A nematic liquid crystal composition having a high Δn and a high Δε in a liquid crystal material that enables greater phase control over electromagnetic waves in the microwave or millimeter wave range, and a liquid crystal element, a sensor, a liquid crystal lens, an optical communication device, and an antenna including the nematic liquid crystal composition. Specifically, a liquid crystal composition containing one or two or more compounds represented by general formula (i) in the specification and one or two or more compounds represented by general formula (ii) in the specification, and having a high Δn and a high Δε.

The Kerr effect depends very strongly on the temperature and is associated with high operating voltages. The present invention relates to an electrically controllable optical element which comprises a cell (D) filled with a starting mixture (K) and having two substrates (1a, 1b) and a conductive layer (2a, 2b) applied onto the inner surface of the respective substrate (1a, 1b), wherein the starting mixture (K) comprises a mixture of dipolar, rod-shaped molecules (5) and semi-mesogenes (4) as active constituents, and wherein the starting mixture (K) forms a thin layer having a wide-meshed, anisotropic network (9) produced by photo-polymerization between the structured or/and flat conductive layers (2a, 2b), which are applied onto a substrate (1a, 1b), in a thin-film cell (D). According to the invention, an optically active surface profile (O) is incorporated on the inner surface of a substrate (1a or 1b) or into the substrate (1a or 1b) or both substrates (1a and 1b).

An object of the present invention is to provide a phase difference plate for an organic EL display device having excellent light resistance, an organic EL display device, and a method for producing a phase difference plate. The phase difference plate for an organic EL display device of an embodiment of the present invention has a phase difference layer formed from a composition containing a polymer having a repeating unit A including a photo-alignment group and a polymerizable liquid crystal compound having reciprocal wavelength dispersion, in which the photo-alignment group includes a double bond structure of C═C or C═N.

A laminate is provided having excellent adhesiveness between a light absorption anisotropic film and a barrier layer, a manufacturing method of the laminate, and an image display device using the laminate. A laminate having: a barrier layer A; and a light absorption anisotropic film B, in which the barrier layer A is adjacently provided on the light absorption anisotropic film B, a relationship between a highest content of a compound A1 contained in the barrier layer A and a highest content of a compound B1 contained in the light absorption anisotropic film B satisfies a relationship in which a value of distance calculated from Hansen solubility parameters and represented by Formula (I) is within a range of 0.0 to 5.0, and the light absorption anisotropic film B contains a component same as the compound A1.
distance={4×(δ.sub.D(B1)−δ.sub.D(A1)).sup.2+(δ.sub.P(B1)−δ.sub.P(A1)).sup.2+(δ.sub.H(B1)−δ.sub.H(A1)).sup.2}.sup.0.5  (I)

The Kerr effect depends very strongly on the temperature and is associated with high operating voltages. The present invention relates to an electrically controllable optical element which comprises a cell (D) filled with a starting mixture (K) and having two substrates (1a, 1b) and a conductive layer (2a, 2b) applied onto the inner surface of the respective substrate (1a, 1b), wherein the starting mixture (K) comprises a mixture of dipolar, rod-shaped molecules (5) and semi-mesogenes (4) as active constituents, and wherein the starting mixture (K) forms a thin layer having a wide-meshed, anisotropic network (9) produced by photo-polymerization between the structured or/and flat conductive layers (2a, 2b), which are applied onto a substrate (1a, 1b), in a thin-film cell (D). According to the invention, an optically active surface profile (O) is incorporated on the inner surface of a substrate (1a or 1b) or into the substrate (1a or 1b) or both substrates (1a and 1b).

In order to configure or produce an electrically controllable optical element on the basis of the electro-optic Kerr effect with a low threshold and operating voltage, a minimized temperature dependence of the effect and a low response time, the Kerr liquid according to the invention comprises a mixture of rod-shaped molecules and non-rod-shaped molecules as active composites, a thin layer having a pre-stamping, wide-mesh, anisotropic network between structured and/or planar conductive layer applied to a substrate thus configure a thin-film cell in such a way that without electric field the state of the active composite of the Kerr liquid in the working temperature region RT is isotropic and that by electrically continuous adjustment, of the voltage U or by a switching-on or switching-off a change the voltage U, in the optical element a voltage-induced phase shift or a refractive index deviation is generated and the light passes through an electrode gap perpendicular to the electrodes.

The present invention relates to a liquid-crystalline medium having a clearing point of 120° C. or more, comprising one or more compounds selected from the group of the compounds of the formulae IA, IB, IC, ID and II

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in which the groups and parameters occurring have the meanings indicated in Claim 1, in a total concentration of 65% or more, and to the use thereof for electro-optical purposes, in particular for liquid-crystal light valves for use in lighting devices for motor vehicles, to liquid-crystal light valves containing this medium, and to lighting devices based on liquid-crystal light valves of this type.

A laminate is provided having excellent adhesiveness between a light absorption anisotropic film and a barrier layer, a manufacturing method of the laminate, and an image display device using the laminate. A laminate having: a barrier layer A; and a light absorption anisotropic film B, in which the barrier layer A is adjacently provided on the light absorption anisotropic film B, a relationship between a highest content of a compound A1 contained in the barrier layer A and a highest content of a compound B1 contained in the light absorption anisotropic film B satisfies a relationship in which a value of distance calculated from Hansen solubility parameters and represented by Formula (I) is within a range of 0.0 to 5.0, and the light absorption anisotropic film B contains a component same as the compound A1.

distance={4(.sub.D(B1).sub.D(A1)).sup.2+(.sub.P(B1).sub.P(A1)).sup.2+(.sub.H(B1).sub.H(A1)).sup.2}.sup.0.5(I)

An object of the present invention is to provide a phase difference plate for an organic EL display device having excellent light resistance, an organic EL display device, and a method for producing a phase difference plate. The phase difference plate for an organic EL display device of an embodiment of the present invention has a phase difference layer formed from a composition containing a polymer having a repeating unit A including a photo-alignment group and a polymerizable liquid crystal compound having reciprocal wavelength dispersion, in which the photo-alignment group includes a double bond structure of CC or CN.

A curved liquid crystal display includes a first substrate, a second substrate overlapping the first substrate, a liquid crystal layer positioned between the first substrate and the second substrate and including a plurality of liquid crystal molecules, and a lower protrusion positioned between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer, the lower protrusion being formed from at least one among a first compound represented by Chemical Formula 1, a polymer obtained from the first compound, and a polymer of the first compound and a cross-linker.