Provided are an optical film, a circularly polarizing plate, and an image display apparatus in each of which the occurrence of cracks is suppressed in the obtained film in a case of being punched. The optical film includes a stretched resin film and a liquid crystal layer formed by fixing a liquid crystal compound twist-aligned along a helical axis extending along a direction in thickness, in which a δa value calculated using a three-dimensional solubility parameter of a resin in the stretched resin film is 8.0 MPa.sup.1/2 or less, the liquid crystal layer contains a cured substance of a polyfunctional compound having two or more polymerizable groups in one molecule, and an absolute value of a difference between the δa value calculated using the three-dimensional solubility parameter of the polyfunctional compound and the δa value calculated using the three-dimensional solubility parameter of the resin is 4.0 MPa.sup.1/2 or less.

Provided are an optical film, a circularly polarizing plate, and an image display apparatus in each of which the occurrence of cracks is suppressed in the obtained film in a case of being punched. The optical film includes a stretched resin film and a liquid crystal layer formed by fixing a liquid crystal compound twist-aligned along a helical axis extending along a direction in thickness, in which a δa value calculated using a three-dimensional solubility parameter of a resin in the stretched resin film is 8.0 MPa.sup.1/2 or less, the liquid crystal layer contains a cured substance of a polyfunctional compound having two or more polymerizable groups in one molecule, and an absolute value of a difference between the δa value calculated using the three-dimensional solubility parameter of the polyfunctional compound and the δa value calculated using the three-dimensional solubility parameter of the resin is 4.0 MPa.sup.1/2 or less.

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.

A polymer film is provided, the polymer film comprises a liquid crystal polymer, comprising a soluble liquid crystal polymer and an insoluble liquid crystal polymer; and a polyimide polymer; wherein the polymer film has a thermal expansion coefficient between 0 and 60 ppm/t of 50° C. to 200° C., a water absorption rate less than 0.5%, a dielectric loss tangent of D.sub.f less than 0.005 at a frequency of 10 GHz, and a storage elastic modulus greater than 0.1 GPa at 310° C. A method for manufacturing the polymer film, the method for manufacturing the polymer film comprises steps: providing a liquid crystal polymer powder; providing a liquid crystal polymer glue; providing a polyamic acid glue; mixing the liquid crystal polymer powder, the liquid crystal polymer glue and the polyamic acid glue into a mixed solution, the mixed solution is made into a gel film.

A polymer film is provided, the polymer film comprises a liquid crystal polymer, comprising a soluble liquid crystal polymer and an insoluble liquid crystal polymer; and a polyimide polymer, accounting for 5 wt % or more of the polymer film. A method for manufacturing the polymer film is also provided, the method for manufacturing the polymer film comprises steps: providing a liquid crystal polymer powder, a particle size of the liquid crystal polymer powder is 0.1 um to 20 um; providing a liquid crystal polymer glue, a solid content of which is greater than 3 wt %; providing a polyamic acid glue; mixing the liquid crystal polymer powder, the liquid crystal polymer glue and the polyamic acid glue into a mixed solution, the mixed solution is made into a gel film, and the gel film is baked at a temperature of 300° C. to form a polymer film.

Disclosed is a polymerizable liquid crystal material wherein an amount of a salt represented by the following formula (I) is less than 0.01 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of a polymerizable liquid crystal compound, and an amount of a nitrogen-containing compound represented by the following formula (II) is 0.01 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the polymerizable liquid crystal compound. R.sup.1 to R.sup.5 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a C1-C7 alkyl group, R.sup.6 and R.sup.7 represents a hydrogen atom, and X represents F.sup.−, Br.sup.−, Cl.sup.−, I.sup.−, HSO.sub.4.sup.−, 1/2(HPO.sub.4.sup.2−), H.sub.2PO.sub.4.sup.−, R—C(═O)—O.sup.−, 1/2(.sup.−O—(C═O)—R′—(C═O)—O.sup.−) or R—SO.sub.3.sup.−, where R represents a hydrogen atom or a monovalent hydrocarbon group, and R′ represents a single bond or a divalent hydrocarbon group. ##STR00001##

A polymer film is provided, the polymer film comprises a liquid crystal polymer, comprising a soluble liquid crystal polymer and an insoluble liquid crystal polymer; and a polyimide polymer, accounting for 5 wt % or more of the polymer film. A method for manufacturing the polymer film is also provided, the method for manufacturing the polymer film comprises steps: providing a liquid crystal polymer powder, a particle size of the liquid crystal polymer powder is 0.1 um to 20 um; providing a liquid crystal polymer glue, a solid content of which is greater than 3 wt %; providing a polyamic acid glue; mixing the liquid crystal polymer powder, the liquid crystal polymer glue and the polyamic acid glue into a mixed solution, the mixed solution is made into a gel film, and the gel film is baked at a temperature of 300° C. to form a polymer film.

A composite includes a liquid crystal polyester that is soluble in a solvent; and liquid crystal polymer particles that are insoluble in a solvent, have a melting point of 270° C. or more, and have a cumulative distribution 50% diameter D.sub.50 of 20 μm or less and a cumulative distribution 90% diameter D.sub.90 of 2.5 times or less the D.sub.50 in a particle size distribution.

The present invention relates to polymerizable liquid crystalline formulations and especially to an ink formulation for inkjet printing comprising 10 to 50% w/w of one or more polymerizable liquid crystalline compounds and 50 to 90% w/w of one or more organic solvents selected from the group of aliphatic ketones, cyclic ketones, alkyl ethers of ethylene glycol or propylene glycol, alkyl esters of menthyl or aromatic solvents.

A liquid crystal display panel includes a first base substrate, a wire grid polarizer disposed on the first base substrate, a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal polarizer disposed on the first base substrate, a second base substrate facing the first base substrate and a liquid crystal layer between the first base substrate and the second base substrate.