The present invention relates to a polymer having excellent liquid crystal alignment and electrical properties and thus is suitable for use as a liquid crystal alignment agent, a liquid crystal alignment agent containing the same, a liquid crystal aligning film formed from the liquid crystal alignment agent, and a liquid crystal display device containing the liquid crystal aligning film.

The present invention provides a display panel, a manufacturing method, and display device thereof. By disposing a mesoporous guide film on a surface of an alignment layer and using evenly distributed mesopores in the mesoporous guide film with a same tilt angle, the liquid crystal molecules are tilted along the mesopores under applied voltage and stand in pore channels of the mesopores to mitigate the issue of poor reliability when the display device implements stable alignment, lower manufacturing cost, improve yield rate of products, and shorten time of processes.

A silane coupling material according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is represented by the following general formula (1) and includes hydrocarbon groups having numbers of carbon atoms different from each other in A and B.

In a liquid crystal apparatus, a liquid crystal is provided in a cavity surrounded by a seal material between a first substrate and a second substrate, and the liquid crystal is aligned in a diagonal direction formed by corners 10a1, 10a3. Between a pixel area and the seal material, a first groove is formed along a side 20a6 from the corner 10a1 toward a corner 10a2. When a first pump is driven, the liquid crystal of the pixel area is drawn from a first end of the first groove on the corner 10a1 side, and the liquid crystal is ejected from a second end into the pixel area. As a result, a liquid crystal flow from the side of a side 20a7 toward the side of a side 20a9 occurs in the pixel area, and thus the liquid crystal can be smoothly circulated.

Organic ligand-capped quantum dots and curable ink compositions containing the organic ligand-capped quantum dots are provided. Also provided are thin films formed from the ink compositions.

Ink-jet printable compositions including nanoparticles capped with a protective layer of hydrocarbon chains and a single solvent exhibiting a single evaporation rate and having a specifically defined viscosity and surface tension that result in uniform and printable alignment layers for liquid crystal materials. Patterned liquid crystal-containing cells are also disclosed including one or more layers including the same or different nanoparticles capped with a protective layer of hydrocarbon chains printed on a surface of a substrate or even another nanoparticle-containing layer. Methods for producing the cells are also disclosed, including the step of printing a pattern on one or more portions of a cell surface utilizing a composition comprising the capped nanoparticles. Devices including the cells are also disclosed.

The present invention provides the following: a photo alignment method-use liquid crystal aligning agent used to obtain a photo alignment method-use liquid crystal alignment film that does not cause bright spots even when negative liquid crystals are used, and that is capable of achieving good after-image characteristics; a liquid crystal alignment film obtained from the liquid crystal aligning agent; and a liquid crystal display element provided with the liquid crystal aligning agent. Provided is the liquid crystal aligning agent which contains a polyimide or polyimide precursor obtained from a reaction between: a tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride represented by formula (1) (in the formula, X.sup.1 is as set forth in the present specification) or a derivative thereof; and a diamine component that contains a diamine represented by formula (2) (in the formula, R.sup.1, Z.sup.1 and n are as set forth in the present specification).

A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate, a first alignment film formed over the first substrate, a second substrate, a second alignment film formed over the second substrate, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first alignment film and the second alignment film, and a projecting portion formed over the second substrate. The first film is a photo alignment film, and a thickness d2 of the second alignment film over the projecting portion and a film thickness d1 of a portion of the first alignment film facing the projecting portion satisfy formula (2),

d2<d1 (2).

A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate, a first alignment film formed over the first substrate, a second substrate, a second alignment film formed over the second substrate, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first alignment film and the second alignment film, and a projecting portion formed over the second substrate. The first alignment film is a photo alignment film, and a thickness d2 of the second alignment film over the projecting portion and a film thickness d1 of a portion of the first alignment film facing the projecting portion satisfy formula (2),
d2<d1(2).

A liquid crystal display device includes a pair of substrates, a negative liquid crystal layer held between the pair of substrates, a seal portion held between the pair of substrates and disposed around the liquid crystal layer, and a pair of alignment layers each of which is disposed on a surface, adjacent to the liquid crystal layer, of a corresponding one of the substrates. The negative liquid crystal layer includes a liquid crystal composition including a compound having a functional group represented by the formula (A) below, the seal portion includes a radical polymerization initiator, the alignment layers include a polymer including polyimide, the polyimide is prepared from polyamic acid as a precursor, and the imidization ratio of the polyimide is not less than 60% with respect to the whole polymer.

##STR00001##

(where X: oxygen radical, hydroxyl group, C.sub.1-20 linear alkyl group, or C.sub.3-20 branched alkyl group, Y1 to Y4: C.sub.1-4 linear alkyl group or C.sub.3-4 branched alkyl group)