Provided is a polymerizable liquid crystal composition with which an image display device having an excellent contrast can be manufactured; and a cured product, an optical film, a polarizing plate, and an image display device. The polymerizable liquid crystal composition contains a compound represented by Formula (I). L.sup.1-SP.sup.1-D.sup.5-(A.sup.1).sub.a1-D.sup.3-(G.sup.1).sub.g1-D.sup.1-[Ar-D.sup.2].sub.q1-(G.sup.2).sub.g2-D.sup.4-(A.sup.2).sub.a2-D.sup.6-SP.sup.2-L.sup.2 . . . (I), and a compound represented by Formula (II), L.sup.5-SP.sup.5-D.sup.9-(A.sup.5).sub.a3-D.sup.10-(G.sup.3).sub.g3-D.sup.11-M . . . (II).

Provided are a compound represented by the following general formula (1)

##STR00001##

and a liquid crystal composition containing the compound, and a liquid crystal display device or a light control device having the liquid crystal composition. The compound represented by general formula (1) has both a large dichroic ratio and high solubility in the host liquid crystal. In addition, it has excellent chemical stability at a level usable as a device. Therefore, by using the compound represented by general formula (1) as a component of a GH-type liquid crystal composition, it is possible to provide a liquid crystal display device or a light control device with high contrast.

A liquid crystal composition includes at least one compound of general Formula I, at least one compound of general Formula II and at least one compound of general Formula M. The polymerizable liquid crystal composition provides a higher VHR (especially an excellent VHR after UV irradiation), a lower surface roughness of the polymer layer, a faster polymerization rate, a lower residual amount of the polymerizable compound and a better pretilt angle stability, which enables the production of a liquid crystal display device with a better voltage stability and a faster response speed, and can effectively reduce or prevent the occurrences of problems such as “burn-in”, “image sticking”, “Zara Particle” and “uneven display” in the liquid crystal display device. A liquid crystal display includes the liquid crystal composition.

##STR00001##

An object of the present invention is to provide a composition that realizes high Δn, has a wide liquid crystal phase temperature range, small viscosity, excellent low-temperature solubility, and high resistivity and voltage holding ratio, and is stable against heat and light, and to provide a liquid crystal composition having an excellent lens effect and excellent chemical stability using the composition, and a liquid crystal display device and a liquid crystal lens that use the liquid crystal composition. The present invention provides a liquid crystal composition that contains one or two or more compounds represented by general formula (i) and one or two or more compounds represented by general formula (ii), a liquid crystal display device using the liquid crystal composition, a liquid crystal lens using the liquid crystal composition, and a birefringence lens for stereoscopic image display using the liquid crystal composition.

An object of the present invention is to provide a polymerizable liquid crystal composition used for formation of an optically anisotropic film having excellent moisture-heat resistance and an excellent surface condition, an optically anisotropic film, an optical film, a polarizing plate, and an image display device. The polymerizable liquid crystal composition of an embodiment of the present invention is a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound and a compound represented by Formula (1): L.sup.1-SP.sup.1-(E.sup.3-A.sup.1).sub.m-E.sup.1-G.sup.1-C(═O)—O—C(═O)-G.sup.2-E.sup.2-(A.sup.2-E.sup.4).sub.n-SP.sup.2-L.sup.2, in which a content of the compound represented by Formula (1) is 0.01 to 5 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polymerizable liquid crystal compound.

A liquid crystal composition includes at least one compound of general Formula I in an amount of 1%-30% by weight of the total weight of the liquid crystal composition, at least one compound of general Formula II in an amount of 5%-35% by weight of the total weight of the liquid crystal composition, and at least one compound of general Formula III in an amount of 10%-50% by weight of the total weight of the liquid crystal composition. The liquid crystal composition has an appropriate clearing point, an appropriate optical anisotropy, an appropriate dielectric anisotropy, as well as a higher voltage holding ratio, a higher transmittance, a good high-temperature resistant performance and a faster response speed, thus being suitable for display modes, such as VA, IPS and FFS. A photoelectric display device includes the liquid crystal composition.

##STR00001##

The purpose of the invention is to control, by using a colorless alignment control monomer, the alignment of liquid crystal molecules of a liquid crystal display element that does not include an alignment film, and to provide a liquid crystal composition with which the colorless alignment control monomer exhibits excellent compatibility. The invention uses a liquid crystal display element that comprises an alignment control monomer including an aromatic ester that undergoes photo-Fries rearrangement by light irradiation, and that employs a liquid crystal composition having a negative dielectric anisotropy. The invention also uses the liquid crystal composition.

A polymerizable liquid crystal composition for obtaining a retardation film that has high front contrast; and a liquid crystal polymer. A polymerizable liquid crystal composition which is characterized by containing a compound represented by formula (1). ##STR00001## Exemplified are embodiments wherein in formula (1), W.sup.1 represents an alkyl group having 1-5 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group having 1-5 carbon atoms, an alkoxycarbonyl group having 1-5 carbon atoms or an alkanoyl group having 1-5 carbon atoms; Z.sup.1 represents CH.sub.2CH.sub.2COO; Z.sup.2 represents OCOCH.sub.2CH.sub.2; each of Y.sup.1 and Y.sup.2 represents a linking group; each of Q.sup.1 and Q.sup.2 represents a spacer; and each of P.sup.1 and P.sup.2 represents a polymerizable functional group.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical film which is excellent in the adhesiveness between a polymer support and a photo alignment film and in which a liquid crystal compound having reverse wavelength dispersibility is uniformly aligned. Another object of the present invention is to provide a polarizing plate formed of the optical film, and an image display device formed of the optical film or the polarizing plate.

An optical film according to an embodiment of the present invention is obtained by laminating, in the following order: a polymer support containing an additive; a photo alignment film; and an optically anisotropic film, the optically anisotropic film is formed of a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound having reverse wavelength dispersibility, and an amount of a component derived from the additive of the polymer support, which is contained in a boundary region with the optically anisotropic film in the photo alignment film is 0.10 to 0.50 mass % with respect to a total mass of the photo alignment film.

The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device whose liquid crystal layer is prevented from undergoing a phase transition while the device is on. A liquid crystal display device according to the present invention includes a first substrate having a thin-film transistor element, a heatsink film overlapping the thin-film transistor element, a first alignment film, a liquid crystal layer, and a second substrate in order. The heatsink film contains a liquid-crystalline polymer as the polymerized form of a liquid-crystalline monomer and also contains inorganic fine particles, and the liquid-crystalline polymer is aligned in-plane with respect to the heatsink film. Preferably, the liquid-crystalline monomer is represented by a specified chemical formula.