Provided is an optically functional film that can contribute to the widening of the color gamut of an image display apparatus, the optically functional film being suppressed in brightness reduction and being excellent in durability. The optically functional film of the present invention includes: a resin layer; and a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer arranged on at least one side of the resin layer, wherein the resin layer and/or the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer contains, as coloring matters, a compound X represented by the general formula (I) or (II) and a compound Y having an absorption peak in a wavelength band in a range of from 400 nm to 700 nm, which are mixed with each other.

A laminate of optical elements comprises a transparent first optical element, a second optical element, and a transparent pressure-sensitive adhesive layer for bonding the first optical element to the second optical element. The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer comprises a base adhesive zone, a transparent refractive index-adjusting zone. The base adhesive zone is made essentially of a transparent base pressure-sensitive adhesive material and formed over a given range from a first principal surface of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer facing the first optical element, in a thickness direction of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. The a transparent, adherent, refractive index-adjusting zone is formed over a given range from a second principal surface of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer facing the second optical element.

Described herein are heterocyclic liquid crystal compositions that can allow for the adjustment of their refractive indices by the application of an electric field. In addition, selectively dimmable reverse-mode polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) elements and devices using these compositions are also described, which are transparent when no voltage is applied and opaque when a voltage is applied.

A polymerizable liquid crystal composition having excellent solubility, used for formation of an optically anisotropic film having excellent durability. The polymerizable liquid crystal composition contains a polymerizable liquid crystal compound P1 represented by Formula (1): A-Ar-A , a polymerizable liquid crystal compound P2 represented by Formula (2): A-Ar-B , and a polymerizable liquid crystal compound P3 represented by Formula (3): BAr-B .

In Formulae (1) and (2), A's represent predetermined side chains, all of which exhibit the same C log P value, and in Formulae (2) and (3), B's represent predetermined side chains, all of which exhibit the same C log P value. It should be noted that A and B represent side chains having C log P values different from each other, in which the C log P value of A is larger than the C log P value of B and the C log P value of at least one of A or B is 3.3 or more.

Described herein are embodiments of squarylium compounds for use as filters in light-emitting and/or display devices. One problem of known quarylium dyes is that strong nucleophiles can attack the electron-deficient cyclobutene ring which can lead to a loss of the dye's colour. Another potential drawback with squaraine dyes can be their tendency to form aggregates, which can lead to a substantial broadening of their absorption bands. Use of the present compounds in filters address these problems. The squarylium compounds of the present invention have the following formulas:

##STR00001##

Provided is an optical film having an excellent film contrast and improved moisture-heat resistance, a polarizing plate, and an image display device. The optical film has an optically anisotropic film obtained by polymerizing a polymerizable liquid crystal composition, and a photo-alignment film, in which the polymerizable liquid crystal composition contains a polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by Formula (1): L.sup.1-SP.sup.1-E.sup.1-Cy.sup.2-Cy.sup.1-D.sup.1-Ar.sup.1-D.sup.2-Cy.sup.3-Cy.sup.4-E.sup.2-SP.sup.2-L.sup.2 and the optically anisotropic film satisfies Formula (I): Re(450)/Re(550)<1 or Formula (II): Rth(450)/Rth(550)<1 and exhibits a diffraction peak derived from a periodic structure in X-ray diffraction measurement.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optically anisotropic film which has excellent moisture-heat resistance and can have a reduction in the thickness, an optical film, a polarizing plate, and an image display device. The optically anisotropic film of the embodiment of the present invention is an optically anisotropic film obtained by polymerizing a polymerizable liquid crystal composition, in which the polymerizable liquid crystal composition contains a polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by Formula (1) and a polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by Formula (2), and the optically anisotropic film satisfies Formula (3) or (4), and has a degree of alignment as measured by Raman spectroscopy of 0.4 or more.

L.sup.1-SP.sup.1-(E.sup.3-A.sup.1).sub.m-E.sup.1-G.sup.1-D.sup.1-Ar.sup.1-D.sup.2-G.sup.2-E.sup.2-(A.sup.2-E.sup.4).sub.n-SP.sup.2-L.sup.2(1)

L.sup.1-SP.sup.1-(E.sup.3-A.sup.1).sub.m-E.sup.1-G.sup.1-D.sup.1-Ar.sup.2-D.sup.2-G.sup.2-E.sup.2-(A.sup.2-E.sup.4).sub.n-SP.sup.2-L.sup.2(2)

Re(450)/Re(550)<1(3)

Rth(450)/Rth(550)<1(4)

Provided is a polymerizable liquid crystal composition used for formation of an optically anisotropic film having excellent durability, an optically anisotropic film, an optical film, a polarizing plate, and an image display device. The polymerizable liquid crystal composition contains a polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by Formula (1) and an acidic compound, in which a pKa of the acidic compound is more than 10 and 5 or less, and a content of the acidic compound is 20 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polymerizable liquid crystal compound.

##STR00001##

A backlight unit for a liquid crystal display device, the backlight unit including: an light emitting diode (LED) light source; a light conversion layer disposed separate from the LED light source to convert light emitted from the LED light source to white light and to provide the white light to the liquid crystal panel; and a light guide panel disposed between the LED light source and the light conversion layer, wherein the light conversion layer includes a semiconductor nanocrystal and a polymer matrix, and wherein the polymer matrix includes a first polymerized polymer of a first monomer including at least two thiol (SH) groups, each located at a terminal end of the first monomer, and a second monomer including at least two unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds, each located at a terminal end of the second monomer.

A laminate is provided having excellent adhesiveness between a light absorption anisotropic film and a barrier layer, a manufacturing method of the laminate, and an image display device using the laminate. A laminate having: a barrier layer A; and a light absorption anisotropic film B, in which the barrier layer A is adjacently provided on the light absorption anisotropic film B, a relationship between a highest content of a compound A1 contained in the barrier layer A and a highest content of a compound B1 contained in the light absorption anisotropic film B satisfies a relationship in which a value of distance calculated from Hansen solubility parameters and represented by Formula (I) is within a range of 0.0 to 5.0, and the light absorption anisotropic film B contains a component same as the compound A1.

distance={4(.sub.D(B1).sub.D(A1)).sup.2+(.sub.P(B1).sub.P(A1)).sup.2+(.sub.H(B1).sub.H(A1)).sup.2}.sup.0.5(I)