Alignment films include a copolymer of a specific vertical alignment monomer and at least one of a specific anthracene-based monomer and a specific benzyl-based monomer.

Alignment films include a copolymer of a specific vertical alignment monomer and at least one of a specific anthracene-based monomer and a specific benzyl-based monomer.

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.

A compound represented by the General Formula (I) as defined herein, in which, in the General Formula (I), P.sup.1 and P.sup.2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, —CN, —NCS, or a polymerizable group, Sp.sup.1 and Sp.sup.2 each independently represent a single bond or a divalent linking group as defined herein, Z.sup.1, Z.sup.2 and Z.sup.3 each independently represent a particular linking group as defined herein, X.sup.1 and X.sup.2 each independently represent a single bond or —S as defined herein, k represents an integer of 2 to 4, m and n each independently represent an integer of 0 to 3 as defined herein, A.sup.1, A.sup.2, A.sup.3, and A.sup.4 each independently represent a particular group as defined herein is provided.

[Object] An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition containing a polymerizable compound for use in the manufacture of a PSA or PSVA liquid crystal display device. The polymerizable compound has a sufficiently high polymerization rate. The PSA or PSVA liquid crystal display device has few or no display defects due to a change in pretilt angle, has an adequate pretilt angle, and has high responsiveness. The present invention also provides a liquid crystal display device having the liquid crystal composition. [Solution] The object is achieved by using a liquid crystal composition containing one or two or more polymerizable compounds represented by the general formula (I).

[Object] An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition containing a polymerizable compound for use in the manufacture of a PSA or PSVA liquid crystal display device. The polymerizable compound has a sufficiently high polymerization rate. The PSA or PSVA liquid crystal display device has few or no display defects due to a change in pretilt angle, has an adequate pretilt angle, and has high responsiveness. The present invention also provides a liquid crystal display device having the liquid crystal composition. [Solution] The object is achieved by using a liquid crystal composition containing one or two or more polymerizable compounds represented by the general formula (I).

Provided are an optical film, a circularly polarizing plate, and an image display apparatus in each of which the occurrence of cracks is suppressed in the obtained film in a case of being punched. The optical film includes a stretched resin film and a liquid crystal layer formed by fixing a liquid crystal compound twist-aligned along a helical axis extending along a direction in thickness, in which a δa value calculated using a three-dimensional solubility parameter of a resin in the stretched resin film is 8.0 MPa.sup.1/2 or less, the liquid crystal layer contains a cured substance of a polyfunctional compound having two or more polymerizable groups in one molecule, and an absolute value of a difference between the δa value calculated using the three-dimensional solubility parameter of the polyfunctional compound and the δa value calculated using the three-dimensional solubility parameter of the resin is 4.0 MPa.sup.1/2 or less.

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.

Organic ligands and methods for preparing a variety of organic ligands are provided. The subject methods provide for the preparation of organic ligands in high yield and purity for use as ligands for attachment to nanoparticles to enable the formation of three dimensional nanocapsules of stably associated organic ligand-functionalized nanoparticles. Compositions that include these nanocapsules, as well as methods of making the nanocapsules are also provided.