The invention relates to a light modulation element comprising a pair of substrates, one or more optical films located on the inner side of one of the substrates, an electrode structure capable of inducing an electric field substantially in parallel to the substrates main plane, and a homogenously aligned liquid crystalline medium which is obtainable from a photoalignment component A) and a liquid-crystalline component B). Furthermore, the invention relates process of production of the light modulation element, to the use of the light modulation element in an electro optical device and to an electro optical device comprising said light modulation element.

The invention relates to a compound of formula I,

##STR00001##

wherein R.sup.11, R.sup.21, A.sup.11, A, Z, X.sup.11, X.sup.21, Y.sup.11, Y.sup.12, Sp.sup.11, Sp.sup.21, o and p have one of the meanings as given in claim 1. The invention further relates to method of production of a compound of formula I, to the use of said compounds in LC media and to LC media comprising one or more compounds of formula I. Further, the invention relates to a method of production of such LC media, to the use of such media in LC devices, and to LC device comprising a LC medium according to the present invention. The present invention further relates to a process for the fabrication such liquid crystal display and to the use of the liquid crystal mixtures according to the invention for the fabrication of such liquid crystal display.

The invention relates to a medium comprising at least 60% of one or more compounds of formula I ##STR00001##
wherein R.sup.11, R.sup.12, MG.sup.11, MG.sup.12 and Sp.sup.1 have the meaning given herein below, to the use of such media in liquid crystal devices, in particular in flexoelectric liquid crystal devices, and to a flexoelectric liquid crystal device comprising a liquid crystal medium according to the present invention.

The invention relates to a compound of formula I,

##STR00001##

wherein R.sup.11, R.sup.21, A.sup.11, A, Z, X.sup.11, X.sup.21, Y.sup.11, Y.sup.12, Sp.sup.11, Sp.sup.21, o and p have one of the meanings as given in claim 1. The invention further relates to method of production of a compound of formula I, to the use of said compounds in LC media and to LC media comprising one or more compounds of formula I. Further, the invention relates to a method of production of such LC media, to the use of such media in LC devices, and to LC device comprising a LC medium according to the present invention. The present invention further relates to a process for the fabrication such liquid crystal display and to the use of the liquid crystal mixtures according to the invention for the fabrication of such liquid crystal display.

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.

The invention relates to a compound of formula I,

##STR00001##

wherein R.sup.11, R.sup.21, A.sup.11, A, Z, X.sup.11, X.sup.21, Y.sup.11, Y.sup.12, Sp.sup.11, Sp.sup.21, o and p have one of the meanings as given in claim 1. The invention further relates to method of production of a compound of formula I, to the use of said compounds in LC media and to LC media comprising one or more compounds of formula I. Further, the invention relates to a method of production of such LC media, to the use of such media in LC devices, and to LC device comprising a LC medium according to the present invention. The present invention further relates to a process for the fabrication such liquid crystal display and to the use of the liquid crystal mixtures according to the invention for the fabrication of such liquid crystal display.

The invention relates to a liquid crystal mixture characterised in that it comprises one or more photoreactive mesogens of formula I ##STR00001##
wherein the parameters and groups occurring are defined as indicated in claim 1, to a process for the fabrication of liquid crystal displays using these liquid crystal mixtures and to a liquid crystal display obtainable by this process. The invention further relates to new compounds of formula I.

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(.sub.D(B1).sub.D(A1)).sup.2+(.sub.P(B1).sub.P(A1)).sup.2+(.sub.H(B1).sub.H(A1)).sup.2}.sup.0.5(I)

The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device that includes a retardation layer with excellent thermal stability and suppresses a decrease in contrast ratio caused by scattering even when the retardation layer has been formed by polymerizing reactive monomers. The liquid crystal display device includes a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer held between the substrates. At least one of the substrates includes a retardation layer that contains a polymer of at least one type of monomer. The at least one type of monomer includes a photo-alignment monomer represented by a certain formula.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide: elements, in particular, a display element and an optical element, which are obtained by controlling orientation of liquid crystals in a liquid crystal bulk without using a liquid crystal orientation film; and/or a photoreactive liquid crystal composition for manufacturing the elements. The present invention provides: a photoreactive liquid crystal composition comprising (A) a photoreactive polymer liquid crystal which includes a photoreactive side chain in which at least one type of reaction selected from the group consisting of (A-1) photocrosslinking and (A-2) photoisomerization occurs, and (B) a low molecular weight liquid crystal; and an optical element or display element which is formed having a liquid crystal cell including the composition.