A compound having large refractive index anisotropy (?n), the effect of increasing the phase transition temperature of a liquid crystal phase, and high solubility, and showing large dielectric anisotropy (??) in a high frequency region, a composition containing the compound, a liquid crystal composition, and a device using the liquid crystal composition. The compound has large refractive index anisotropy ?n, sufficiently high T.sub.n-i, and high compatibility with a liquid crystal composition, and shows large dielectric anisotropy in a high frequency region, and is thus useful for a material of an element of a device such as a high-frequency phase shifter, a phased array antenna, an image recognition device, a distance measuring device, a liquid crystal display device, a liquid crystal lens, a birefringent lens for stereoscopic image display.

Liquid-crystalline media comprising one or more compounds of formula D

##STR00001##

and one or more compounds selected from the group of compounds of formulae I, II and III,

##STR00002##

in which the occurring groups and parameters have the meanings defined in claim 1, and to high-frequency components comprising these media, especially microwave components for high-frequency devices, such as devices for shifting the phase of microwaves, tunable filters, tunable metamaterial structures, and electronic beam steering antennas (e.g. phased array antennas).

The invention relates to a RM lens obtainable from a polymerizable liquid crystalline medium comprising, a polymerizable liquid crystalline component A comprising one or more polymerizable mesogenic compounds, and at most 12% by weight of the total medium of a non-mesogenic component B. Moreover, the invention relates to the use of such birefringent RM lenses in electro optical devices, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) or other optical or electrooptical devices, for decorative or security applications.

Provided is a liquid crystal composition satisfying at least one or having suitable balance regarding at least two of characteristics such as high maximum or low minimum temperature of a nematic phase, large optical anisotropy, large positive dielectric anisotropy and high stability to ultraviolet light, and a liquid crystal display device including such a composition, particularly an encapsulated liquid crystal display device, and a liquid crystal display device serving as a constituent of 3D lenses. The liquid crystal composition contains a specific compound having large optical anisotropy as a first component, and a specific compound having large optical anisotropy and large positive dielectric anisotropy as a second component; a specific compound having large positive dielectric anisotropy as a third component; and a specific compound having large optical anisotropy and further having high maximum or low minimum temperature as a fourth component, and the liquid crystal display device includes the composition.

The present invention relates to liquid-crystalline media comprising one or more pleochroic dyes and one or more compounds selected from the group of compounds of formulae I, II and III, ##STR00001##
in which the parameters have the meaning indicated in Claim 1, and to components comprising these media for high-frequency technology, in particular phase shifters and microwave array antennas.

The present invention relates to a compound of formula GF

##STR00001##

in which the occurring groups and parameters have the meanings defined in claim 1, to a liquid crystal medium comprising a compound of formula GF and to high-frequency components comprising these media, especially microwave components for high-frequency devices, such as devices for shifting the phase of microwaves, tunable filters, tunable metamaterial structures, and electronic beam steering antennas, e.g. phased array antennas.

The invention relates to a liquid crystalline medium, characterised in that it comprises one or more compounds of formula A

##STR00001##

and
one or more compounds of formula II

##STR00002##

wherein the parameters have the meaning indicated in claim 1, and to high-frequency components comprising the same, especially microwave components for high-frequency devices, such as devices for shifting the phase of microwaves, in particular microwave phased-array antennas.

Subject It is to provide a polymerizable compound having a high polymerization reactivity, a high conversion yield and a high solubility in a liquid crystal composition, a polymerizable composition including this compound, a liquid crystal composite prepared from this polymerizable composition and a liquid crystal display device containing this composite. Means for solving the Subject A compound represented by formula (1), the liquid crystal composition and the liquid crystal display device. ##STR00001##
In the formula, for example, ring A.sup.1, ring A.sup.2 and ring A.sup.4 are phenylene or cyclohexylene; Sp.sup.1 and Sp.sup.2 are a single bond or alkylene having 1 to 6 carbons; Z.sup.1 and Z.sup.2 are CHCH or CC; a is 1, b is 0; and P.sup.1 and P.sup.2 are a polymerizable group.

The present invention relates to liquid crystal mixtures comprising one or more compounds of the formula A

##STR00001##

and, in addition one or more compounds of formula I

##STR00002##

or one or more compounds of formula II

##STR00003##

wherein the individual radicals have the respective meanings indicated in claim 1, to the use thereof for high-frequency components, and to high-frequency components, in particular antennae, especially for the gigahertz range, comprising these media.

The invention relates to a polymerisable LC medium with flat, negative or positive optical dispersion, a polymer film with flat, negative or positive optical dispersion obtainable from such a material, and the use of the polymerisable LC medium and polymer film in optical, electro optical, electronic, semiconducting or luminescent components or devices.