A liquid crystal mixture applied in light modulating devices includes at least one compound selected from the group of compounds of formula I, at least one compound selected from the group of compounds of formula II and/or formula III, and at least one chiral compound. A light modulating device includes the liquid crystal mixture, where the light modulating device has reduced haze in the transparent state while increased opacity in the light scattering state.
R.sub.1-MG.sub.1-X-MG.sub.2-R.sub.2  I ##STR00001##

Three-dimensional structures of stably associated mesogenic ligand-functionalized nanoparticles are provided. Compositions that include these structures, as well as methods of making the structures are also provided. The structures, compositions and methods find use in a variety of applications, such as light emitting devices (e.g., video displays, lights, etc.), inks, photonics and encapsulation technologies.

A problem of the present invention is to provide a polymerizable compound and a polymerizable composition which cause little decrease in retardation and discoloration when a film-shaped polymer produced by polymerization is irradiated with ultraviolet/visible light for a long time at high temperature. A further problem is to provide a polymer produced by polymerizing the polymerizable composition and an optically anisotropic body using the polymer. As a result, a compound useful as a component of a polymerizable composition was obtained. An optically anisotropic body using a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing the compound of the present invention is useful for application to an optical film and the like.

The present invention provides a polymerizable liquid crystal composition including a specific polymerizable compound and a fluorosurfactant having specific polyoxyalkylene skeleton and molecular weight. Also, an optically anisotropic body, a phase difference film, an antireflection film, and a liquid crystal display device, which are produced by using the polymerizable liquid crystal composition according to the present invention, are provided. The present invention is useful because three properties, that is, leveling properties of the surface of an optically anisotropic body, offset to a base material, and alignment properties of a liquid crystal can be improved at the same time in the case where the optically anisotropic body is produced by photopolymerizing the polymerizable liquid crystal composition.

Mesogenic compounds having a structure of Formula (I), (II) or (III): where A, B, X1, L, TG, m, and n are defined as in claim 1. Compositions containing these compounds, articles made from these polymerized and prepolymerized compositions, and methods of estimating the elastic constants and anchoring constants of a liquid crystal materials and mapping topological defect structures in liquid crystals using these compounds. ##STR00001##

To provide a liquid crystal display device, whereby transparency when no voltage is applied and scattering properties when a voltage is applied, are good, adhesion between a liquid crystal layer and a vertical liquid crystal alignment film is high, and its lifespan is long even in a severe environment. The liquid crystal display device has a liquid crystal layer formed by disposing a liquid crystal composition containing a liquid crystal and a polymerizable compound between a pair of substrates provided with electrodes, and irradiating and curing the composition with ultraviolet rays by an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus, and at least one of the substrates is provided with a liquid crystal alignment film to vertically align a liquid crystal, wherein the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus is an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus capable of controlling the irradiation light intensity and wavelength of the ultraviolet rays to be irradiated and the surface temperature of the pair of the substrates, the liquid crystal composition contains a compound represented by the formula [1], and the liquid crystal alignment film is a liquid crystal alignment film obtained from a liquid crystal alignment treating agent containing a polymer having a side chain structure represented by the formula [2-1] or formula [2-2].

X.sup.1-X.sup.2-X.sup.3-X.sup.4-X.sup.5-X.sup.6X.sup.7.sub.pX.sup.8  [1]

(X.sup.1 is a specific side chain structure; X.sup.2, X.sup.3, X.sup.4 and X.sup.6 are each a single bond, etc.; X.sup.5 and X.sup.7 are each a benzene ring, etc.; p is an integer of from 0 to 4; and X.sup.8 is a C.sub.1-18 alkyl group, etc.),

—Y.sup.1-Y.sup.2-Y.sup.3-Y.sup.4Y.sup.5.sub.nY.sup.6  [2-1]

(Y.sup.1, Y.sup.2 and Y.sup.3 are each a single bond; Y.sup.4 and Y.sup.5 are each a benzene ring, etc.; n is from 0 to 4; and Y.sup.6 is a C.sub.1-18 alkyl group, etc.,

—Y.sup.7-Y.sup.8  [2-2]

(Y.sup.7 is a single bond; and Y.sup.8 is a C.sub.8-22 alkyl group, etc.).

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.

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.

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 mesogen compounds that include a first mesogen (Mesogen-1) and a second mesogen (Mesogen-2) that are connected by a linking group (-L-), as represented by the following Formula (I):

##STR00001##

Mesogen-1, and optionally Mesogen-2, each independently include the following terminal group,

##STR00002##

where R is hydrogen, alkyl, or alkoxy. Mesogen-2 optionally includes a terminal group P-, which is selected from R, acrylate, methacrylate, trihalomethacrylate, oxirane, hydroxyl, carboxylic acid, and carboxylic acid ester. Mesogen-1 and Mesogen-2 together include a total of at least seven, or at least eight, cyclic groups. In some cases, Mesogen-1 and Mesengen-2 are the same. The present invention also relates to liquid crystal compositions that include such mesogen compounds, and to optical elements that include such mesogen compounds.