Provided is an optically anisotropic layer with which an image display device having suppressed occurrence of oblique light leakage can be manufactured; and an optical film, a polarizing plate, and an image display device, each having the optically anisotropic layer. The optically anisotropic layer is obtained by curing a polymerizable liquid crystal composition including a predetermined rod-like liquid crystal compound and a predetermined monofunctional compound, and immobilizing an alignment state of the rod-like liquid crystal compound, in which a number a1 of atoms of the rod-like liquid crystal compound and a number a2 of atoms of the monofunctional compound satisfy a relationship of Expression (1): 0.2<a2/a1≤0.68, and the rod-like liquid crystal compound is immobilized in a state of being vertically aligned with respect to the main surface of the optically anisotropic layer.

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.

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 compound represented by the following general formula (1) ##STR00001##
and a liquid crystal composition containing the compound, and a liquid crystal display device or a light control device having the liquid crystal composition. The compound represented by general formula (1) has both a large dichroic ratio and high solubility in the host liquid crystal. In addition, it has excellent chemical stability at a level usable as a device. Therefore, by using the compound represented by general formula (1) as a component of a GH-type liquid crystal composition, it is possible to provide a liquid crystal display device or a light control device with high contrast.

A LC lens and a liquid-crystal medium used in said LC lens, wherein the medium contains one or more compounds of each of formulae I and II ##STR00001##

A polar compound has a high chemical stability, high ability to align liquid crystal molecules and high solubility in a liquid crystal composition, and causes no decrease of liquid crystallinity of the liquid crystal composition, a liquid crystal composition contains the compound, and a liquid crystal display device includes the composition. The compound is represented by formula (1), the composition contains the compound, and the liquid crystal display device uses the composition. ##STR00001## In formula (1), R.sup.1 is alkyl having 3 to 15 carbons, alkenyl having 4 to 15 carbons or the like; a is an integer from 2 to 12; and R.sup.2 is a group represented by formula (1a), formula (1b) or formula (1c). ##STR00002## In the formulas, S.sup.1 and S.sup.2 are independently a single bond, alkylene having 1 to 10 carbons; S.sup.3 is >CH— or >N—; S.sup.4 is >C< or >Si<; and X.sup.1 is —OH, —NH.sub.2 or the like.

The invention relates to a light modulation element comprising a polymer stabilized cholesteric liquid crystalline medium sandwiched between two substrates (1), provided with a common electrode structure (2) and a driving electrode structure (3) individually, wherein the substrate with driving and/or common electrode structure is additionally provided with an alignment electrode structure (4) which is separated from the driving and or common electrode structure on the same substrate by an dielectric layer (5), characterized in that the light modulation element comprises at least one alignment layer (6) directly adjacent to the liquid crystalline medium.

The invention is further relates to a method of production of said light modulation element and to the use of said light modulation element in various types of optical and electro-optical devices, such as electro-optical displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), non-linear optic (NLO) devices, and optical information storage devices.

The present invention provides a polymerizable composition containing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by Formula (I) and an oxime compound,

##STR00001## in the formula, A.sup.1 and A.sup.2 each represent a phenylene group or a trans-1,4-cyclohexylene group, L.sup.1 and L.sup.2 each represent single bond, —C(═O)O—, or —OC(═O)—, Q.sup.1 and Q.sup.2 each represent a polymerizable group or the like, m and n represent an integer of 0 to 2, X may represent —X.sup.3-Sp.sup.3-Q.sup.3 or two X's may be bonded to each other to form a fused ring, X.sup.3 represents —C(═O)O—, Sp.sup.1, Sp.sup.2, and Sp.sup.3 each represent single bond, an alkylene group, or the like, Q.sup.3 represents hydrogen atom, a cycloalkyl group, a polymerizable group, or the like, and l represents an integer of 0 to 4. The polymerizable composition hardly causes yellowing after curing and is useful for manufacturing a film and a half mirror for displaying a projection image.

A primer for forming a primer layer on the surface of a substrate having surface free energy of 50 mN/m or higher, the primer including a liquid crystalline epoxy compound and a curing agent.

The invention relates to a light modulation element comprising a cholesteric liquid crystalline medium sandwiched between two substrates, each provided with an electrode structure, wherein at least one of the substrates is additionally provided with an alignment layer which is provided with a photoresist pattern consisting of periodic substantially parallel stripes. The invention is further related to a method of production of said light modulation element and to the use of said light modulation element in various types of optical and electro-optical devices, such as electro-optical displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), non-linear optic (NLO) devices, and optical information storage devices.