Self-aligned liquid crystal materials and structures are disclosed. The structures can exhibit piezoelectric and flexoelectric properties.

Provided are a cholesteric liquid crystal film including a cholesteric liquid crystal, in which, in a cross section in a thickness direction observed with a microscope, the cholesteric liquid crystal film has a stripe pattern in which dark portions and bright portions are alternately arranged, and has a folded structure due to the dark portions at a surface layer portion of one main surface of a pair of main surfaces; and a manufacturing method thereof.

The present application discloses a display substrate. The display substrate includes a base substrate; a color filter on the base substrate and including a plurality of color filter blocks; and an actuator configured to actuate each of the plurality of color filter blocks thereby controlling a wavelength of light transmitted through each of the plurality of color filter blocks.

Disclosed is a polymerizable liquid crystal material wherein an amount of a salt represented by the following formula (I) is less than 0.01 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of a polymerizable liquid crystal compound, and an amount of a nitrogen-containing compound represented by the following formula (II) is 0.01 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the polymerizable liquid crystal compound. R.sup.1 to R.sup.5 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a C1-C7 alkyl group, R.sup.6 and R.sup.7 represents a hydrogen atom, and X represents F.sup.−, Br.sup.−, Cl.sup.−, I.sup.−, HSO.sub.4.sup.−, 1/2(HPO.sub.4.sup.2−), H.sub.2PO.sub.4.sup.−, R—C(═O)—O.sup.−, 1/2(.sup.−O—(C═O)—R′—(C═O)—O.sup.−) or R—SO.sub.3.sup.−, where R represents a hydrogen atom or a monovalent hydrocarbon group, and R′ represents a single bond or a divalent hydrocarbon group. ##STR00001##

To suppress a phenomenon where an optical axis of the optically anisotropic layer is tilted when the optically anisotropic layer is produced by using a liquid crystalline compound showing smectic phase as a materials showing a higher level of orderliness. An optically anisotropic layer wherein a polymerizable composition, containing one or more polymerizable rod-like liquid crystal compound showing a smectic phase, is fixed in a state of smectic phase, and a direction of maximum refractive index of the optically anisotropic layer is inclined at 10° or smaller to the surface of the optically anisotropic layer, a method for manufacturing the same, a laminate and a method for manufacturing the same, a polarizing plate, a liquid crystal display device, and an organic EL display device.

A liquid crystal composition is provided containing a first liquid crystal compound represented by formula (1): ##STR00001##
and a second liquid crystal compound represented by formula (2): ##STR00002## Also provided is a method for producing the liquid crystal composition having a desired wavelength dispersion characteristic.

An optical film suppresses at any azimuthal angle where the optical film is combined with a polarizer and applied as a circularly polarizing plate to a display device; a circularly polarizing plate; and a display device. The optical film includes a first, a second, and a third optically anisotropic layer in this order, in which the first layer is formed by fixing a vertically aligned disk-like liquid crystal compound or formed by fixing a horizontally aligned rod-like liquid crystal compound, the secondo layer is formed by fixing a rod-like liquid crystal compound twist-aligned along a helical axis extending in a thickness direction, the third layer is formed by fixing a vertically aligned rod-like liquid crystal compound, and at least one of the first, second, or third layers is formed of a liquid crystal compound containing a reverse wavelength dispersion liquid crystal compound.

A LC lens and a liquid-crystal medium used in said LC lens, wherein the medium contains one or more compounds of each of formulae I and II ##STR00001##

An optical film suppresses at any azimuthal angle where the optical film is combined with a polarizer and applied as a circularly polarizing plate to a display device; a circularly polarizing plate; and a display device. The optical film includes a first, a second, and a third optically anisotropic layer in this order, in which the first layer is formed by fixing a vertically aligned disk-like liquid crystal compound or formed by fixing a horizontally aligned rod-like liquid crystal compound, the second layer is formed by fixing a rod-like liquid crystal compound twist-aligned along a helical axis extending in a thickness direction, the third layer is formed by fixing a vertically aligned rod-like liquid crystal compound, and at least one of the first, second, or third layers is formed of a liquid crystal compound containing a reverse wavelength dispersion liquid crystal compound.

A transfer film in an image display apparatus includes a temporary support including a substrate and an optically anisotropic layer, in which an in-plane retardation of the substrate at a wavelength of 550 nm is 0 to 20 nm, the optically anisotropic layer is formed of a liquid crystal compound, and where the optically anisotropic layer obtained by peeling the temporary support from the transfer film is allowed to stand in a predetermined environment, and then a maximum value of a dimensional change rate in an in-plane direction of the optically anisotropic layer is defined as ΔL (max) and a minimum value of the dimensional change rate is defined as ΔL (min), the transfer film satisfies at least one of Expression (1) ΔL (max)/ΔL (min)≤1.5 or Expression (2) ΔL (max)≤0.08%.