Provided is an organic electroluminescent display device having excellent thermal durability including, in order from a visual recognition side, at least a circularly polarizing plate, and an organic electroluminescent display element having a pair of electrodes and an organic light emitting layer sandwiched therebetween, in which the circularly polarizing plate has a polarizer and an optically anisotropic layer, the polarizer having a thickness of 10 μm or less and containing a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin, or having a dichroic organic coloring agent, the optically anisotropic layer being formed of a composition containing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound exhibiting reverse wavelength dispersibility, a silicon nitride layer being included between the circularly polarizing plate and the organic electroluminescent display element, and the circularly polarizing plate being disposed between two substrates having a moisture permeability of 1 g/m2.Math.day or less, and one of the low moisture permeability substrates is the silicon nitride layer.

Provided is an image recording method including a step of preparing at least two ink compositions including a first ink composition that contains a polymerizable liquid crystal compound, a chiral compound, a polymerization initiator, and an organic solvent and a second ink composition that contains a polymerizable liquid crystal compound, a chiral compound, a polymerization initiator, and an organic solvent, a step of applying the first ink composition onto a substrate by an inkjet recording method, a step of forming a first ink film by irradiating the first ink composition applied onto the substrate with an active energy ray, a step of applying the second ink composition onto the first ink film by an inkjet recording method, and a step of forming a second ink film by irradiating the second ink composition applied onto the first ink film with an active energy ray, in which the first ink film has a hexadecane-contacting angle of 45° or less.

Assemblies and methods for modulating (e.g., near) infrared radiation are provided. Exemplary assemblies include a composite material interposed between a first substrate and a second substrate. The composite material includes plasmonic nanoparticles (e.g., nanoplates) dispersed in a nematic liquid crystal.

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition capable of forming an optically anisotropic layer with suppressed alignment defects and an excellent alignment degree, an optically anisotropic layer, a laminate, and an image display device. The liquid crystal composition of the present invention includes a rod-like liquid crystal compound, and an interface improver having a repeating unit B1 represented by Formula (N-1) and a repeating unit B2 having a fluorine atom. In Formula (N-1), R.sup.B11 and R.sup.B12 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a substituent, and R.sup.B13 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, a halogen atom, or a cyano group. Here, in a case where R.sup.B11 and R.sup.B12 represent a substituent, R.sup.B11 and R.sup.B12 may be linked to each other to form a ring.

##STR00001##

Provided are a cholesteric liquid crystal layer having an excellent reflection anisotropy, a low haze, and a high circular polarization degree of reflected light, and a method for producing the same. In addition, provided are a laminate, an optically anisotropic body, and a reflective film, each of which including the cholesteric liquid crystal layer. A cholesteric liquid crystal layer formed using a liquid crystal compound, in which, in at least one main plane out of a pair of main planes of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer, a direction of a molecular axis of the liquid crystal compound changes while continually rotating along at least one in-plane direction, the molecular axis of the liquid crystal compound is tilted with respect to the main plane of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer, and an arrangement direction of bright portions and dark portions derived from the cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, as observed under a scanning electron microscope in a cross section perpendicular to the main plane, is tilted with respect to the main plane of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer.

An object of the present invention is to provide a compound having an excellent rate of change in HTP caused by exposure. Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition formed of the compound, a cured product, an optically anisotropic body, and a reflective film.

The compound of the present invention is represented by General Formula (1).

##STR00001##

In General Formula (1), a portion where a solid line and a broken line are parallel to each other represents a single bond or a double bond.

In General Formula (1), X.sup.1 to X.sup.8 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a monovalent substituent. However, at least one of X.sup.1, X.sup.3, X.sup.5, or X.sup.7 and at least one of X.sup.2, X.sup.4, X.sup.6, or X.sup.8 represent a substituent including a group represented by General Formula (2).

##STR00002##

In General Formula (2), Z represents a single bond or —O—. Y.sup.1 and Y.sup.2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group not including an aryl group. *1 and *2 represent bonding positions.

An object of the present invention is to provide a phase difference film having excellent alignment without the need for alignment treatment on a support, a method for manufacturing a phase difference film, a polarizing plate, and a liquid crystal display device. The phase difference film of the present invention includes a support, and a liquid crystal layer formed of a liquid crystal composition containing a liquid crystalline compound so as to be in contact with the support, in which a surface energy of a surface of the support on which the liquid crystal layer is formed is 45 mN/m or more and a non-polar dispersion force component included in the surface energy is 45 mN/m or more, the liquid crystalline compound is immobilized in an aligned state, and a contrast is more than 10000.

An object of the present invention is to provide a photo-alignable polymer which has excellent coating properties, is capable of suppressing film thickness unevenness, and has excellent upper layer coating properties and good liquid crystal alignment properties after being formed as a layer; a binder composition; a binder layer; an optical laminate; a method for producing an optical laminate; and an image display device. The photo-alignable polymer of an embodiment of the present invention is a photo-alignable polymer having a repeating unit A including a cleavage group capable of decomposing by an action of at least one selected from the group consisting of light, heat, an acid, and a base to generate a polar group, in which the repeating unit A has the cleavage group in a side chain, has a fluorine atom or a silicon atom on a side closer to a terminal than the cleavage group in the side chain, and the photo-alignable polymer satisfies Condition 1 or Condition 2 shown below. Condition 1: The photo-alignable polymer further has a repeating unit B including a photo-alignable group, in addition to the repeating unit A. Condition 2: The repeating unit A includes a photo-alignable group on a side closer to the main chain than the cleavage group in the side chain.

Provided is a laminate which is suppressed in crystal precipitation in a pressure sensitive adhesive layer containing an ultraviolet absorber and which has an optically anisotropic layer exhibiting excellent light resistance; a liquid crystal display device; and an organic EL display device. The laminate includes a pressure sensitive adhesive layer and an optically anisotropic layer, in which the pressure sensitive adhesive layer contains a (meth)acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive and a compound represented by Formula (I), and the optically anisotropic layer is a layer formed of a composition containing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound exhibiting reverse wavelength dispersibility.

##STR00001##

Provided is a laminate which is suppressed in crystal precipitation in a transparent resin film containing an ultraviolet absorber even in an evaluation of moisture-heat resistance and which has an optically anisotropic layer exhibiting excellent light resistance; a liquid crystal display device; and an organic EL display device. The laminate includes a transparent resin film and an optically anisotropic layer, in which the transparent resin film contains a resin and a resin and a compound represented by Formula (I), the resin is at least one resin selected from the group consisting of a cellulose-based resin, a (meth)acrylic resin, a polyester-based resin, a polyamide-based resin, a polyimide-based resin, and a cycloolefin-based resin, and the optically anisotropic layer is a layer formed of a composition containing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound exhibiting reverse wavelength dispersibility.

##STR00001##