A light absorption anisotropic layer which has high contrast and can suppress hue change of an image reflected by surroundings relative to an original image when used in a viewing angle control system, an optical film using the light absorption anisotropic layer, a viewing angle control system, and an image display device. The light absorption anisotropic layer is formed of a liquid crystal composition containing a liquid crystalline compound, a dichroic substance, and an alignment agent. The liquid crystalline compound is in a liquid crystal state of a smectic phase, a content of the dichroic substance is 5.0% by mass or more with respect to a total solid content mass of the liquid crystal composition, and an angle ? between a transmittance central axis of the light absorption anisotropic layer and a normal direction of a surface of the light absorption anisotropic layer is between 0? and 45?.

A laminate has a first polarizer, a first patterned optical anisotropic layer, a second patterned optical anisotropic layer, and a second polarizer, in which an angle formed between transmission axes of the polarizers is 90+5; each of the patterned optical anisotropic layers has three or more phase difference regions, which have different slow axis directions and in which the slow axis directions continuously change, in a plane of each of the first patterned optical anisotropic layer and the second patterned optical anisotropic layer; a transmission display state and a light-blocking display state are switched with each other by changing an angle formed between the slow axis direction of each of the phase difference regions of the first patterned optical anisotropic layer and the slow axis direction of each of the phase difference regions of the second patterned optical anisotropic layer that is superposed on each of the phase difference regions of the first patterned optical anisotropic layer; a combination of the patterned optical anisotropic layers is a combination of a +A plate and A plate; and at least one of the polarizers is a reflective-type polarizer.

The present invention relates to an LC medium comprising and a liquid-crystalline host consisting of an LC component H) comprising one or more mesogenic or liquid-crystalline compounds and an optically active component D) and optionally a polymerizable component P) comprising one or more polymerizable compounds; and to the use of the polymerizable compounds and LC media for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in LC displays, especially in LC displays of the polymer sustained alignment type.

Provided is a liquid crystal compound that can obtain a high-speed response and a sufficient contrast ratio in switching of a display device. A compound represented by formula (1) described below is utilized. ##STR00001## In formula (1), ring A is naphthylene, phenantolylene or anthracenylene, and in the groups, at least one piece of hydrogen may be replaced by halogen, CH.sub.3, C.sub.2H.sub.5, CF.sub.3, CHF.sub.2, CH.sub.2F, OCF.sub.3, OCHF.sub.2 or OCH.sub.2F; and X.sup.1, X.sup.2, X.sup.3, X.sup.4, X.sup.5, Y.sup.1, Y.sup.2, Y.sup.3, Y.sup.4 and Y.sup.5 are independently hydrogen or fluorine, but at least two or more of X.sup.1, X.sup.2, X.sup.3, X.sup.4, X.sup.5, Y.sup.1, Y.sup.2, Y.sup.3, Y.sup.4 and Y.sup.5 is fluorine.

There is provided a compound represented by General Formula (I), a composition containing the compound represented by General Formula (I), a cured product, an optically anisotropic body, an optical element, and a light guide element. P.sup.1 and P.sup.2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, CN, NCS, or a polymerizable group. Sp.sup.1 and Sp.sup.2 each independently represent a single bond or a specific linking group, Z.sup.1 represents a specific linking group. However, two or more Z.sup.1's represent C?C. Two Z's bonded to A.sup.2 in Z-A.sup.2-Z in General Formula (I) do not represent C?C. A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 each independently represent a specific group. A plurality of A.sup.2's may be the same or different from each other. n represents an integer of 3 to 7.

##STR00001##

An object of the invention is to provide a coloring composition with which a light absorption anisotropic film having excellent light resistance can be formed, a light absorption anisotropic film, a laminate, and an image display device. A coloring composition according to the invention contains a dichroic dye compound having an azo group; and an oxidant or a singlet oxygen quencher.

The present invention provides a compound having an excellent amount of change in HTP and an excellent HTP saturation rate during exposure, and a liquid crystal composition including the compound. The compound of the present invention is a compound represented by General Formula (A).
(Y).sub.n-G-(X).sub.m (A) G represents a group represented by General Formula (B-1) or a group represented by General Formula (B-2), * represents a bonding position, and X and Y represent a predetermined group. ##STR00001##

Self-aligned liquid crystal materials and structures are disclosed. The structures can exhibit piezoelectric and flexoelectric properties.

The present invention provides a method for producing a polymerizable liquid crystal composition which produces films being uncolored and having no cissing and good alignment when applied to a substrate, and also provides a polymerizable liquid crystal composition produced by the method and an optically anisotropic body using the polymerizable liquid crystal composition. Specifically, the present invention provides a method for producing a polymerizable liquid crystal composition, the method comprising a step (I) of preparing a polymerizable solution by mixing at least one polymerizable compound having at least one polymerizable functional group and one or two or more organic solvents and heating and stirring the resultant mixture; and a step (II) of mixing the polymerizable solution with a polymerization initiator, and also provides a polymerizable liquid crystal composition produced by the method and an optically anisotropic body using the polymerizable liquid crystal composition.

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.