An actuator device comprises a stack formed from a plurality of photoresponsive layers, which deform in response to light, which are partitioned by respective deformable non-photoresponsive layers. The deformable non-photoresponsive layers guide light between and to the photoresponsive layers, and can follow the deformation of the photoresponsive layers.

Provided is a liquid crystal composition and a liquid crystal layer, each having an excellent alignment degree, a laminate including the liquid crystal layer, and an image display device using the same. The liquid crystal composition includes at least a liquid crystalline compound and a surfactant, in which the surfactant is a copolymer having a repeating unit including an alkyl fluoride group and a repeating unit including a ring structure, and a content of fluorine of the surfactant is 32% by mass or more.

A first objective of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition for forming a cholesteric liquid crystal layer having excellent characteristics capable of reflecting light incident on a layer surface from a normal direction in a direction other than the normal direction. In addition, a second object of the present invention is to provide a cholesteric liquid crystal layer formed of the liquid crystal composition. In addition, a third object of the present invention is to provide a cured substance obtained by curing the liquid crystal composition. In addition, a fourth object of the present invention is to provide an optically anisotropic body formed of the liquid crystal composition, and an optically anisotropic body consisting of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer. In addition, a fifth object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a cholesteric liquid crystal layer using the liquid crystal composition.

The liquid crystal composition of the present invention contains a liquid crystal compound, a chiral agent A, and a chiral agent B whose helical twisting power increases upon irradiation with light, in which the chiral agent A is a chiral agent that induces a helix in a direction opposite to that of a helix induced by the chiral agent B.

A laminate is provided having excellent adhesiveness between a light absorption anisotropic film and a barrier layer, a manufacturing method of the laminate, and an image display device using the laminate. A laminate having: a barrier layer A; and a light absorption anisotropic film B, in which the barrier layer A is adjacently provided on the light absorption anisotropic film B, a relationship between a highest content of a compound A1 contained in the barrier layer A and a highest content of a compound B1 contained in the light absorption anisotropic film B satisfies a relationship in which a value of distance calculated from Hansen solubility parameters and represented by Formula (I) is within a range of 0.0 to 5.0, and the light absorption anisotropic film B contains a component same as the compound A1.
distance={4×(δ.sub.D(B1)−δ.sub.D(A1)).sup.2+(δ.sub.P(B1)−δ.sub.P(A1)).sup.2+(δ.sub.H(B1)−δ.sub.H(A1)).sup.2}.sup.0.5  (I)

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.

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An optical device and an eye-tracking system to suppress a rainbow effect are provided. The optical device includes a grating. The grating includes at least one substrate and a grating structure coupled to the at least one substrate. The grating structure is configured to diffract an infrared light beam and transmit a visible light beam with a diffraction efficiency less than a predetermined threshold.

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.

The present invention provides a liquid crystal composition with a light absorption anisotropic film that has a high alignment degree, 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 liquid crystal compound is a copolymer having a repeating unit (1) represented by Formula (1) and a repeating unit (2) represented by Formula (2), where P1 and P2 represent the main chain of the repeating unit, L1 represents a single bond or a divalent linking group, L2 represents a single bond, a divalent alicyclic group or an aromatic group, which may have a substituent, SP1 represents a spacer group, SP2 represents an alkylene group having 10 or more atoms in the main chain, M1 represents a mesogenic group, and T1 and T2 represent a terminal group.

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An object of the present invention is to provide a phase difference film having excellent alignment without the need for alignment treatment on a support, a method for manufacturing a phase difference film, a polarizing plate, and a liquid crystal display device. The phase difference film of the present invention includes a support, and a liquid crystal layer formed of a liquid crystal composition containing a liquid crystalline compound so as to be in contact with the support, in which a surface energy of a surface of the support on which the liquid crystal layer is formed is 45 mN/m or more and a non-polar dispersion force component included in the surface energy is 45 mN/m or more, the liquid crystalline compound is immobilized in an aligned state, and a contrast is more than 10000.

A liquid crystal composition containing a side-chain liquid crystal polymer, a polymerizable liquid crystal compound, and a photopolymerization initiator, wherein the side-chain liquid crystal polymer contains a constitutional unit which is represented by the following general formula (I) and a liquid crystal constitutional unit which contains a side chain including a liquid crystal moiety:

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