An optical film, a polarizing plate, and an image display device, each having an optically anisotropic layer obtained by curing a polymerizable liquid crystal composition including a polymerizable liquid crystal compound (LCC) having forward wavelength dispersion and a monofunctional compound, and immobilizing an alignment state of the polymerizable LCC. The number a.sub.1 of atoms of the polymerizable LCC and the number a.sub.2 of atoms of the monofunctional compound satisfy a relationship of Expression (1): 0.2<a.sub.2/a.sub.1<0.55; the number b.sub.1 of the rings B.sup.1 contained in the polymerizable LCC and the total number b.sub.2 of the aromatic rings Ar and the rings B.sup.2 contained in the monofunctional compound satisfy a relationship of Expression (2): b.sub.2=b.sub.1×0.5 or b.sub.2=(b.sub.1+1)×0.5.

Provided is a liquid crystal compound satisfying at least one of physical properties such as high stability to heat and light, a high clearing point (or high maximum temperature), low minimum temperature of a liquid crystal phase, small viscosity, suitable optical anisotropy, large dielectric anisotropy, a suitable elastic constant and excellent compatibility with other liquid crystal compounds, a liquid crystal composition containing the compound and a liquid crystal display device including the composition.

A compound, represented by formula (1):

##STR00001##

wherein, in formula (1), R.sup.1 is alkoxy having 1 to 9 carbons or the like; R.sup.2 is alkenyl having 2 to 10 carbons; Z.sup.1 and Z.sup.2 are independently a single bond, —CH.sub.2CH.sub.2—, —CH═CH— or the like; and a and b are independently 0 or 1.

Reactive mesogens (RMs), mixtures and formulations comprising RMs, polymers obtained from such RMs and RM mixtures, and the use of the RMs, RM mixtures and polymers in optical or electrooptical components or devices, like optical films for liquid crystal displays (LCDs).

The present invention discloses a compound of which a structural formula thereof is represented as the following formula: ##STR00001##
The compound disclosed by the present invention can be used as a liquid crystal compound and overcomes the problem that solubility of the traditional dibenzothiophene-class liquid crystals is poor, and thus can be better applied to the liquid crystal material field. The present invention further discloses a liquid crystal medium containing the compound and an application thereof.

Provided are a polymerizable compound having at least one monovalent group (A), a polymerizable composition containing the polymerizable compound, a liquid crystal composite prepared from the polymerizable composition, and a liquid crystal device having the polymerizable composition. ##STR00001## In monovalent group (A), R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are independently hydrogen, halogen or alkyl having 1 to 20 carbons, and in the alkyl, at least one piece of —CH.sub.2— may be replaced by —O— or —S—, and at least one piece of —(CH.sub.2).sub.2— may be replaced by —CH═CH—, and in the groups, at least one hydrogen may be replaced by halogen.

Disclosed are a liquid crystal composition and a liquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal composition comprises at least one compound of general formula I, at least one compound of general formula II, at least one compound of general formula III, and at least one compound of general formula IV. By compounding the four compounds, the composition can have advantages of a wide temperature range of nematic phase, a low viscosity and a low threshold voltage, and the liquid crystal display element can have a short response time and great power saving performance.

A polymerizable LC material comprising one or more reactive mesogenic compounds, one or more chiral compounds and a block copolymer that comprises at least one polyfluorooxetane block bonded to a polyether block, said polyfluorooxetane block having a repeating unit of the formula

##STR00001##

Further, a method for its preparation, a polymer film obtainable from a corresponding polymerizable LC material, a method of preparation of such polymer film, and the use of such polymer film and said polymerizable LC material in optical, electro-optical, decorative or security devices.

The present invention relates to liquid-crystal (LC) media having negative dielectric anisotropy comprising one or more compounds of formula I

##STR00001##

and one, two, three or more compounds of formula III

##STR00002##

as defined in claim 1, and to the use of the LC media for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular useful to enable energy-saving LC displays of the VA, IPS or FFS type.

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 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##