The present invention relates to polymerizable compounds, to processes and intermediates for the preparation thereof, to liquid-crystal media comprising them, and to the use of the polymerizable compounds and liquid crystalline media for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in liquid crystalline displays, especially in liquid crystalline displays of the polymer sustained alignment type.

The present invention relates to a method of reducing ODF mura in liquid crystal (LC) displays of the polymer sustained alignment (PSA) type and to PSA LC displays made by this method.

In light of requests to reduce or reverse the wavelength dispersion of the birefringence of a phase-retardation film in order to increase the viewing angle of a liquid crystal display, the present invention provides a polymerizable compound that reduces, for example, the likelihood of crystals precipitating in a polymerizable composition including the polymerizable compound and enables the polymerizable composition to have high preservation stability and a polymerizable composition including the polymerizable compound which reduces the likelihood of inconsistencies being formed in a film-like polymer produced by polymerizing the polymerizable composition. Another object of the present invention is to provide a polymer produced by polymerizing the polymerizable composition and an optically anisotropic body including the polymer.

Liquid crystal (LC) media comprising polymerisable compounds as further specified in the description and claims and a self-alignment additive for vertical alignment. The media are adapted for use in LC displays, especially in LC displays of the polymer-sustained alignment type.

A polymerizable compound has a practical low melting point, excellent solubility in a general-purpose solvent, and can produce an optical film at low cost, exhibits low reflected luminance, and achieves uniform conversion of polarized light over a wide wavelength band, an optically anisotropic article.

A polymerizable compound has a practical low melting point, excellent solubility in a general-purpose solvent, and can produce an optical film at low cost, exhibits low reflected luminance, and achieves uniform conversion of polarized light over a wide wavelength band, an optically anisotropic article.

The invention provides a light modulation element comprising a flexoelectric polarisable liquid-crystalline medium, characterized in that the switching from a boundary state A to a boundary state B comprises a combination of a distinct flexoelectric switching regime and a distinct dielectric switching regime upon application of an electric field. Furthermore, the present invention relates to the use of such a light modulation element in an electro-optical device, i.e. an LCD display device, and electrooptical devices comprising the light modulation element according to the present invention. Moreover, the invention relates to a method of production of the light modulation element according to the present invention.

The present invention relates to polymerizable compounds, to processes and intermediates for the preparation thereof, to liquid-crystal media comprising them, and to the use of the polymerizable compounds and liquid crystalline media for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in liquid crystalline displays, especially in liquid crystalline displays of the polymer sustained alignment type.

The present invention relates to polymerizable compounds, to processes and intermediates for the preparation thereof, to liquid-crystal media comprising them, and to the use of the polymerizable compounds and liquid crystalline media for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in liquid crystalline displays, especially in liquid crystalline displays of the polymer sustained alignment type.

The present invention relates to an LC medium comprising and a liquid-crystalline host consisting of an LC component H) comprising one or more mesogenic or liquid-crystalline compounds and an optically active component D) and optionally a polymerizable component P) comprising one or more polymerizable compounds; and to the use of the polymerizable compounds and LC media for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in LC displays, especially in LC displays of the polymer sustained alignment type.