Provided are a liquid crystal composition satisfying at least one of characteristics such as high maximum temperature, low minimum temperature, small viscosity, suitable optical anisotropy and large dielectric anisotropy, or the liquid crystal composition having 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 small optical anisotropy as a first component, and a specific compound having positive dielectric anisotropy 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.

A liquid-crystal (LC) medium which is based on a mixture of polar compounds and is substantially dielectrically neutral, its use for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular as optical retarder or optical compensator in LC displays, an optical retarder or optical compensator containing the LC medium, an optical, electrooptical or electronic device containing the optical retarder or optical compensator, and a process of manufacturing the optical retarder or optical compensator.

Design and applications of a class of water-soluble small molecules represented by formula 1. The molecules, in their dilute aqueous solutions, exhibit lower critical solution temperature (LCST) phase transitions near room temperature, inducing a temperature triggered switching of opacity. Further, disclosed is a scalable smart window, akin to a radiative energy management system, that can be incorporated into the built environment for imparting energy efficiency. The window fabrication is facile wherein the aqueous solution is sandwiched between two transparent glass panes to enable modulation of light and heat transmission. The dynamic window of present invention represents with multifarious applications in developing scalable, smart energy management systems for indoor building environments is envisioned to be a major contribution towards cost effective smart glass technologies.

##STR00001##

The invention relates to liquid-crystalline media which can be used, in particular, for electro-optical displays having active-matrix addressing based on the ECB effect and for IPS (in-plane switching) displays or FFS (fringe field switching) displays.

A solution is a compound represented by formula (1), a liquid crystal composition containing the compound and a liquid crystal display device including the composition. ##STR00001## In formula (1), R.sup.a and R.sup.b are independently alkyl having 1 to 30 carbons or the like; and X and Y are independently fluoroalkyl having 1 to 5 carbons, fluoroalkoxy having 1 to 5 carbons or pentafluorosulfanil, and one of X and Y may be fluorine.

Mesogenic media comprising a first component, component A, consisting of bimesogenic compounds optionally a second component, component B, consisting of nematogenic compounds, and optionally a second or third component, component C, consisting of one or more chiral molecules, is suitable for use in flexoelectric liquid crystal devices.

The invention relates to a liquid-crystalline medium based on a mixture of polar compounds which contains at least one compound of the formula I, ##STR00001##
and at least one additional compound, and to the use of the LC mixtures for an active- or passive matrix addressed displays, in particular based on the VA, PSA, PS-VA, IPS, FFS, PS-IPS, PS-FFS technology, preferably in optical displays for the self-aligning VA mode.

[Object] To provide a liquid crystal alignment layer that can easily be formed, to which an anchoring force can be efficiently induced with less polarized light for exposure, and that is effective in controlling the orientation and pretilt angle of liquid crystal molecules, and a compound and polymer that can be used for such a liquid crystal alignment layer. [Solution] A compound is represented by general formula (I): ##STR00001##
where L is a polymerizable group; Sp is a spacer unit containing methylene; Q is a direct bond, O, or other group; A contains a group selected from the group consisting of trans-1,4-cyclohexylene and other groups; s is an integer of 1 to 4, where if s is 2 to 4, each A may be the same or different; X and Y are each independently hydrogen or other group; and M is any of general formulas (IIa), (IIb), and (IIc): ##STR00002##

The invention relates to a polymer film having negative optical dispersion, novel polymerisable compounds and liquid crystal (LC) materials for its preparation, and the use of the polymer film and novel compounds and materials in optical, electrooptical, electronic, semiconducting or luminescent components or devices.

A method for preparing a monodomain liquid crystal elastomer smart fiber incudes: during cross-linking process of the liquid crystal elastomer, drawing of liquid crystal elastomer fibers with uniform diameter from a polymer solution when the viscosity of the cross-linked polymer solution increases to a point where filaments can be drawn; heating by an infrared lamp to form filamentous liquid crystal elastomer fiber; natural air drying to remove excess solvent in the fiber; and stretching and collection of the fiber, followed by placement of the fiber, whereby the monodomain liquid crystal elastomer smart fiber is obtained. The method uses a one-step liquid phase drawing method, which is simple and suitable for large-scale industrial production and enables continuous preparation of high-strength, large-deformation reversible shape memory liquid crystal elastomer fiber with uniform and controllable diameter, breaking through the limitations of the size, strength and driving performance of existing liquid crystal elastomers.