Provided is a polarizer having a high degree of alignment and an image display device including the polarizer. The polarizer is formed of a polarizer-forming composition containing a polymer liquid crystal compound and a dichroic material, in which the polymer liquid crystal compound is a thermotropic liquid crystal and a crystalline polymer, and the polymer liquid crystal compound and the dichroic material are horizontally aligned.

The present invention provides a composition to form an optically anisotropic film exhibiting excellent reverse wavelength dispersibility, an optically anisotropic film, a circularly polarizing plate; a display device; and a near-infrared absorbing coloring agent. The composition includes a liquid crystal compound or a polymer, and a near-infrared absorbing coloring agent having a structural moiety including a coloring agent skeleton and a mesogenic group that is bonded to the coloring agent skeleton, in which the near-infrared absorbing coloring agent satisfies Condition 1 where an absolute value λ1 of a square root of a first eigenvalue and an absolute value λ2 of a square root of a second eigenvalue satisfy a relationship of Formula (A) λ2/λ1≤0.60; and Condition 2: An angle between a direction of a transition moment of absorption of the infrared absorbing coloring agent and a direction of an eigenvector of the first eigenvalue is 75.0° or more.

A wire grid polarizer (WGP) can include an array of support-ribs on a substrate. Sides of the support-ribs can be inclined to one side. A wire can be applied on an upper-side and distal end of each support-rib, each wire being separate from wires on adjacent support-ribs. The WGP can be made with reduced or no etching.

A light emitting device including a semiconductor nanocrystal and a ligand bound to a surface of the semiconductor nanocrystal, wherein the ligand includes an organic thiol ligand or a salt thereof and a polyvalent metal compound including a metal including Zn, In, Ga, Mg, Ca, Sc, Sn, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Cd, Ba, Au, Hg, Tl, or a combination thereof, and a display device including the light emitting device.

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##

A polarizing plate and an optical display apparatus including the same are provided. A polarizing plate includes: a polarizer; and a pattern layer on a surface of the polarizer and including a first resin layer and a second resin layer facing the first resin layer, the first resin layer including a patterned portion located at at least a portion thereof facing the second resin layer, the patterned portion includes at least two embossed optical patterns and a flat section formed between a pair of adjacent embossed optical patterns, each of the embossed optical patterns includes an upper surface defining a wave pattern, and the wave pattern has a value of about 20% to 60%, as calculated according to Formula 1 herein, and a pitch of greater than about 100 μm and less than about 400 μm.

A light conversion member includes a light conversion film, a first gas barrier, and a first base material. The light conversion film converts color of light from a specific color. The first gas barrier is located on a side of the light conversion film where the light to be converted is incident. The first gas barrier includes one or more gas barrier layers that prevent moisture and gas from entering the light conversion film. The first base material is located on an opposite side of the first gas barrier from a face on which the light conversion film is located. The first base material transmits the light and holds the light conversion film and the first gas barrier. For a light of the specific color, a light transmittance of the first base material combined with the first gas barrier is higher than a light transmittance of the first base material alone.

An object of the present invention is to provide a polarizing element which has an excellent antireflection function as being applied to an image display device; and a circularly polarizing plate and an image display device, each of which has the polarizing element. The polarizing element of an embodiment of the present invention has an alignment film and an anisotropic light-absorbing film formed using a dichroic substance, in which a degree S of alignment of the anisotropic light-absorbing film is 0.92 or more, and an average refractive index n.sub.ave at a wavelength of 400 to 700 nm of the alignment film is 1.55 to 2.0.

A laminate including: a base material layer, an optical functional layer, and a polarizing plate; wherein the optical functional layer includes a plurality of light transmissive portions extending in one direction along a face of the base material layer, and arrayed in a direction different from an extending direction thereof, and an in-between portion(s) formed in the intervals of adjacent light transmissive portions, an angle formed by an extending direction of the transmission axis of the polarizing plate, and the extending direction of the light transmissive portions is 1° to 41.7° in a front view, the base material layer is formed of polycarbonate, and the average coefficient of linear expansion or the average linear expansion of the laminate is within a predetermined range.

The present invention provides a compound by which high refractive index anisotropy Δn and inhibition of colorability can be compatible. The present invention further provides a composition including the above-mentioned compound, a cured object, an optically anisotropic body, and a reflective film. The compound of the present invention is represented by General Formula (1). ##STR00001##