The present invention relates to compositions comprising a combination of benzothiadiazole and thiadiazoloquinoxaline derivatives, to liquid-crystalline media containing the compositions, and to the use of the compositions and the media in optical, electronic and electro-optical devices, in particular in devices for regulating the passage of energy from an outside space into an inside space, for example in switchable windows.

A polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by Chemical Formula 1, a liquid crystal composition for an optical element comprising the same, a polymer polymerized from the same, an optically anisotropic body comprising a cured material or polymerized reactant of the liquid crystal composition or the polymer, and an optical element for a display device comprising the optical anisotropic body are disclosed herein: ##STR00001## wherein, in Chemical Formula 1, A1 to A3, B1 to B3, R1 to R3, P1 to P3, R4 to R8, l, m, n, p, q r, k, and L1 to L3 are disclosed herein.

Disclosed are an alignment layer and a liquid crystal display having the same. The alignment layer comprises a polyimide compound having an azo group and exhibiting optical alignment characteristics and a discotic liquid crystal compound exhibiting optical anisotropy. The liquid crystal display comprises first and second substrates facing each other, liquid crystal aligned between the first and second substrates, and an alignment layer formed on at least one surface of the first and second substrates. The alignment layer is adjacent to the liquid crystal and has optical alignment characteristics and optical anisotropy.

An optical film, a polarizing plate, and an image display device, each having an optically anisotropic layer obtained by curing a polymerizable liquid crystal composition including a polymerizable liquid crystal compound (LCC) having forward wavelength dispersion and a monofunctional compound, and immobilizing an alignment state of the polymerizable LCC. The number a.sub.1 of atoms of the polymerizable LCC and the number a.sub.2 of atoms of the monofunctional compound satisfy a relationship of Expression (1): 0.2<a.sub.2/a.sub.1<0.55; the number b.sub.1 of the rings B.sup.1 contained in the polymerizable LCC and the total number b.sub.2 of the aromatic rings Ar and the rings B.sup.2 contained in the monofunctional compound satisfy a relationship of Expression (2): b.sub.2=b.sub.1×0.5 or b.sub.2=(b.sub.1+1)×0.5.

The invention relates to novel compositions comprising at least two anisotropic compounds of formula

##STR00001##

as well as to liquid crystalline networks, films and electro-optical devices comprising the compositions.

The invention relates to novel anisotropic compounds of formula (I)

##STR00001##

as well as liquid crystalline mixtures, films and electro-optical devices comprising the compound.

A polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by Chemical Formula 1, a liquid crystal composition for an optical element comprising the same, a polymer polymerized from the same, an optically anisotropic body comprising a cured material or polymerized reactant of the liquid crystal composition or the polymer, and an optical element for a display device comprising the optical anisotropic body are disclosed herein.

An object is to provide a polymerizable liquid crystal compound, a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing the compound and liquid crystal polymerization film-kind capable of controlling chromatic dispersion characteristics and having low positive chromatic dispersion characteristics. An aspect can be exemplified in which the polymerizable liquid crystal compound is represented by formula (1): ##STR00001## in which, in formula (1), G is a group composed of a quinoline skeleton, an isoquinoline skeleton, a quinoxaline skeleton or a quinazoline skeleton, A.sup.1 is 1,4-phenylene or 1,4-cyclohexylene, Z.sup.1 is a connecting group, m is an integer from 0 to 3, and R.sup.1 is a group containing a polymerizable group.

The present invention relates to compositions comprising a combination of benzothiadiazole and thiadiazoloquinoxaline derivatives, to liquid-crystalline media containing the compositions, and to the use of the compositions and the media in optical, electronic and electro-optical devices, in particular in devices for regulating the passage of energy from an outside space into an inside space, for example in switchable windows.

The present invention relates to heteroaromatic isothiocyanates of formula N

##STR00001##

as defined in claim 1, to liquid-crystalline media comprising one or more compounds of formula N and to high-frequency components comprising these media, especially microwave components for high-frequency devices, such as devices for shifting the phase of microwaves, tunable filters, tunable metamaterial structures, and electronic beam steering antennas, e.g. phased array antennas.