To provide a liquid crystal composition satisfying at least one characteristic such as a high maximum temperature of a nematic phase, a low minimum temperature thereof, a small viscosity, a suitable optical anisotropy, a large negative dielectric anisotropy, a large specific resistance, a high stability to ultraviolet light and heat, or a liquid crystal composition having a suitable balance regarding at least two characteristics, and an AM device having a short response time, a large voltage holding ratio, a large contrast ratio and a long service life; a liquid crystal composition contains a specific compound having a polymerizable group as a first component, and may contain a specific compound having a large negative dielectric anisotropy and a low minimum temperature as a second component or a specific compound having a small viscosity or a large maximum temperature as a third component, and a liquid crystal display device contains the composition.

The subject is to shown a liquid crystal display device that has characteristics such as a short response time, a large voltage holding ratio, a low threshold voltage, a large contrast ratio, a long service life and a small flicker rate. The disclosure relates to a liquid crystal display device having an electrode group formed on one or both of a pair of substrates that are opposed to each other, and a plurality of active devices connected to the electrode group, and a liquid crystal alignment film formed on the opposing surfaces of the pair of substrates, and a liquid crystal composition sandwiched in between the pair of substrates, wherein the liquid crystal alignment film includes a polymer having a photodegradable group, and the liquid crystal composition includes at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by formula (1) as a first component: ##STR00001##

The invention relates to the compounds of the formula I and to a liquid-crystalline medium based on a mixture of polar compounds which contains at least one compound of the formula I ##STR00001##
in which R.sup.1, ring A.sup.1, L.sup.1, L.sup.2, L.sup.3, L.sup.4, L.sup.5, L.sup.6, L.sup.7, L.sup.8, Z.sup.1 and m have the meanings indicated in claim 1 and to the use of the LC mixtures in electro-optical displays, especially for the self-aligning VA mode.

The means concerns a liquid crystal composition that has a nematic phase and negative dielectric anisotropy and includes a quencher as a first additive and a specific compound having a large negative dielectric anisotropy as a first component, and the composition may include a specific compound having a high maximum temperature or a small viscosity as a second component and a specific polymerizable compound.

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.

The present invention relates to liquid-crystalline media (LC media) comprising a low-molecular-weight component, a self-alignment additive comprising a thiol group and optionally a polymerizable component. The self-alignment additives effect homeotropic (vertical) alignment of the LC media at a surface or the cell walls of a liquid-crystal display (LC display). The invention therefore also encompasses LC displays having homeotropic alignment of the liquid-crystalline medium (LC medium) without alignment layers. The invention discloses novel structures for self-alignment additives which have a thiol functional groups.

An optical film including: a cholesteric layer of a disk-like liquid crystal composition including a disk-like liquid crystal compound, in which the cholesteric layer exhibits a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, and in which fluctuation of a helical pitch in a film thickness direction of the cholesteric layer is 2% or greater, and having a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase of a disk-like liquid crystal compound and a wide reflection bandwidth; a brightness enhancement film; a backlight unit with a brightness enhancement film; and a liquid crystal display device.

Provided are a liquid crystal composition that contains a polar compound having a polymerizable group, in which vertical alignment of liquid crystal molecules can be achieved by action of the compound (or polymer), and a liquid crystal display device including the composition. The composition satisfies at least one of characteristics such as high maximum temperature, low minimum temperature, small viscosity, suitable optical anisotropy, large negative dielectric anisotropy, large specific resistance, high stability to ultraviolet light and heat.

The composition is a nematic liquid crystal composition that has negative dielectric anisotropy and contains the polar compound as a first additive, and may contain a specific liquid crystal compound having large negative dielectric anisotropy as a first component, a specific liquid crystal compound having high maximum temperature or small viscosity as a second component and a polymerizable compound as a second additive, and the liquid crystal display device includes the composition.

The means concerns a liquid crystal composition that has negative dielectric anisotropy and that comprises a specific compound having a high stability to ultraviolet light as a first component, wherein the composition may comprise a specific compound having a high maximum temperature or a small viscosity as a second component, and a specific compound having a large negative dielectric anisotropy as a third component, and a specific compound having a polymerizable group as an additive component.

Provided are a liquid crystal composition satisfying at least one of characteristics such as high maximum temperature, low minimum temperature, small viscosity, suitable optical anisotropy, large negative dielectric anisotropy, large specific resistance, high stability to ultraviolet light and high stability to heat, or has a suitable balance regarding at least two of the characteristics; and an AM device having characteristics such as a short response time, a large voltage holding ratio, low threshold voltage, a large contrast ratio and a long service life. The liquid crystal composition may contain a specific compound having large negative dielectric anisotropy as a first component, a specific compound having high maximum temperature as a second component, a specific compound having negative dielectric anisotropy as a third component, or a specific compound having a polymerizable group as an additive component.