The present invention relates to polymer stabilized nematic liquid crystal microlenses. The microlenses can be made from a nematic liquid crystal, a chiral dopant, a reactive monomer, and a photoinitiator. The microlenses can be prepared by spin coating a liquid crystal mixture onto an array including a nickel transmission electron microscope grid. The focal length of the microlens array can be tuned electrically.

Shown is a liquid crystal composition satisfying at least one of characteristics such as high maximum temperature, low minimum temperature, small viscosity, suitable optical anisotropy, large dielectric anisotropy and small frequency dependence, or has a suitable balance regarding at least two of the characteristics, and an AM device including the composition. The liquid crystal composition contains a specific compound having large positive dielectric anisotropy as a first component, and a specific compound having small viscosity as a second component, and may contain a specific compound having high maximum temperature or small viscosity as a third component, a specific compound having positive dielectric anisotropy as a fourth component or a specific compound having negative dielectric anisotropy as a fifth component.

The instant invention relates to mesogenic media exhibiting a blue phase, comprising one or both components selected from the two following components, components A and B, component A, comprising one or more compounds selected from the group of compounds of formula I-M, ##STR00001##
and component B, consisting of one or more compounds selected from the group of compounds of formula I-U, ##STR00002##
wherein the parameters are as specified in the text, preferably stabilized by a polymer, and their use in electro-optical light modulation elements and their respective use in displays, as well as to such displays.

The present application relates to a liquid crystal composition, a polarizing element and a use of the polarizing element. Since the polarizing element may be prepared by a simple coating process, the guest host type liquid crystal composition of the present application allows not only for reducing the manufacturing cost and lightweight thinning of the polarizing element, but also for manufacturing the polarizing element showing an excellent heat resistant stability without changes of absorption spectrum to transmission spectrum even in a severe condition such as high temperature environment. Such a polarizing element can be applied to various display devices such as liquid crystal display devices, EL display devices, field emission display devices, display devices using electronic papers, projection display devices or piezoelectric ceramic display devices.

The present application relates to a liquid crystal composition, a polarizing element and a use of the polarizing element. Since the polarizing element may be prepared by a simple coating process, the guest host type liquid crystal composition of the present application allows not only for reducing the manufacturing cost and lightweight thinning of the polarizing element, but also for manufacturing the polarizing element showing an excellent heat resistant stability without changes of absorption spectrum to transmission spectrum even in a severe condition such as high temperature environment. Such a polarizing element can be applied to various display devices such as liquid crystal display devices, EL display devices, field emission display devices, display devices using electronic papers, projection display devices or piezoelectric ceramic display devices.

A polymerizable compound-containing liquid crystal composition of the present invention relates to a liquid crystal composition containing a polymerizable compound represented by general formula (I) and a compound represented by general formula (II) and can be used for a liquid crystal display device imparted with liquid crystal aligning ability by polymerization. The polymerizable liquid crystal composition is required to cause no precipitation in a wide temperature range and have a low viscosity corresponding to fast switching, and a liquid crystal display device using the composition is required to have more stable alignment after polymerization and to cause no defect in display characteristics. In the present invention, the problems can be solved using a specified compound.

The present invention relates to compounds that have ultraviolet light absorbing properties, and which can also have mesogenic properties. The present invention also relates to compositions that include one or more such compounds, and to articles of manufacture that include one or more such compounds, such as optical elements that include an optical substrate and a layer that includes at least one compound of the present invention.

A liquid crystal display panel includes a first base substrate, a wire grid polarizer disposed on the first base substrate, a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal polarizer disposed on the first base substrate, a second base substrate facing the first base substrate and a liquid crystal layer between the first base substrate and the second base substrate.

A liquid crystal display panel includes a first base substrate, a wire grid polarizer disposed on the first base substrate, a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal polarizer disposed on the first base substrate, a second base substrate facing the first base substrate and a liquid crystal layer between the first base substrate and the second base substrate.

A liquid crystal composition is described, containing a chiral agent and achiral component T containing at least one compound 1 having an unsubstituted or methyl group-substituted dioxane ring and having at least one —COO— or —CF.sub.2O— as a connecting group, and exhibiting an optically isotropic liquid crystal phase.