novel LCP arrangements and methods of creating them can produce medical devices that bio-mimic natural tissue or operation to provide better results for patients.

A double layer liquid crystal device comprises a first and a second layer with orthogonal or crossed alignment of the liquid crystal phase of the two layers, in which the first and second layer have first and second alignment aids comprised of a polymerized or polymerizable molecular compound. The layers are aligned by UV photoalignment and vertical self-alignment by the aid of suitable additives.

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition capable of forming an optically anisotropic layer with suppressed alignment defects and an excellent alignment degree, an optically anisotropic layer, a laminate, and an image display device. The liquid crystal composition of the present invention includes a rod-like liquid crystal compound, and an interface improver having a repeating unit B1 represented by Formula (N-1) and a repeating unit B2 having a fluorine atom. In Formula (N-1), R.sup.B11 and R.sup.B12 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a substituent, and R.sup.B13 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, a halogen atom, or a cyano group. Here, in a case where R.sup.B11 and R.sup.B12 represent a substituent, R.sup.B11 and R.sup.B12 may be linked to each other to form a ring.

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A side-chain liquid crystal polymer including two or more kinds of constitutional units represented by the following general formula (I) and a liquid crystal constitutional unit which contains a side chain including a liquid crystal moiety, where the two or more kinds of constitutional units represented by the general formula (I) include a constitutional unit (a) represented by the general formula (I) and a constitutional unit (b) which is represented by the general formula (I) and is different from the constitutional unit (a) in carbon atom number of a linking group represented by L.sup.1 or L.sup.1′. The general formula (I) is: ##STR00001##