Provided is a polymerizable liquid crystal composition capable of suppressing the generation of precipitates; and an optically anisotropic layer, an optical film, a polarizing plate, and an image display device. The polymerizable liquid crystal composition contains a forward wavelength dispersion liquid crystal compound A having an aromatic ring having 10 or more π electrons and a forward wavelength dispersion liquid crystal compound B having an aromatic ring having 6 or more and less than 10 π electrons.

A polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing two polymerizable liquid crystal compounds (A) and (B) is provided. A polymer of compound (A) exhibits a reverse wavelength dispersion property and the phase difference value [R(A,3000,450)] at a wavelength of 450 nm measured after irradiation in an oriented state with ultraviolet ray at 3000 mJ/cm.sup.2 varies in a positive sense relative to the phase difference value [R(A,500,450)] at a wavelength of 450 nm measured after irradiation in an oriented state with ultraviolet ray at 500 mJ/cm.sup.2. A polymer of compound (B) exhibits a reverse wavelength dispersion property and the phase difference value [R(B,3000,450)] at a wavelength of 450 nm measured after irradiation in an oriented state with ultraviolet ray at 3000 mJ/cm.sup.2 varies in a negative sense relative to the phase difference value [R(B,500,450)] at a wavelength of 450 nm measured after irradiation in an oriented state with ultraviolet ray at 500 mJ/cm.sup.2.

A polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by the following general formula (1): ##STR00001##
(the symbols in the general formula (1) are as described in the DESCRIPTION.)

Provided is a polymerizable liquid crystal composition used for formation of an optically anisotropic film having excellent durability, an optically anisotropic film, an optical film, a polarizing plate, and an image display device. The polymerizable liquid crystal composition contains a polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by Formula (1) and an acidic compound, in which a pKa of the acidic compound is more than −10 and 5 or less, and a content of the acidic compound is 20 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polymerizable liquid crystal compound. ##STR00001##

A laminate including a horizontally oriented liquid crystal cured film that is a cured material of a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing at least one type of polymerizable liquid crystal compound, and a vertically oriented liquid crystal cured film is provided. The horizontally oriented liquid crystal cured film is the cured material of the polymerizable liquid crystal composition in which the polymerizable liquid crystal compound is cured in a state of being horizontally oriented with respect to a plane of the liquid crystal cured film, and satisfies the following formulae: nxA(450)>nyA(450)>nzA(450) and ReA(450)/ReA(550)<1.00.

Provided is a viewing angle control polarizing plate that has asymmetric transmission characteristics, does not cause moire even in a case of being used in combination with a high-definition image display device, and is capable of easily following a curved surface and a viewing angle control system with high productivity. The viewing angle control system includes at least a first polarizer and an optically anisotropic layer, in which an absorption axis of the first polarizer forms an angle of 45° or greater with respect to an in-plane direction, and a main axis of a refractive index of the optically anisotropic layer is tilted in the in-plane direction.

Provided are a cured product of a curable composition including a compound represented by General Formula (1), in which a birefringence Δn at a wavelength of 587 nm is 0.00≤Δn≤0.01; an optical member; a lens; a compound represented by General Formula (1); a curable resin composition containing the compound; a cured product; a diffractive optical element; and a multilayer diffractive optical element.

Pol.sup.1-Sp.sup.a-L.sup.1-Ar-L.sup.2-Sp.sup.b-Pol.sup.2  Genera Formula (1) Ar represents an aromatic ring group represented by a specific formula, L.sup.1 and L.sup.2 represent —O—, Sp.sup.a and Sp.sup.b represent a linking group having the shortest atom number of 11 or more and linking Pol and L, Pol.sup.1 and Pol.sup.2 represent a polymerizable group, and in Sp.sup.a and Sp.sup.b, a linking portion to L.sup.1 or L.sup.2 is —CH.sub.2— and a linking portion to Pol.sup.1 or Pol.sup.2 is a carbon atom.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical film which is excellent in the adhesiveness between a polymer support and a photo alignment film and in which a liquid crystal compound having reverse wavelength dispersibility is uniformly aligned. The optical film is obtained by laminating, in the following order: a polymer support containing an additive; a photo alignment film; and an optically anisotropic film, wherein the optically anisotropic film is formed of a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound having reverse wavelength dispersibility, and an amount of a component derived from the additive of the polymer support, which is contained in a boundary region with the optically anisotropic film in the photo alignment film is 0.10 to 0.50 mass % with respect to a total mass of the photo alignment film.

A multilayer film and a preparation method thereof is provided, and belongs to the technical field of optical films. The provided multilayer film comprises an ultraviolet blocking material and a cholesteric liquid crystal layer. The cholesteric liquid crystal layer comprises a polymerizable liquid crystal monomer, a polymerizable chiral dopant and a photoinitiator. The multilayer film can filter ultraviolet rays and near infrared rays in natural light, thereby reducing the heat effect of the natural light and harms of the ultraviolet rays to people and objects. In addition, the multilayer film has a high visible light transmission rate, which does not distort the color of the natural light passing through.

The present invention provides an optical film having a liquid crystal layer having excellent durability, and a liquid crystal film. The optical film of the present invention has an organic base material and a liquid crystal layer disposed on the organic base material, the liquid crystal layer contains a photo-alignment compound, and in the liquid crystal layer, the photo-alignment compound is unevenly distributed on a side of the organic base material.