An object of the present invention is to provide a binder composition which is excellent in upper layer coatability after being formed as a binder layer and can improve liquid crystal aligning properties, a binder layer, an optical laminate, and an image display device. A binder composition according to the embodiment of the present invention is a binder composition containing: a binder; a polymerization initiator; a surfactant; and a photo-alignment agent, in which the surfactant and the photo-alignment agent include functional groups capable of hydrogen bonding with each other, and the functional group capable of hydrogen bonding included in any one of the surfactant or the photo-alignment agent is a proton-donating functional group, and the functional group included in the other of the surfactant or the photo-alignment agent is a proton-accepting functional group.

The present invention relates to polymers that include residues of at least one monomer represented by the following Formula (I). With reference to Formula (I), at least one of E1 and E2 independently is, or is independently substituted with, at least one reactive group, such as a (meth)acryloyl group. Monomers represented by Formula (I) and monomer residues thereof have alignment properties, such as photoalignment properties. The present invention also relates to alignment layers that include such polymers, and articles of manufacture, such as optical elements, that include one or more such alignment layers. ##STR00001##

The invention relates to liquid-crystal mixtures which comprise polyfluorinated additives, and to liquid-crystal displays based on these mixtures.

A liquid crystal display device, which includes a first substrate and a second substrate disposed to face each other with a liquid crystal sandwiched therebetween. The first substrate is an electrode-provided substrate having a first electrode and a plurality of second electrodes overlaid on the first electrode via an insulating film, formed on a pixel region on a surface on the liquid crystal side, where one of the first electrode and the second electrodes is a pixel electrode and the other is a counter electrode, having a first liquid crystal alignment film formed on the surface on the liquid crystal side of the first substrate covered with the second electrodes. The second substrate is a substrate having a second liquid crystal alignment film formed on a surface on the liquid crystal side, the second liquid crystal alignment film containing a photosensitive side chain type polymer which develops liquid crystallinity.

The present invention is to provide an appropriate configuration of a VUV polarizer that can be used for such a process as photo-alignment. The VUV polarizer can polarize VUV light not more than 200 nm in wavelength, and has a substrate transparent to the VUV light and a grid on the substrate. The grid is formed of a lot of linear parts in parallel and structured with no filler between the linear parts. A material of each linear part is an oxide of a Group 3 element or Group 4 element, and makes PE not less than 0.2 under an optical constant combination making PE maximum in the VUV range, where PE=T.sup.2×log.sub.10(ER), T is the transmittance of the grid, and ER is the extinction ratio of the grid. A workpiece is subjected to a photo-alignment processing by irradiation of VUV polarized light emitting from the VUV polarizer.

The present invention relates to siloxane polymer, copolymer or oligomer for the photoalignment of liquid crystals, especially for the planar orientation of liquid crystals, and which derives from at least one monomer of formula (I), to compositions thereof, to a process for the preparation of the linear, branched or crosslinked siloxane polymer, and to its use for optical and electro optical devices, such as liquid crystal devices (LCDs): ##STR00001##

An LCD panel, comprises substrates facing each other, a liquid crystal layer disposed between the substrates and liquid crystal alignment layers, each sandwiched between the liquid crystal layer and a respective one of the substrates, wherein the liquid crystal alignment layers comprises hydrocarbon derivative having perfluorocarbon group.

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal alignment agent composition comprising degradable liquid crystal alignment polymer; and a catalyst precursor compound of a specific structure, a method for preparing a liquid crystal alignment film using the same, and a liquid crystal alignment film and a liquid crystal display using the same.

An object of the invention is to provide a photo-alignment copolymer capable of improving upper layer coatability after layer formation, a binder composition, a binder layer, an optical laminate, and an image display device. A photo-alignment copolymer according to the embodiment of the invention has a repeating unit A including a photo-alignment group, a repeating unit B including a crosslinkable group which causes a crosslinking reaction by the action of at least one selected from the group consisting of light, heat, an acid, and a base, and a repeating unit C including a cleaving group which decomposes by the action of at least one selected from the group consisting of light, heat, an acid, and a base to produce a polar group, and the repeating unit C has the cleaving group on a side chain, and has a group of atoms which is provided on a side closer to a terminal than the cleaving group on the side chain to be able to unevenly distribute the photo-alignment copolymer on an air interface side.

Provided is a liquid crystal alignment agent that makes it possible to obtain a liquid crystal alignment film having a superior balance among solvent resistance, liquid crystal alignment properties, and voltage holding ratio. The liquid crystal alignment agent contains a polymer [P] including: at least one ring structure of an oxetane ring and an oxirane ring; (B) a functional group that reacts with at least one of the oxetane ring and the oxirane ring by heating; and (C) an optically aligning group.