An object of the present invention is to provide a polymerizable liquid crystal composition with which two characteristics of smoothness of a surface of an anisotropic optical body and orientation properties of liquid crystals can be simultaneously improved, when preparing an anisotropic optical body to be obtained by photopolymerization of the polymerizable liquid crystal composition. Specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing specific polymerizable compounds and a fluorine-based surfactant. In addition, an anisotropic optical body, a retardation film, an antireflective film, and a liquid crystal display element prepared using the polymerizable liquid crystal composition of the present invention are also provided.

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal composition. The liquid crystal composition comprises four compounds having different structural formulas and a chiral compound. The four compounds having different structural formulas are at least one compound selected from general formula I, at least one compound selected from general formula II, at least one compound selected from general formula III, and at least one compound selected from general formula IV, respectively. By optimizing the content of each component in the liquid crystal composition, a clearing point is improved while reducing a phase transition point of the N-TB. Also provided is a bistable liquid crystal dimming device prepared by applying the liquid crystal composition, which widens the working temperature range of the bistable liquid crystal dimming device, and improves the value of the bistable liquid crystal dimming device in practical applications.

Provided are: an infrared control film in which an infrared light transmittance changes depending on the temperature, a tint in a front direction is excellent, and durability is excellent; and a window including the infrared control film. The infrared control film includes: a liquid crystal layer; and two substrates each of which includes at least one of an ultraviolet absorber or a colorant, in which the liquid crystal layer is disposed between the two substrates, the substrate includes 0.001 mass % or higher of the ultraviolet absorber or the colorant, a transmittance of the infrared control film at 0 C. with respect to an incidence ray at 1000 nm at a polar angle of 0 is higher than 70%, a transmittance of the infrared control film at 40 C. with respect to an incidence ray at 1000 nm at a polar angle of 0 is lower than 60%, and the following expressions are satisfied.

0.8<a1<1.2

0.8<b1<1.2 a1=(Transmittance of Incidence Ray at 450 nm at Polar Angle of 0)/(Transmittance of Incidence Ray at 550 nm at Polar Angle of 0) b1=(Transmittance of Incidence Ray at 550 nm at Polar Angle of 0)/(Transmittance of Incidence Ray at 700 nm at Polar Angle of 0)

There is provided a liquid crystal display device of a PSA type or the like that uses the polymerizable compound-containing liquid crystal composition, having a sufficiently fast response speed, capable of 3D displaying. Uniform and stable orientation control can be obtained at a lower energy cost. Provided are the polymerizable compound-containing liquid crystal composition containing one or two or more polymerizable compounds represented by general formula (M) as the first component, and containing one or two or more compounds represented by general formula (Na), general formula (Nb), or general formula (Nc) having a naphthalene unit as the second component. The liquid crystal display device uses the same.

A laminate includes at least one first reflective layer formed by immobilizing a liquid crystal phase in which a rotational direction of the helical axis is rightward, and at least one second reflective layer formed by immobilizing a liquid crystal phase in which the rotational direction of the helical axis is leftward, in which the laminate has a first transmission band in the wavelength range of 300 to 3,000 nm, the half-width of the first transmission band is 200 nm or less, an average transmittance in a wavelength range from a half-value wavelength A on the short wavelength side of the first transmission band to a half-value wavelength B on the long wavelength side of the first transmission band is 50% or more, and the average transmittance in the wavelength range of 100 nm from the half-value wavelength A to the short wavelength side and the average transmittance in the wavelength range of 100 nm from the half-value wavelength B to the long wavelength side are respectively less than 20%.

A liquid crystal alignment agent capable of forming a liquid crystal display element having good resistance to ultraviolet decay and no mura effect, a liquid crystal alignment film, and a liquid crystal display element having the same are provided. The liquid crystal alignment agent includes a polymer (A), a polysiloxane (B), a polymerizable compound (C) containing a benzophenone structure, and a solvent (D). The polymer (A) is obtained by reacting a mixture. The mixture includes a tetracarboxylic dianhydride component (a1) and a diamine component (a2). The polysiloxane (B) contains a polymerizable unsaturated group, wherein the polymerizable unsaturated group includes a group represented by formula (1-1), a group represented by formula (1-2), or a combination of the two. ##STR00001##

The invention relates to lateral fluorinated reactive mesogens (RMs) comprising a tolane group, to mixtures and formulations comprising them, to polymers obtained form such RMs and RM mixtures, and the use of the RMs, RM mixtures and polymers in optical or electrooptical components or devices, like optical films for liquid crystal displays (LCDs).

To provide a polymerizable liquid crystal compound in order to produce a retardation film having excellent front contrast.

A polymerizable liquid crystal composition including a compound represented by Formula (1).

##STR00001##

In Formula (1), for example, W.sup.1 is an alkoxycarbonyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, an alkanoyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, or a polymerizable functional group, A.sup.1 is independently 1,4-phenylene or naphthalene-2,6-diyl, Z.sup.1 is a linking group, m and n are independently an integer of 0 to 7, and satisfy 3m+n8, and P.sup.1 is a polymerizable functional group.

An anisotropic scattering film includes a liquid crystal material. The anisotropic scattering film includes a plurality of uniaxial horizontal alignment regions of the liquid crystal material and a plurality of vertical alignment regions of the liquid crystal material.

A liquid crystal element includes a pair of substrates disposed to face each other, a liquid crystal layer disposed between the pair of substrates, and a liquid crystal alignment layer provided on each of the liquid crystal layer sides of the pair of substrates. The liquid crystal layer includes a compound having an alkenyl structure and a compound having a terphenyl ring structure, or includes a compound having an alkenyl structure and a terphenyl ring structure in the same molecule, and the liquid crystal alignment layer is a layer comprising a liquid crystal alignment agent containing a polymer (P) which has at least one selected from the group consisting of a radical polymerizable group, a photoinitiator group, a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ring (excluding imide rings in polyimides), an amino group and a protected amino group.