A compound that helps achieve a high voltage holding ratio (VHR) of a liquid crystal composition, a liquid crystal composition that contains this compound, and a liquid crystal display element made with this liquid crystal composition. More specifically, a compound represented by general formula (Y), which has polymerizable groups and polar group(s). A liquid crystal composition containing one or two or more compounds represented by general formula (Y), each of which has polymerizable groups and polar group(s). A liquid crystal display element made with a liquid crystal composition that contains one or two or more compounds represented by general formula (Y), each of which has polymerizable groups and polar group(s).

A liquid crystal composition having one or more compounds represented by formula I, one or more compounds represented by formula II and one or more compounds represented by formula III:

##STR00001##

The liquid crystal composition has a good stability against light and heat and a lower viscosity, and can achieve a wider refractive index and higher clearing point by the adjustment the ratio of the monomers. In particular, the liquid crystal composition has a higher light transmittance, allowing a display device to have a higher brightness or an energy saving effect.

The invention relates to a polymerisable LC medium with flat, negative or positive optical dispersion, a polymer film with flat, negative or positive optical dispersion obtainable from such a material, and the use of the polymerisable LC medium and polymer film in optical, electro optical, electronic, semiconducting or luminescent components or devices.

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal aligning agent which contains a polymer that has a site having an isocyanate group and/or a blocked isocyanate group, a site having a photoreactive group having photoalignment, and a site having at least one functional group selected from an amino group and a hydroxyl group in each molecule. The present invention provides a liquid crystal display element which enables baking at low temperatures during the formation of a liquid crystal alignment film by a photoalignment method, the liquid crystal alignment film being able to be imparted with alignment regulating property and pretilt angle developing property.

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 provides a compound represented by the general formula (I), and a polymerizable composition containing the compound. When the polymerizable composition containing the compound represented by the formula (I) is used to form a filmy product, the resulting filmy product exhibits less change over time in phase difference and reverse wavelength dispersion and when the filmy polymer is irradiated with UV light, peeling from a substrate is unlikely to be caused. Further, the invention provides a polymer obtained through polymerization of the polymerizable composition and an optically anisotropic body obtained using the polymer.

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.

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.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a laminate having excellent light resistance. In addition, a second object of the present invention is to provide an optical element including the laminate and a light guide element.

A laminate of the present invention includes an optically anisotropic layer consisting of a cured layer of a composition containing a liquid crystal compound and a pair of oxygen barrier layers which are disposed on both sides of the optically anisotropic layer, in which the optically anisotropic layer has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which an orientation of an optical axis derived from the liquid crystal compound is changed while continuously rotating along at least one in-plane direction, the composition contains a compound having a partial structure represented by Formula (I), the composition contains, as the liquid crystal compound, the compound having the partial structure represented by Formula (I), or the composition contains, as a compound which is not the liquid crystal compound, the compound having the partial structure represented by Formula (I), and an oxygen permeability coefficient of the oxygen barrier layer at 25? C. and 50% RH is 1.0?10.sup.?11 cm.sup.3.Math.cm/(cm.sup.2.Math.s.Math.mmHg) or less.

##STR00001##

In Formula (I), A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 each independently represent an aromatic hydrocarbon ring group or an aromatic heterocyclic group, which may have a substituent. * represents a bonding position.

[Object] An object to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device that uses a liquid crystal composition having negative dielectric anisotropy, in which the liquid crystal composition can realize excellent display properties when used in the liquid crystal display device without degrading the image-sticking properties of the display device while realizing various liquid crystal display properties such as dielectric anisotropy, viscosity, nematic phase upper limit temperature, low-temperature nematic phase stability, .sub.1, etc. [Solution] A liquid crystal composition is characterized in that it contains, as a first component, at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by general formula (i), and, as a second component, at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by general formula (ii).