The present disclosure relates to a photo-alignment material, a liquid crystal display panel, and a manufacturing method thereof. The chemical structural formulas of photo-alignment material includes an orientation anchor group, a linking group, a photosensitive group with one or more photosensitive cyclohexanone, and an alignment group with a linear or branched alkyl having 3-15 carbon atoms; wherein the orientation anchor group, the linking group, the photosensitive group and the alignment group are connected successively. Through the above-mentioned manner, the present disclosure can simplify the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display panel, and improve the product quality.

A transmittance-variable layer and a transmittance-variable device including the same are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a transmittance-variable device includes a polarization layer and a transmittance-variable layer disposed on the polarization layer, wherein the transmittance-variable layer includes a first base layer disposed on the polarization layer and a spacer fixed on a surface of the first base layer opposite to the polarization layer, and a second base layer facing the first base layer and spaced apart from the first base layer by the first spacer, wherein the first spacer maintains a gap between the first and second base layers, and a first light modulating material disposed in the gap.

A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate, a second substrate facing the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. The liquid crystal layer includes liquid crystal molecules having a negative dielectric anisotropy, a response speed of about 4.0 ms or less, and a rotational viscosity of about 47 mPa.Math.S to about 75 mPa.Math.S.

A complex (10) includes a liquid crystal component (13) and a support (11, 12) of the liquid crystal component (13), in which a lubricating interface derivation region (16) is formed between the liquid crystal component (13) and the support (11, 12). An optical element includes a pair of substrates (11, 12) having electrodes (18, 19) on at least one substrate (11), and a liquid crystal component (13) with which a space between the pair of substrates (11, 12) is filled, in which a lubricating interface derivation region (16) is formed between the pair of substrates (11, 12) and the liquid crystal component (13). It is preferable that the lubricating interface deriving agent (14) is present in the lubricating interface derivation region.

An additive is provided. The additive includes an additive molecule having a structure represented by formula (I):

##STR00001## wherein R.sup.1, A.sup.1, A.sup.2, Z.sup.1, K.sup.1, n.sup.1, and n.sup.2 are defined as in the specification.

An additive, liquid-crystal composition and a liquid-crystal display using the additive are provided. The additive includes a first additive molecule having a structure represented by formula (I):

##STR00001## wherein R.sup.i1, R.sup.i2, R.sup.i3, A.sup.i1, A.sup.i2, Z.sup.i, m.sup.1 and m.sup.2 are defined as in the specification.

This liquid crystal display device is provided with: a pair of substrates which have conductive films, respectively; a liquid crystal layer which is arranged between the pair of substrates and contains a liquid crystal; and a liquid crystal control layer which is formed on the substrate-side interface of the liquid crystal layer by means of polymerization of a polymerizable monomer, and which controls the alignment of the liquid crystal. With respect to this liquid crystal display device, at least one of the pair of substrates is not provided with a liquid crystal alignment film, and the liquid crystal control layer contains a compound that has at least one partial structure which is selected from the group consisting of a fluorene structure-containing group, an aromatic amino group and a nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclic group.

Exemplary thin-film optical devices have first and second layer groups disposed as a layer stack on a substrate. The first layer group comprises a first PPN layer, a first LCP layer, and a first barrier layer all superposed. The second layer group is superposed relative to the first layer group, and includes a second PPN layer, a second LCP layer, and a second barrier layer all superposed. The first and second layer groups cooperate to polarize multiple wavelengths of an incident light flux in a broadband and/or wide-angle manner Each of the layer groups has an alignment layer, a respective liquid-crystal polymer layer, and a barrier layer.

A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition excellent in vertical alignment and compatibility and to provide a liquid crystal display device produced using the same. The problem is solved by a liquid crystal composition containing one or two or more kinds of self-aligning polymerizable monomers and one or two or more kinds of polymerizable monomers (or polymerizable compounds) having a specific chemical structure, and a liquid crystal display device produced using the same, specifically a liquid crystal composition containing a polymerizable monomer represented by General Formula (I) and a spontaneously aligning monomer which has a chemical structure different from that of the polymerizable monomer represented by General Formula (I), and has a polar group, and a liquid crystal display device containing the same.

Shown is a compound represented by formula (1). For example, R.sup.1 is alkyl having 1 to 15 carbons; MES is a mesogen group having at least one ring; Sp.sup.1 is a single bond or alkylene having 1 to 10 carbons; M.sup.1 is methyl; and R.sup.2, M.sup.2 and M.sup.3 are hydrogen. ##STR00001##