Light emitting electrochemical cell devices comprising chiral liquid crystalline materials. The chiral liquid crystalline material mixtures of the devices function as both electrolytes and as light emitting materials. The chiral liquid crystalline material mixtures also form photonic crystal structures creating a photonic stop band. The presence of the photonic stop band enables the light emitting electrochemical cell devices to emit light with improved energy efficiency.

The present application relates to a novel liquid crystal compound and a use thereof. The novel liquid crystal compounds of the present application can exhibit a smectic A phase over a wide temperature range. The novel liquid crystal compounds of the present application can be usefully used in the technical fields to which smectic A liquid crystals can be applied, for example, bistable devices.

The present invention provides an optical film exhibiting high alignment and good phase difference development in an oblique direction, and a polarizing plate and an image display device using the same. This optical film of the present invention has a substrate; and a phase difference layer which is provided on the substrate to be adjacent to the substrate, in which the phase difference layer is a layer formed by fixing vertical alignment of a liquid crystal compound having a polymerizable group included in a liquid crystal composition containing the liquid crystal compound and a polymer compound, a difference in a value between the polymer compound and the substrate, which is calculated using three-dimensional SP values, is 3 or less, and a content of the polymer compound is less than 10 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the liquid crystal compound.

A dye composition dissolvable within a liquid crystal host device (including: polymer dispersed liquid crystal, polymer network liquid crystal, polymer stabilized liquid crystal, liquid crystal displays and similar devices), comprising eutectic mixtures of dichroic metallomesogen molecules. The aforesaid metallomesogen molecules comprise chromophore groups synthesized by physical and chemical mixing methods.

A dye composition dissolvable within a liquid crystal host device (including: polymer dispersed liquid crystal, polymer network liquid crystal, polymer stabilized liquid crystal, liquid crystal displays and similar devices), comprising eutectic mixtures of dichroic metallomesogen molecules. The aforesaid metallomesogen molecules comprise chromophore groups synthesized by physical and chemical mixing methods.

The present invention relates to thiadiazoloquinoxaline derivatives of the formula I, ##STR00001##
in which R.sup.11, R.sup.12, A.sup.11, A.sup.12, A.sup.21, A.sup.22, Z.sup.11, Z.sup.12, Z.sup.21, Z.sup.22, W, X.sup.11, X.sup.12, r and s have the meanings indicated in Claim 1, to processes and intermediates for the preparation thereof, to the use of the compounds of the formula I for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in liquid-crystal media and in devices for regulating the passage of energy from an outside space into an inside space, and to these LC media and the devices comprising these media.

The present invention relates to thiadiazoloquinoxaline derivatives of the formula I, ##STR00001##
in which R.sup.11, R.sup.12, A.sup.11, A.sup.12, A.sup.21, A.sup.22, Z.sup.11, Z.sup.12, Z.sup.21, Z.sup.22, W, X.sup.11, X.sup.12, r and s have the meanings indicated in Claim 1, to processes and intermediates for the preparation thereof, to the use of the compounds of the formula I for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in liquid-crystal media and in devices for regulating the passage of energy from an outside space into an inside space, and to these LC media and the devices comprising these media.

The present invention relates to thermotropic ionic liquid crystal molecules of general formula (I)

##STR00001##

With E.sub.1 and E.sub.2, which may be identical or different, representing, independently of one another, a linear, saturated and unsubstituted C.sub.10 to C.sub.14 hydrocarbon-based radical, A.sup.x representing a sulfonate anion or a sulfonylimide anion of formula SO.sub.2N.sup.SO.sub.2C.sub.yF.sub.2y+1 with y being an integer ranging from 0 to 2 and C.sup.x+ a sodium, lithium or potassium ion, most particularly advantageous for their conductivity performance qualities as an electrolyte in particular for lithium batteries.

The limitation of the different classes of responsive liquid crystals such as volatility in case of low molecular weight liquid crystals (LMWLCs) can be overcome by the development of a responsive film based on polymerliquid crystals (PLCs) and reactive mesogens (RMs or reactive liquid crystal monomers) to create a responsive film or coating material which appears to be easily alignable and processable. That coating material shows a large response of which the properties can be tuned in a modular approach. In this way, the advantages of both materials, PLCs and RMs, were combined, yielding stable films, which can be aligned when desired and which stimuli-responsive properties can be tuned by the choice of RMs. Thus mixtures of PLCs with RMs open the doors to a wide variety of stimuli-responsive coating systems, without the need of time consuming trial-and-error synthesis of PLCs and closed liquid crystal cells. By choosing chiral RMs, cholesteric LC coatings can for instance be fabricated, while a light responsive RM could provide a light responsive coating. In addition, one could use similar methods as were used for LMWLCs with RMs in closed cells to prepare for example broadband reflectors or patterned coatings that change topography by a stimulus.

Disclosed are a liquid crystal mixture and a temperature-responsive infrared reflection device made by using the liquid crystal mixture containing potassium laurate. Infrared light can pass through the device within a non-working temperature range, and a chiral dopant enables potassium laurate to form a cholesteric phase within a working temperature range. The birefringence value of the potassium laurate gradually increases with the increase of temperature between 12.5 C. and 26 C., so that the infrared reflection bandwidth of the device constantly increases. The birefringence value of the potassium laurate gradually decreases with the increase of temperature between 26 C. and 54.5 C., so that the infrared reflection bandwidth of the device constantly decreases. The infrared reflection bandwidth of the infrared reflection device can vary with temperature by adjusting the proportions of the ingredients of the liquid crystal mixture containing potassium laurate, so that the device can satisfy the demands of people which vary with the environment, and can be applied in many fields such as households and buildings.