The present application relates to a liquid crystal aligning agent, a liquid crystal alignment film and a method for producing the same, as well as a liquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal aligning agent comprises (i) a first polyamic acid having a photoreactive group without a liquid crystal group; (ii) a second polyamic acid having a liquid crystal group without a photoreactive group; (iii) a third polyamic acid having both a liquid crystal group and a photoreactive group; (iv) a fourth polyamic acid having neither a photoreactive group nor a liquid crystal group. The liquid crystal display device using the liquid crystal alignment film formed by the liquid crystal aligning agent provided by the present disclosure has a high display contrast and an improved AC residual image.

A liquid crystal display including: a first substrate; a second substrate configured to overlap the first substrate and to be separate from the first substrate; a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate and including a liquid crystal molecule; a first alignment layer disposed between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer; a second alignment layer disposed between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer; and a plurality of protrusions disposed between the first alignment layer and the liquid crystal layer, wherein at least one protrusion of the plurality of protrusions includes an orientation polymer including a polymerized reactive mesogen, the first alignment layer includes a photo-reactive group, and the liquid crystal layer includes a photoreaction initiator.

A method of fabricating an electrically-controlled birefringence cell. The cell has a cell gap no more than 20 micrometers. The cell has an alignment layer arranged to impart a pretilt on liquid crystal in contact with the alignment layer. The method comprises processing the alignment layer to achieve a surface anchoring value between the liquid crystal and alignment layer of less than 1 mJ/m.sup.2.

The present invention provides a laminate and an image display device, in which alignment defects of a liquid crystal layer provided on an optical alignment layer are suppressed. The laminate includes an optical alignment layer and a liquid crystal layer provided on the optical alignment layer. In the laminate, the liquid crystal layer is formed from a liquid crystal composition containing a liquid crystal compound and a surfactant, and the liquid crystal compound is immobilized in a horizontal alignment state, and the surfactant is a copolymer having a repeating unit containing a fluorinated alkyl group and having a repeating unit containing a mesogenic group.

Provided are a light controlling apparatus and a method of fabricating the same. The light controlling apparatus comprises: a first electrode unit and a second electrode unit facing each other; a liquid crystal unit between the first electrode unit and the second electrode unit, the liquid crystal unit including: a liquid crystal; a network having a first polymer polymerized from a first monomer having a similar shape as the liquid crystal and a second polymer polymerized from a second monomer having a shape different from the first monomer; and a wall having the first polymer and the second polymer.

A liquid crystal composition, comprising, at least one compound represented by Formula 1-A:

##STR00001##

wherein, in the Formula 1-A, R—*, R.sup.1—*, Q—*, *—Z1-*, *—Z2-*,

##STR00002##

n1, n2, n3, n4, L1-*, L2-*, L3-*, L4-*, L5-*, L6-*, L7-*, and L8-* are the same as defined in the specification, and * is defined as a bonding site to a neighboring atom.

Disclosed are an alignment layer and a liquid crystal display having the same. The alignment layer comprises a polyimide compound having an azo group and exhibiting optical alignment characteristics and a discotic liquid crystal compound exhibiting optical anisotropy. The liquid crystal display comprises first and second substrates facing each other, liquid crystal aligned between the first and second substrates, and an alignment layer formed on at least one surface of the first and second substrates. The alignment layer is adjacent to the liquid crystal and has optical alignment characteristics and optical anisotropy.

According to one embodiment, a liquid crystal optical element includes a substrate, a plurality of structures, a first liquid crystal layer including a plurality of liquid crystal molecules having alignment directions fixed, and a second liquid crystal layer including a plurality of liquid crystal molecules having alignment directions fixed. In an area overlapping a groove, a first director of the first liquid crystal layer extends along the groove, and a second director of the second liquid crystal layer is uniformly aligned with the first director of the second surface side, on the third surface side, and turns in planar view.

There is provided a polymerizable compound-containing liquid crystal composition having strong alignment regulating force of a liquid crystal compound. The polymerizable compound-containing liquid crystal composition includes: a polymerizable compound; and a liquid crystal compound, in which the polymerizable compound includes at least one polymerizable compound represented by General Formula (I), and in which the liquid crystal compound includes at least one component selected from the group consisting of at least one compound represented by General Formula (II) as a second component, at least one compound represented by General Formulae (IIIa), (IIIb), and (IIIc) as a third component, and at least one compound represented by General Formulae (IVa), (IVb), and (IVc) as a fourth component.

A display device including a first substrate, a second substrate facing the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate. The liquid crystal layer has a value of rotation viscosity (γl)/bending modulus of elasticity (K33) of about 6.0 to about 6.4 mPa*s/pN.