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.

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 Pl thereon form a hydrogen bond, leading to vertical arrangement of liquid crystal molecules between two opposite substrates.

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).

The disclosure provides a reactive perpendicular aligned organosilicon material and a manufacture method of a liquid crystal display panel, a general structural formula of the reactive perpendicular aligned organosilicon material is A-R, A is SiCl.sub.3; R represents a linear chained or a branched chained alkyl group with 520 C 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 a F atom or a Cl atom substitutes for a H atom in the alkyl group. A Cl atom in the reactive perpendicular aligned organosilicon material and OH on a surface of the substrate without a PI film can form a hydrogen bond, leading to vertical arrangement of liquid crystal molecules.

An electro-optical liquid crystal cell comprising a first substrate, a first layer of chromium (Cr), a first layer of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VA-CNT) capped with nickel nanoparticles, and a layer of liquid crystal. Furthermore, the electro-optical liquid crystal cell can comprise a second layer of VA-CNT capped with nickel nanoparticles, a second layer of Cr, and a second substrate. This electro-optic VA-CNT-based liquid crystal cell exhibits the required electro-optic effect needed for a liquid crystal display.

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.

A liquid crystal alignment agent allowing formation of an LCD element having good reliability and less residual image, a liquid crystal alignment film, and an LCD element having the liquid crystal alignment film are shown. The liquid crystal alignment agent includes a polymer (A), a photosensitive polysiloxane (B), and a solvent (C). The polymer (A) is obtained by reacting a mixture that includes a tetracarboxylic dianhydride component (a-1) and a diamine component (a-2). The photosensitive polysiloxane (B) is obtained by reacting a polysiloxane (b-1) having an epoxy group with a cinnamic acid derivative (b-2) and an aromatic heterocyclic derivative (b-3) containing nitride, oxide or sulfide.

The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device which maintains a good voltage holding ratio for a long term and prevents an occurrence of image sticking and generation of stain on a display screen, by using a photo-alignment film. The liquid crystal display device according to the present invention includes a liquid crystal layer containing liquid crystal molecules and an antioxidant, a sealing material obtained by curing a sealing resin which contains a compound having at least one first bonding functional group which is selected from the group consisting of an epoxy group, a methoxy silane group, and an ethoxy silane group, and a photo-alignment film containing at least one alignment film polymer which includes an ester group. The at least one alignment film polymer includes a photo-alignment film polymer which includes at least one photo-functional group selected from the group consisting of a cinnamate group, a chalconyl group, an azobenzene group, a coumarin group, a stilbene group, and a phenol ester group. At least one second bonding functional group which is selected from the group consisting of COOH, NH.sub.2, NHR, SH, and OH is provided on the surface of the photo-alignment film.

An optical laminate includes two optically anisotropic layers, an A-plate and a C-plate, in which the adhesiveness between the layers, the liquid crystal alignment of the C-plate, and the adhesiveness between the A-plate and a pressure-sensitive adhesive, are excellent. The optical laminate includes first and second optically anisotropic layers which are A-plate and C-plate formed of a first and second liquid crystal compound, respectively, and a mixed layer disposed between the layers, including components derived from the first and second liquid crystal compounds, and an optical alignment compound, in which a surface energy of the first optically anisotropic layer on a side opposite to the mixed layer is 25 mN/m or more, and where a component in a depth direction is analyzed with time-of-flight type secondary ion mass spectrometry while irradiating ion beams from a surface of the optical laminate on the first, toward the second, optically anisotropic layer.

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).