A side chain type polymer liquid crystalline compound with which a light absorption anisotropic film having a high alignment degree can be formed, which includes a liquid crystalline composition, a light absorption anisotropic film which is formed of the liquid crystalline composition, a laminate, and an image display device. A liquid crystalline composition contains a side chain type polymer liquid crystalline compound and a dichroic substance, the side chain type polymer liquid crystalline compound is a copolymer having repeating units 1 and 2, the repeating unit 1 has a mesogenic group and an electron-withdrawing group having a Hammett's substituent constant σp of greater than 0 at a terminal of the mesogenic group, and the repeating unit 2 has a mesogenic group and a group having a Hammett's substituent constant σp of 0 or less at a terminal of the mesogenic group.

The invention relates to a light modulation element comprising a cholesteric liquid crystalline medium sandwiched between two substrates (1), provided with a common electrode structure (2) and a driving electrode structure (3) individually, wherein the substrate with driving and/or common electrode structure is additionally provided with an alignment electrode structure (4) which is separated from the driving and or common electrode structure on the same substrate by a dielectric layer (5), characterized in that it comprises at least one alignment layer (6) directly adjacent to the liquid crystalline medium. The invention is further related to a method of production of said light modulation element and to the use of said light modulation element in various types of optical and electro-optical devices, such as electro-optical displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), non-linear optic (NLO) devices, and optical information storage devices.

The invention relates to a light modulation element comprising a cholesteric liquid crystalline medium sandwiched between two substrates (1), provided with a common electrode structure (2) and a driving electrode structure (3) individually, wherein the substrate with driving and/or common electrode structure is additionally provided with an alignment electrode structure (4) which is separated from the driving and or common electrode structure on the same substrate by a dielectric layer (5), characterized in that it comprises at least one alignment layer (6) directly adjacent to the liquid crystalline medium. The invention is further related to a method of production of said light modulation element and to the use of said light modulation element in various types of optical and electro-optical devices, such as electro-optical displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), non-linear optic (NLO) devices, and optical information storage devices.

The invention relates to a liquid-crystalline medium based on a mixture of polar compounds comprising a self-alignment additive for vertical alignment and additionally at least one compound of formula I as described more closely within this disclosure (polymerizable HALS), especially for vertically aligned display applications.

The invention relates to a liquid-crystalline medium based on a mixture of polar compounds comprising a self-alignment additive for vertical alignment and additionally at least one compound of formula I as described more closely within this disclosure (polymerizable HALS), especially for vertically aligned display applications.

Methods for colloidal particle manipulation mediated by an elastic fluid responsive to changes in boundary conditions, including methods of controlling motion of colloidal particles using wavy wall boundary conditions. Methods for driving transitions in topological defect configurations of colloidal particles using wavy wall boundary conditions.

Methods for colloidal particle manipulation mediated by an elastic fluid responsive to changes in boundary conditions, including methods of controlling motion of colloidal particles using wavy wall boundary conditions. Methods for driving transitions in topological defect configurations of colloidal particles using wavy wall boundary conditions.

The present invention relates to a photoalignment composition for the alignment of liquid crystals and the stabilization of the pre-tilt angle in liquid crystal layers. Further the present invention relates to the liquid crystal alignment film and coating layer prepared from the said composition and the use to fabricate optical and electrooptical elements and devices.

Provided are an optical element that can make the brightness of light emitted from a light guide plate uniform, a light guide element, and an image display device. The optical element includes a patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer that is obtained by immobilizing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, in which the patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from a liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating in at least one in-plane direction, and the patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer has regions having different pitches of helical structures in a plane.

The invention relates to compounds of the formula I, ##STR00001##
in which
R, A, n, L.sup.1, L.sup.2, L.sup.3 and X have the meanings given in Claim 1, to a process for their preparation, and to liquid-crystalline media comprising at least one compound of the formula I and electro-optical displays containing a liquid-crystalline medium of this type.