A liquid crystal device 10 includes: a pair of substrates including a first substrate 11 and a second substrate 12 arranged to face each other; and a liquid crystal layer 14 that is arranged between the first substrate 11 and the second substrate 12. This liquid crystal device 10 is configured such that, among the first substrate 11 and the second substrate 12, a liquid crystal alignment film 13 is formed on the liquid crystal layer 14-side surface of the first substrate 11, but no liquid crystal alignment film is formed on the liquid crystal layer 14-side surface of the second substrate 12.

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 disclosure provides a liquid crystal display device that can maintain a high voltage holding ratio for extended periods and can ensure reliability. A liquid crystal display device according to the present disclosure includes a pair of opposing substrates, a liquid crystal layer between the pair of substrates, and an alignment film between at least one of the pair of substrates and the liquid crystal layer. At least one of the pair of substrates has an electrode and/or wire containing copper or aluminum. The alignment film contains a polymer with a chemical structure on a side chain of the polymer, the chemical structure having a benzotriazole group represented by a specific chemical formula.

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 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 device includes an elemental substrate provided with a silicon oxide alignment layer on the front surface side thereof. Silanol groups of the alignment layer are bound to an organic silane polymer layer by silane coupling treatment. The silane coupling treatment also forms an organic silane polymer layer on the rear surface side of the elemental substrate. This organic silane polymer layer is a layer having a higher hydrophilicity than the organic silane polymer layer. A light-transmitting plate bonded to the rear surface side of elemental substrate with an adhesive layer is thus unlikely to separate.

A reactive perpendicular aligned organosilicon material is provided, having a general structural formula in the form of A-R, where A is SiCl.sub.3 and R represents a linear chained or a branched chained alkyl group with 5-20 carbon atoms. A CH.sub.2 group in the alkyl group is substituted by a phenyl group, a naphthenic base, CONH, COO, OCO, S, CO, or CHCH, or an F atom or a Cl atom substitutes an H atom in the alkyl group. A Cl atom in the reactive perpendicular aligned organosilicon material and OH on a surface of a substrate having no PI thereon form a hydrogen bond, leading to vertical arrangement of liquid crystal molecules between two opposite substrates.

A substrate provided with an alignment film includes: a substrate including an electrode on a surface thereof; and an alignment film in contact with the electrode. The alignment film contains a first polymer that contains a polysiloxane structure in a side chain and a second polymer that contains a photo-reactive group or a vertically aligning functional group. The alignment film includes a first surface that is placed on a side close to the electrode and contains the first polymer and a second surface that is placed on a side opposite to the first surface and contains the second polymer. The first polymer has a weight that is equal to or greater than a weight of the second polymer in the alignment film.

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 aver 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 includes a display area and a border area at least partially surrounding the display area, where the display area displays images for viewing and the border area displays display-protection images, which are used to control ion migration in the liquid crystal layer. In a more particular embodiment, the border area displays a series of checkerboard pattern(s), where the checkerboard patterns can alternate between initial and inverted values. The display-protection images protect the liquid crystal display from migrating ions accumulating in particular regions of the pixel array and causing permanent defects in the display area. A liquid crystal display that includes a liquid crystal alignment layer having a plurality of liquid crystal alignment directions is also disclosed. The customized liquid crystal alignment director(s) over the border area promote ion migration away from the display area.

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).