Provided is an optical film with a resin substrate adhered to an optically anisotropic layer and suppression of occurrence of optical defects in the optically anisotropic layer. The optical film has a resin substrate having an alignment regulating force and an optically anisotropic layer arranged thereon, in which the optically anisotropic layer contains a liquid crystal compound and a compound having a heteroatom different from the liquid crystal compound, and in a case where a surface of the optical film on an optically anisotropic layer side thereof is a first surface and a surface of the optical film on a resin substrate side thereof is a second surface, and components of the optical film in a depth direction are analyzed by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry while irradiating the optical film with an ion beam from the first surface toward the second surface, the obtained profile satisfies a predetermined requirement.

Provided is an optical film with a resin substrate adhered to an optically anisotropic layer and suppression of occurrence of optical defects in the optically anisotropic layer. The optical film has a resin substrate having an alignment regulating force and an optically anisotropic layer arranged thereon, in which the optically anisotropic layer contains a liquid crystal compound and a compound having a heteroatom different from the liquid crystal compound, and in a case where a surface of the optical film on an optically anisotropic layer side thereof is a first surface and a surface of the optical film on a resin substrate side thereof is a second surface, and components of the optical film in a depth direction are analyzed by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry while irradiating the optical film with an ion beam from the first surface toward the second surface, the obtained profile satisfies a predetermined requirement.

The spontaneous orientation aid for a liquid crystal composition provides storage stability and allows liquid crystal molecules to be vertically aligned without a PI layer when added to a liquid crystal composition. When used in a liquid crystal composition, the spontaneous orientation aid can adsorb to substrates sandwiching a liquid crystal composition (liquid crystal layer) and keep the liquid crystal molecules aligned in a vertical direction. The spontaneous orientation aid makes it possible to align liquid crystal molecules without a PI layer (to induce vertical alignment of liquid crystal molecules under no applied voltage and to achieve horizontal alignment of the liquid crystal molecules under an applied voltage).

A polymerisable LC material comprising one or more di- or multireactive mesogenic compounds and one or more compounds of formula UVI,

##STR00001##

and one or more compounds of formula UVII,

##STR00002##

Further, a method for its preparation, a polymer film with improved thermal durability and UV stability obtainable from a corresponding polymerisable LC material, a method of preparation of such polymer film, and the use of such polymer film and said polymerisable LC material for optical, electro-optical, decorative or security devices.

The present invention relates to aromatic isothiocyanates of formula U ##STR00001##
as defined in claim 1, to liquid-crystalline media comprising one or more compounds of formula U and to high-frequency components comprising these media, especially microwave components for high-frequency devices, such as devices for shifting the phase of microwaves, tunable filters, tunable metamaterial structures, and electronic beam steering antennas, e.g. phased array antennas.

The present invention relates to aromatic isothiocyanates of formula U ##STR00001##
as defined in claim 1, to liquid-crystalline media comprising one or more compounds of formula U and to high-frequency components comprising these media, especially microwave components for high-frequency devices, such as devices for shifting the phase of microwaves, tunable filters, tunable metamaterial structures, and electronic beam steering antennas, e.g. phased array antennas.

An additive, liquid-crystal composition and a liquid-crystal display using the additive are provided. The additive includes a first additive molecule having a structure represented by formula (I): ##STR00001## wherein R.sup.i1, R.sup.i2, R.sup.i3, A.sup.i1, A.sup.i2, Z.sup.i, m.sup.1 and m.sup.2 are defined as in the specification.

An object is to provide a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal layer in which an alignment film is repeatedly used and a liquid crystal compound in a liquid crystal layer can be sufficiently aligned. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal layer includes: an alignment film forming step of forming an alignment film on a support; a liquid crystal alignment film alignment step of laminating a first liquid crystal composition including a polymerizable liquid crystal compound on the alignment film and aligning the first liquid crystal composition; a liquid crystal alignment layer forming step of polymerizing the aligned first liquid crystal composition to form a liquid crystal alignment layer; a peeling step of laminating and immobilizing a surface of the liquid crystal alignment layer opposite to the alignment film on an adherend and peeling the liquid crystal alignment layer from the alignment film at an interface between the liquid crystal alignment layer and the alignment film; a liquid crystal layer alignment step of laminating a second liquid crystal composition including a polymerizable liquid crystal compound on a surface of the liquid crystal alignment layer from which the alignment film is peeled off and aligning the second liquid crystal composition; a liquid crystal layer forming step of polymerizing the aligned second liquid crystal composition to form a liquid crystal layer; and a liquid crystal layer separation step of separating the formed liquid crystal layer from the liquid crystal alignment layer, in which the liquid crystal layer alignment step to the liquid crystal layer separation step are repeated to repeatedly prepare the liquid crystal layer.

The invention relates to a polymerisable LC material comprising at least one di- or multireactive mesogenic compound and at least one compound of formula I,

##STR00001##

in which the parameter R.sup.1, A.sup.1, Z.sup.1, Z.sup.2, n, Sp, P, p1, p2, L.sup.1, L.sup.2, r1, r2, m and R.sup.2 have one of the meanings as given in claim 1. Furthermore, the present invention relates also to a method for the preparation of a polymerisable LC material, a polymer film obtainable from the corresponding polymerisable LC material, to a method of preparation of such polymer film, and to the use of such polymer film and said polymerisable LC material for optical, electro-optical, decorative or security devices.

The invention relates to a polymerisable LC material comprising one or more di- or multireactive mesogenic compounds and one or more compounds of formula UVI,

##STR00001##

wherein the individual radicals have one of the meaning as given in the claims. Furthermore, the present invention relates also to a method for its preparation, a polymer film with improved thermal durability and UV stability obtainable from a corresponding polymerisable LC material, to a method of preparation of such polymer film, and to the use of such polymer film and said polymerisable LC material for optical, electrooptical, decorative or security devices.