A polymerizable LC material comprising one or more reactive mesogenic compounds, one or more chiral compounds and a block copolymer that comprises at least one polyfluorooxetane block bonded to a polyether block, said polyfluorooxetane block having a repeating unit of the formula ##STR00001## Further, a method for its preparation, a polymer film obtainable from a corresponding polymerizable LC material, a method of preparation of such polymer film, and the use of such polymer film and said polymerizable LC material in optical, electro-optical, decorative or security devices.

The disclosure provides a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, a manufacturing method thereof, and an LCD device. The LCD panel adopts a structure with multiple electrodes and dual-frequency liquid crystals. When a temperature of the LCD panel is low (below 0° C.), the LCD panel is driven at high frequency, so that it emits more heat. Therefore, a working temperature of the LCD panel is increased without adding a heating element. LCD devices using such LCD panels have wide working temperature ranges, and are well suited to be used outdoors.

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 compound that helps achieve a high voltage holding ratio (VHR) of a liquid crystal composition, a liquid crystal composition that contains this compound, and a liquid crystal display element made with this liquid crystal composition. More specifically, a compound represented by general formula (Y), which has polymerizable groups and polar group(s). A liquid crystal composition containing one or two or more compounds represented by general formula (Y), each of which has polymerizable groups and polar group(s). A liquid crystal display element made with a liquid crystal composition that contains one or two or more compounds represented by general formula (Y), each of which has polymerizable groups and polar group(s).

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##

The invention relates to a light modulation element comprising a polymer stabilized 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 an dielectric layer (5), characterized in that the light modulation element comprises at least one alignment layer (6) directly adjacent to the liquid crystalline medium.

The invention is further relates 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.

Provided is a liquid crystal composition capable of suppressing a decrease in phase transition temperature from a smectic phase to a nematic phase and suppressing alignment defects in a liquid crystal cured layer thus formed, a liquid crystal cured layer, an optical film, a polarizing plate, and an image display device. The liquid crystal composition includes a liquid crystal compound exhibiting a smectic phase and a freezing point depressant, in which the liquid crystal compound is a compound represented by Formula (I) SP1-MG-SP2, and the liquid crystal composition satisfies Expression (1) |Am−Asl≥0.2 and Expression (2-1) in a case of Am≤As, Aa≥(Am+As)/2 or Expression (2-2) in a case of Am>As, Aa≤(Am+As)/2.

The invention relates to a light modulation element comprising a cholesteric liquid crystalline medium sandwiched between two substrates, each provided with an electrode structure, wherein at least one of the substrates is additionally provided with an alignment layer which is provided with a photoresist pattern consisting of periodic substantially parallel stripes. 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 bimesogenic compounds of formula I

##STR00001##

wherein R.sup.11, R.sup.12, MG.sup.11, MG.sup.12, X.sup.11, X.sup.12 and Sp.sup.1 have the meaning given in claim 1, to the use of bimesogenic compounds of formula I in liquid crystal media and particular to flexoelectric liquid crystal devices comprising a liquid crystal medium according to the present invention.

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.