Provided are an optical element that can make the brightness of light emitted from a light guide plate uniform, a light guide element, and an image display device. The optical element includes a patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer that is obtained by immobilizing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, in which the patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from a liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating in at least one in-plane direction, and the patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer has regions having different pitches of helical structures in a plane.

Provided are an optical element that can make the brightness of light emitted from a light guide plate uniform, a light guide element, and an image display device. The optical element includes a patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer that is obtained by immobilizing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, in which the patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from a liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating in at least one in-plane direction, and the patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer has regions having different pitches of helical structures in a plane.

An aspect of the present invention relates to a method for producing a cholesteric liquid crystal based shell. The method comprises producing a cholesteric liquid crystal shell, solidifying the cholesteric liquid crystal shell so as to obtain a solid shell and perforating the solid shell. A second aspect of the present invention relates to a cholesteric liquid crystal based solid shell comprising a perforation. Other aspects of the present invention pertain to a coating composition comprising a plurality of cholesteric liquid crystal based solid shells, an item comprising a tag that comprises the cholesteric liquid crystal based solid shells and a method for authenticating the item.

An aspect of the present invention relates to a method for producing a cholesteric liquid crystal based shell. The method comprises producing a cholesteric liquid crystal shell, solidifying the cholesteric liquid crystal shell so as to obtain a solid shell and perforating the solid shell. A second aspect of the present invention relates to a cholesteric liquid crystal based solid shell comprising a perforation. Other aspects of the present invention pertain to a coating composition comprising a plurality of cholesteric liquid crystal based solid shells, an item comprising a tag that comprises the cholesteric liquid crystal based solid shells and a method for authenticating the item.

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.

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.

Provided are an optical element that can make the brightness of light emitted from a light guide plate uniform, a light guide element, and an image display device. The optical element includes a patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer that is obtained by immobilizing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, in which the patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from a liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating in at least one in-plane direction, and the patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer has regions having different pitches of helical structures in a plane.

Provided are an optical element that can make the brightness of light emitted from a light guide plate uniform, a light guide element, and an image display device. The optical element includes a patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer that is obtained by immobilizing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, in which the patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from a liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating in at least one in-plane direction, and the patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer has regions having different pitches of helical structures in a plane.

The present disclosure provides a cholesteric liquid crystal film including a first cholesteric liquid crystal layer having a stripe pattern in which dark portions and bright portions, which are observed with a microscope, are alternately arranged and a second cholesteric liquid crystal layer which is disposed in contact with the first cholesteric liquid crystal layer and has a stripe pattern in which dark portions and bright portions, which are observed with a microscope, are alternately arranged, in which, at an interface between the first cholesteric liquid crystal layer and the second cholesteric liquid crystal layer, the dark portions observed in the second cholesteric liquid crystal layer is connected to the dark portions observed in the first cholesteric liquid crystal layer.

The present disclosure provides a cholesteric liquid crystal film including a first cholesteric liquid crystal layer having a stripe pattern in which dark portions and bright portions, which are observed with a microscope, are alternately arranged and a second cholesteric liquid crystal layer which is disposed in contact with the first cholesteric liquid crystal layer and has a stripe pattern in which dark portions and bright portions, which are observed with a microscope, are alternately arranged, in which, at an interface between the first cholesteric liquid crystal layer and the second cholesteric liquid crystal layer, the dark portions observed in the second cholesteric liquid crystal layer is connected to the dark portions observed in the first cholesteric liquid crystal layer.