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.

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition capable of forming a light absorption anisotropic layer with an excellent surface state and an excellent alignment degree, a light absorption anisotropic layer, a laminate, and an image display device. The liquid crystal composition is a liquid crystal composition including a liquid crystal compound A represented by Formula (I) Q1-V1-SP1-X1-(Ma-La)na-X2-SP2-V2-Q2, a compound B represented by Formula (II) Q1-V1-SP1-X1-(Mb-Lb)nb-SP3-(Mc-Lc)nc-X2-SP2-V2-Q2, and a dichroic substance.

The present invention provides a liquid crystal film having an optically anisotropic layer having excellent alignment and excellent adhesiveness. The present invention further provides an optical laminate, a circularly polarizing plate, and an organic EL display device, each of which uses the optically anisotropic layer. The liquid crystal film of an embodiment of the present invention is a liquid crystal film having at least an optically anisotropic layer formed with a liquid crystal composition including a polymerizable liquid crystal compound and a fluoroaliphatic group-containing copolymer, and a support, in which the fluoroaliphatic group-containing copolymer has a repeating unit derived from a fluoroaliphatic group-containing monomer represented by General Formula (1) and a repeating unit having a polymerizable group polymerizable with the polymerizable liquid crystal compound. ##STR00001##

Provided is a compound which is capable of reducing a tilt angle of a liquid crystal molecule, and a polymerizable composition, a cured product, an optical film, a polarizing plate, and an image display device, each using the compound. The compound is represented, for example, by Formula (I), P-Sp-Z-G.sup.1-(X.sup.1-Cy.sup.1)n-(X.sup.2-A.sup.1)m-X.sup.3-A.sup.2.

There are provided a liquid crystal composition containing one or two or more compounds represented by general formula (L) and three or four or more dichroic dyes selected from azo compounds, and a guest-host liquid crystal display device or light-controlling device that uses the liquid crystal composition. The liquid crystal composition according to the present invention contains dichroic dyes that satisfy high contrast, high solubility, high nematic-isotropic transition temperature (T.sub.NI), and low birefringent anisotropy (Δn) effective for high light resistance and high thermal resistance at the same time. The use of the liquid crystal composition according to the present invention provides a liquid crystal display device or a light-controlling device that exhibits a good-looking black color and has high contrast, high display quality, and high practicality.

Provided are a liquid crystal composition containing a dibenzo derivative and a liquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal composition includes at least one compound of general formula I and at least one compound of general formula II. The liquid crystal compositions have the characteristics of high clearing point, large optical anisotropy, large dielectric anisotropy, large ε.sub.⊥, large ε.sub.⊥/|Δε|, and large K.sub.ave. The liquid crystal display devices containing these liquid crystal compositions have the effects of good transmittance and high contrast. The liquid crystal composition can meet the requirements of the liquid crystal display device on low power consumption and good display effect and has high application value in liquid crystal displays of in-plane switching (IPS) mode, fringe field switching (FFS) mode, and vertical alignment (VA) mode.

##STR00001##

The present invention relates to liquid-crystal (LC) media as defined in claim 1, having negative dielectric anisotropy and to the use thereof for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in LC displays.

A liquid crystal composition includes at least one compound of general formula I and at least one compound selected from a group consisting of the compounds of general formula II-1 and general formula II-2. The liquid crystal composition provided by the present invention has suitable optical anisotropy, high clearing point, high elastic constants K.sub.11 and K.sub.33, and relatively low dielectric anisotropy. When the liquid crystal composition is applied to a liquid crystal display device, the liquid crystal display device may have better weather resistance and higher contrast ratio. ##STR00001##

To suppress a phenomenon where an optical axis of the optically anisotropic layer is tilted when the optically anisotropic layer is produced by using a liquid crystalline compound showing smectic phase as a materials showing a higher level of orderliness. An optically anisotropic layer wherein a polymerizable composition, containing one or more polymerizable rod-like liquid crystal compound showing a smectic phase, is fixed in a state of smectic phase, and a direction of maximum refractive index of the optically anisotropic layer is inclined at 10° or smaller to the surface of the optically anisotropic layer, a method for manufacturing the same, a laminate and a method for manufacturing the same, a polarizing plate, a liquid crystal display device, and an organic EL display device.

The present invention relates to optionally polymerizable mesogen compounds that include a polyvalent non-mesogenic core X to which is bonded three or four separate extensions, where each extension independently includes, in sequence, a linking group -L-, and a mesogen group -[Mesogen]. The mesogen compounds are represented by the following Formula (I), With reference to Formula (I), v is 3 or 4; t is 0 or 1; at least one Mesogen includes at least four cyclic groups; each -L- independently has an average chain length of at least 15 bonds; and at least one -L- has an average chain length of at least 25. Also described are liquid crystal compositions that include such mesogen compounds, and optical elements that include such mesogen compounds.