An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a reflective layer having an excellent diffuse reflectivity and a wide reflection wavelength range. Another object of the present invention is to provide a reflective layer having an excellent diffuse reflectivity and a wide reflection wavelength range. The method for producing a reflective layer of the present invention includes: a step 1 of applying a composition selected from the group consisting of the following composition X and the following composition Y onto a substrate to form a composition layer; a step 2 of heating the composition layer to align a liquid crystal compound in the composition layer into a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase state; a step 3 of cooling or heating the composition layer in a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase state to reduce a helical pitch; and a step 4 of irradiating at least a partial region of the composition layer with light, between the step 1 and the step 2, between the step 2 and the step 3, or after the step 3, to photosensitize a chiral agent A or a chiral agent C in the composition layer. Composition X: a composition including a liquid crystal compound, a chiral agent A whose helical twisting power is changed upon light irradiation, and a chiral agent B whose helical twisting power is increased upon cooling or heating. Composition Y: a composition including a liquid crystal compound and a chiral agent C whose helical twisting power is changed upon light irradiation and whose helical twisting power is increased upon cooling or heating.

The invention relates to liquid-crystal mixtures which comprise polyfluorinated additives, and to liquid-crystal displays based on these mixtures.

Provided is a liquid crystal composition, which comprises a component prepared from one or more compounds selected from a general formula I; and a component prepared from one or more compounds selected from a general formula II. The liquid crystal composition has the characteristics of low viscosity, high reliability, appropriate optical anisotropy, and appropriate dielectric anisotropy, and is applicable to liquid crystal display devices. ##STR00001##

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal (LC) medium comprising polymerisable compounds, to a process for its preparation, to its use for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in LC displays, and to LC displays comprising it.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a reflective layer having an excellent diffuse reflectivity and a wide reflection wavelength range. Another object of the present invention is to provide a reflective layer having an excellent diffuse reflectivity and a wide reflection wavelength range.

The method for producing a reflective layer of the present invention includes: a step 1 of applying a composition selected from the group consisting of the following composition X and the following composition Y onto a substrate to form a composition layer; a step 2 of heating the composition layer to align a liquid crystal compound in the composition layer into a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase state; a step 3 of cooling or heating the composition layer in a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase state to reduce a helical pitch; and a step 4 of irradiating at least a partial region of the composition layer with light, between the step 1 and the step 2, between the step 2 and the step 3, or after the step 3, to photosensitize a chiral agent A or a chiral agent C in the composition layer. Composition X: a composition including a liquid crystal compound, a chiral agent A whose helical twisting power is changed upon light irradiation, and a chiral agent B whose helical twisting power is increased upon cooling or heating. Composition Y: a composition including a liquid crystal compound and a chiral agent C whose helical twisting power is changed upon light irradiation and whose helical twisting power is increased upon cooling or heating.

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal (LC) medium comprising polymerisable compounds, to a process for its preparation, to its use for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in LC displays, and to LC displays comprising it.

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal (LC) medium comprising polymerisable compounds, to a process for its preparation, to its use for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in LC displays, and to LC displays comprising it.

To provide a polar compound having high chemical stability, a high ability to align liquid crystal molecules, and high solubility in a liquid crystal composition, and a high voltage holding ratio of a liquid crystal display element.

A compound represented by Formula (1):

##STR00001## R.sup.1 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group that may be substituted; a is 2 to 12; and R.sup.2 is Formula (1-a), Formula (1-b), and Formula (1-c);

##STR00002## Sp.sup.1 to Sp.sup.3 are a single bond or an alkylene group that may be substituted; M.sup.1 and M.sup.2 are H, F, Cl, or an alkyl group that may be substituted; and X.sup.1 is OH, NH.sub.2, OR.sup.3, N(R.sup.3).sub.2, COOH, SH or Si(R.sup.3).sub.3.

The present invention provides a new polymerizable compound which is represented by Formula (I). In the formula, R.sup.1 indicates an alkyl group or the like, A represents a (m+n)valent cyclic group, L.sub.1 indicates a single bond or the like, L.sub.2 indicates COO or the like, Z indicates COO or the like, Sp indicates an alkylene group, an alkyleneoxy group, or the like, Q indicates a polymerizable group such as a (meth)acryloyl groups, 1 indicates an integer of 0 to 2, m indicates an integer of 1 or 2, and n indicates an integer of 1 to 3. The present invention also provides a polymerizable composition which includes the polymerizable compound described above, a film which is formed from the polymerizable composition described above, and a half mirror for displaying a projection image which includes the film described above. Using the polymerization composition described above, it is possible to manufacture films such as a low birefringence retardation film and a reflection film with high reflection wavelength region selectivity. ##STR00001##

A method of producing the liquid crystal display device of the present invention is a method of producing a liquid crystal display device including a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the substrates, the method including: forming the liquid crystal layer by sealing a liquid crystal material containing liquid crystal molecules including an alkenyl group between the substrates facing each other with a sealant in between; and performing an alignment treatment on an alignment film containing a polymer including a polymerizable group in a side chain and being disposed on a liquid crystal layer side surface of at least one of the substrates by irradiating the alignment film with ultraviolet rays and thereby polymerizing the polymerizable group.