The present invention relates to liquid-crystalline media (LC media) having negative or positive dielectric anisotropy, comprising a low-molecular-weight component and a polymerizable component. The polymerizable component comprises self-aligning, polymerizable mesogens (polymerizable self-alignment additives) which effect homeotropic (vertical) alignment of the LC media at a surface or the cell walls of a liquid-crystal display (LC display). The invention therefore also encompasses LC displays having homeotropic alignment of the LC medium without alignment layers. The invention discloses novel structures for polymerizable self-alignment additives which have a certain position of the functional groups.

The present invention relates to liquid-crystalline media (LC media) having negative or positive dielectric anisotropy comprising self-aligning mesogens (SAMs) which effect homeotropic (vertical) alignment of the LC media at a surface or the cell walls of a liquid-crystal display (LC display). The invention therefore also encompasses LC displays having homeotropic alignment of the liquid-crystalline medium (LC medium) without conventional imide alignment layers. The LC media may be supplemented by a polymerizable or polymerized component, which serves for stabilization of the alignment, for adjustment of the tilt angle and/or as passivation layer.

A liquid crystal material, a liquid crystal display panel, and a method for manufacturing the liquid crystal display panel are disclosed. A liquid crystal material is used to form a polymer film on a substrate on which no PI layer is provided so as to realize normal display of the liquid crystal panel. Meanwhile, realiability of the panel can be improved, a voltage holding rate can be improved, and poor alignment of the self-alignment liquid crystal material, afterimage, and other problems can be solved.

Liquid-crystalline media containing a) one or more compounds of formula IA,

##STR00001## and b) one or more compounds of formula II

##STR00002## and c) one or more compounds of formulae III-1 to III-4,

##STR00003##

their use in electro-optical displays, particularly in active-matrix displays based on the VA, ECB, FFS or IPS effect.

The present invention relates to liquid-crystalline media (LC media) comprising a low-molecular-weight component, a self-alignment additive comprising a thiol group and optionally a polymerizable component. The self-alignment additives effect homeotropic (vertical) alignment of the LC media at a surface or the cell walls of a liquid-crystal display (LC display). The invention therefore also encompasses LC displays having homeotropic alignment of the liquid-crystalline medium (LC medium) without alignment layers. The invention discloses novel structures for self-alignment additives which have a thiol functional groups.

The present invention relates to liquid-crystalline media (LC media) having negative or positive dielectric anisotropy, comprising a low-molecular-weight component and a polymerisable component. The polymerisable component comprises self-aligning, polymerisable mesogens (polymerisable self-alignment additives) which effect homeotropic (vertical) alignment of the LC media at a surface or the cell walls of a liquid-crystal display (LC display). The invention therefore also encompasses LC displays having homeotropic alignment of the LC medium without alignment layers. The invention discloses novel structures for polymerisable self-alignment additives which have a certain position of the functional groups.

A shape-programmable liquid crystal elastomer comprises polymerized, nematic monomers. The monomers are organized into a plurality of voxels with each voxel having a director orientation.

The invention relates to the compounds of the formula I and to a liquid-crystalline medium based on a mixture of polar compounds which contains at least one compound of the formula I

##STR00001## in which in which R.sup.1, R.sup.2, ring A.sup.1, Z.sup.1, Z.sup.2, Sp, P, L.sup.1, L.sup.2, r1, r2, r3, m, n, p1 and p2 have the meanings indicated in Claim 1 and to the use of the LC mixtures in electro-optical displays, especially for the self-aligning VA, PSA, PS-VA, PVA, MVA, PM-VA, HT-VA or VA-IPS mode.

The present invention relates to liquid-crystalline media (LC media) having negative or positive dielectric anisotropy, comprising a low-molecular-weight component and a polymerizable component. The polymerizable component comprises self-aligning, polymerizable mesogens (polymerizable self-alignment additives) which effect homeotropic (vertical) alignment of the LC media at a surface or the cell walls of a liquid-crystal display (LC display). The invention therefore also encompasses LC displays having homeotropic alignment of the LC medium without alignment layers. The invention discloses novel structures for self-alignment additives which have a certain position of the functional groups.

A shape-programmable liquid crystal elastomer comprises polymerized, nematic monomers. The monomers are organized into a plurality of voxels with each voxel having a director orientation.