Provided are a reactive mesogen that may improve display quality of a liquid crystal display, and a liquid crystal composition including the same. The reactive mesogen is represented by the following Formula:

BZ.sub.1.sub.b1XZ.sub.2.sub.b2Pa where X, Z1, Z2, B, and Pa are specified in the disclosure, and each of b1 and b2 is independently an integer between 0 to 6, inclusive.

In order to configure or produce an electrically controllable optical element on the basis of the electro-optic Kerr effect with a low threshold and operating voltage, a minimized temperature dependence of the effect and a low response time, the Kerr liquid according to the invention comprises a mixture of rod-shaped molecules and non-rod-shaped molecules as active composites, a thin layer having a pre-stamping, wide-mesh, anisotropic network between structured and/or planar conductive layer applied to a substrate thus configure a thin-film cell in such a way that without electric field the state of the active composite of the Kerr liquid in the working temperature region RT is isotropic and that by electrically continuous adjustment, of the voltage U or by a switching-on or switching-off a change the voltage U, in the optical element a voltage-induced phase shift or a refractive index deviation is generated and the light passes through an electrode gap perpendicular to the electrodes.

A curved 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, and a lower protrusion positioned between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer, the lower protrusion being formed from at least one among a first compound represented by Chemical Formula 1, a polymer obtained from the first compound, and a polymer of the first compound and a cross-linker.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical film having an optically anisotropic layer having excellent durability, and a polarizing plate and an image display device using the same. An optical film of the present invention includes an optically anisotropic layer, an overcoat layer, and a pressure sensitive adhesive layer in this order, in which the optically anisotropic layer is a layer obtained by polymerizing a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing a liquid crystal compound having a polymerizable group and a polymerization initiator, the overcoat layer is a layer obtained by curing a polyfunctional polymerizable monomer having two or more polymerizable groups, and a molecular weight per polymerizable group in the polyfunctional polymerizable monomer is 140 or less.

Provided are a reactive mesogen that may improve display quality of a liquid crystal display, and a liquid crystal composition including the same. The reactive mesogen is represented by the following Formula:

##STR00001## where A.sub.1, A.sub.2, and A.sub.3 are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted divalent hydrocarbon ring, or a substituted or unsubstituted divalent heterocycle, L.sub.1 and L.sub.2 are each independently a direct linkage, O, S, CO, COO, OCOO, O(CH.sub.2).sub.k1, S(CH.sub.2).sub.k1, O(CF.sub.2).sub.k1, S(CF.sub.2).sub.k1, (CH.sub.2).sub.k1, CF.sub.2CH.sub.2, (CF.sub.2).sub.k1, CHCH, CFCF, CC, CHCHCOO, or (CH.sub.2).sub.k1COO(CH.sub.2).sub.k2O, Z.sub.1 and Z.sub.2 are each independently a direct linkage, O, S, CO, COO, OCOO, O(CH.sub.2).sub.m1, S(CH.sub.2).sub.m1, O(CF.sub.2).sub.m1, S(CF.sub.2).sub.m1, (CH.sub.2).sub.m1, CF.sub.2CH.sub.2, (CF.sub.2).sub.m1, CHCH, CFCF, CC, CHCHCOO, (CH.sub.2).sub.m1COO, (CH.sub.2).sub.m1COO(CH.sub.2).sub.m2O, CH(S.sub.pPa), CH.sub.2CH(S.sub.pPa), or (CH(S.sub.pPa)CH(S.sub.pPa)), Pa is a polymerizable group, B is an unsubstituted heterocycle, a substituted or unsubstituted crown ether group, or

##STR00002##

wherein T.sub.1 and T.sub.2 are each independently OH, CH.sub.3, CF.sub.3, CHF.sub.2, CH.sub.2F, CH.sub.2Br, CHBr.sub.2, CHCl.sub.2, or CH.sub.2Cl.

An organic compound represented by General Formula (G100) is provided. A novel liquid crystal composition containing the organic compound is provided. ##STR00001##