An object of the present invention is to provide an optical film having excellent alignment, and a polarizing plate and an image display device using the same. The optical film of the present invention is an optical film having at least an optically anisotropic layer, and the optically anisotropic layer contains a smectic liquid crystal compound not including a fluorine atom and a compound partially having a cyclohexane ring in which the hydrogen atom is substituted with a linear alkyl group.

The present invention relates to polymer stabilized nematic liquid crystal microlenses. The microlenses can be made from a nematic liquid crystal, a chiral dopant, a reactive monomer, and a photoinitiator. The microlenses can be prepared by spin coating a liquid crystal mixture onto an array including a nickel transmission electron microscope grid. The focal length of the microlens array can be tuned electrically.

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device that includes a particular color filter containing a material containing chiral liquid crystals and a particular pigment. The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device that can prevent a decrease in the voltage holding ratio (VHR) of a liquid crystal layer and solve the problem of display defects, such as white spots, variations in alignment, and burn-in. Because liquid crystal display devices according to the present invention characteristically prevent a decrease in the voltage holding ratio (VHR) of a liquid crystal layer and reduces the occurrence of display defects, such as burn-in, the liquid crystal display devices are particularly useful as liquid crystal display devices in IPS mode and FFS mode for active-matrix driving and can be applied to household electrical appliances, automobiles, production facilities, measuring and analytical instruments, and communication devices.

A liquid crystal composition satisfies at least one of characteristics such as high maximum temperature, low minimum temperature, small viscosity, suitable optical anisotropy, large dielectric anisotropy and high stability to ultraviolet light, or having a suitable balance regarding at least two of the characteristics. The liquid crystal composition contains a quencher as an additive, and may contain a specific compound having large positive dielectric anisotropy as a first component, a specific compound having high maximum temperature or small viscosity as a second component, or a specific compound having large negative dielectric anisotropy as a third component.

The present invention relates to polymer stabilized nematic liquid crystal microlenses. The microlenses can be made from a nematic liquid crystal, a chiral dopant, a reactive monomer, and a photoinitiator. The microlenses can be prepared by spin coating a liquid crystal mixture onto an array including a nickel transmission electron microscope grid. The focal length of the microlens array can be tuned electrically.

Provided are a cholesteric liquid crystal composition, and a liquid crystal display panel including the composition, and their preparation methods. The cholesteric liquid crystal composition contains a block copolymer and a cholesteric liquid crystal, wherein the block copolymer has a block A including a chiral group M.sub.1 and a block B including a chiral group M.sub.2, and the cholesteric liquid crystal has at least two different pitches. The display panel includes an array substrate and a counter substrate placed by cell assembly, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the array substrate and the counter substrate, wherein the liquid crystal layer comprises the cholesteric liquid crystal composition. The liquid crystal layer in the planar texture is capable of reflecting light of at least two wavelengths in the visible light region.

A cholesteric resin layered body including a substrate, an intermediate layer, and a cholesteric resin layer in this order, wherein a difference in a reflection band center wavelength of the cholesteric resin layer before and after the layered body is heated at 130 C. for 8 hours is 50 nm or less, method for producing the same, as well as a reflective material, a display medium and a decorating material including the same.

Provided are a liquid crystal composition satisfying at least one of characteristics such as high maximum temperature, low minimum temperature, small viscosity, suitable optical anisotropy, large dielectric anisotropy and high stability to ultraviolet light, or having a suitable balance regarding at least two of the characteristics, and an AM device including the composition.

The liquid crystal composition contains a quencher as an additive, and may contain a specific compound having large positive dielectric anisotropy as a first component, a specific compound having high maximum temperature or small viscosity as a second component, or a specific compound having large negative dielectric anisotropy as a third component.

Methods and compositions for detecting a targeted analyte, such as volatile organic compound (VOCs), are disclosed. Specifically, a cholesteric liquid crystal composition comprising a nematic liquid crystal and a chiral dopant transitions to a liquid crystal blue phase or undergoes other optical changes when in contact with a sample containing the analyte. The phase transition can be readily detected with the naked eye. The disclosed methods and compositions may be used in, for example, dosimeters for detecting analyte (e.g., VOC) exposure. Methods and compositions for producing arrays of liquid crystal thin films are also disclosed. The surface between the microwells in a microwell array is coated with a liquid-crystal-phobic material, such as a fluorinated polymer or a fluorinated silane, creating isolated microwell domains that are preferentially wetted by liquid crystal. Liquid crystal can be added to the microwell domains by simple techniques such as spin coating.

A composition for ultraviolet light intensity detection comprises nematic mixed crystals, chiral additives, cholesteric liquid crystals, azobenzene monomers, photopolymerizable monomers and a photoinitiators. When preparing a film having the composition, the steps include mixing each of components of the composition and spreading out the mixture to form a pre-formed film of the mixture, and irradiating the pre-formed film by light to form a film for ultraviolet light intensity detection.