Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a laminate including a light absorption anisotropic layer, in which a decrease in a degree of polarization is suppressed even in a case where the laminate is simultaneously stretched in a plurality of directions, and an optical device and a display device, each using the laminate. The laminate of an embodiment of the present invention is a laminate having at least a resin substrate and a light absorption anisotropic layer, in which a tan ? peak temperature of the resin substrate is 170° C. or lower, the light absorption anisotropic layer includes a liquid crystalline compound and a dichroic substance, and an alignment degree of the dichroic substance is 0.95 or more.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a polarizing element which has an excellent antireflection function as being applied to an image display device; and a circularly polarizing plate and an image display device, each of which has the polarizing element. The polarizing element of an embodiment of the present invention has an alignment film and an anisotropic light-absorbing film formed using a dichroic substance, in which a degree S of alignment of the anisotropic light-absorbing film is 0.92 or more, and an average refractive index nave at a wavelength of 400 to 700 nm of the alignment film is 1.55 to 2.0.

Abstract: Provided are a method of forming a photo-alignment film having a large size that can appropriately align a liquid crystal compound can be formed and a method of forming a liquid crystal layer having a large size in which alignment defects of a liquid crystal compound can be suppressed.

Abstract: Provided is a polarizing element which has an excellent antireflection function as being applied to an image display device; and a circularly polarizing plate and an image display device, each of which has the polarizing element. The polarizing element has an alignment film and an anisotropic light-absorbing film formed using a dichroic substance, in which a degree S of alignment of the anisotropic light-absorbing film is 0.92 or more, and an average refractive index nave at a wavelength of 400 to 700 nm of the alignment film is 1.55 to 2.0.

Abstract: Provided are an optical filter, an optical device, and a head-mounted display which have a high light transmittance in a front direction and a wide real field of view. The optical filter includes a first anisotropic absorption layer, a first retardation layer, and a second anisotropic absorption layer in this order, each of the first anisotropic absorption layer and the second anisotropic absorption layer contains a dichroic colorant, an absorption axis of the dichroic colorant is perpendicular to a main surface, and the first retardation layer has polar angle dependence of retardation that has asymmetry about a normal direction with respect to incident light hitting at least one incident surface including a normal of a layer surface of the first retardation layer.

Abstract: Provided are a backlight unit and a liquid crystal display device including the backlight unit, the backlight unit being capable of switching between viewing angles in the liquid crystal display device and having a configuration in which the brightness values of emitted light on the “+” side and the “?” side at a polar angle with respect to the normal line are symmetric to each other.

Abstract: The present invention provides a polarizing plate including a polarizer having a high transmittance, which can be suitably applied to a circularly polarizing plate with which a significant decrease in an antireflection ability is suppressed in a case where the circularly polarizing plate is disposed on a display element; a circularly polarizing plate; and a display device. The polarizing plate includes a polarizer and an adjacent layer in contact with the polarizer, in which a transmittance in the absorption axis direction of the polarizer is 4.0% or more, and an in-plane average refractive index of the adjacent layer satisfies a relationship of Formula (X), Formula (X): Refractive index in a transmission axis direction of the polarizer<In-plane average refractive index of the adjacent layer<Refractive index in the absorption axis direction of the polarizer.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a laminate having excellent display performance and moisture and heat durability in a case of being used in an image display device, and an image display device including the laminate. The laminate of the present invention is a laminate including a light absorption anisotropic film, and a liquid crystal layer which is adjacent to the light absorption anisotropic film, in which the light absorption anisotropic film is a film formed of a composition containing a dichroic material, the liquid crystal layer is a layer which contains a liquid crystal compound aligned therein and has a thickness of 300 nm or less, and an absorption axis of the light absorption anisotropic film and a slow axis of the liquid crystal layer are parallel to each other.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a laminate in which the coloring of reflected light is reduced. The laminate includes an optical film having a light absorption anisotropic film formed using a composition including a dichroic substance and having a transmittance of more than 50%, a ?/4 plate, and a metal electrode in this order, in which in a case where a degree (%) of polarization at a wavelength of ? of the optical film is defined as P(?) and a reflectance (%) at the wavelength of ? of the metal electrode is defined as R(?), a ratio of a minimum value of R/P to a maximum value of R/P at wavelengths of 450 nm, 550 nm, and 650 nm is more than 85%.

Abstract: The present invention provides a polarizing plate including a polarizer having a high transmittance, which can be suitably applied to a circularly polarizing plate with which a significant decrease in an antireflection ability is suppressed in a case where the circularly polarizing plate is disposed on a display element; a circularly polarizing plate; and a display device. The polarizing plate includes a polarizer and an adjacent layer in contact with the polarizer, in which a transmittance in the absorption axis direction of the polarizer is 4.0% or more, and an in-plane average refractive index of the adjacent layer satisfies a relationship of Formula (X), Formula (X): Refractive index in a transmission axis direction of the polarizer<In-plane average refractive index of the adjacent layer<Refractive index in the absorption axis direction of the polarizer.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a polarizing plate having excellent appearance properties and including a polarizer, an optical rotatory layer, and a brightness enhancement film, a polarizing plate, and a liquid crystal display device including the polarizing plate, are described. The method includes forming an optical rotatory layer, which has a film thickness of 1 to 10 ?m and rotates a polarization axis of linearly polarized light, on a temporary support to manufacture a temporary support with an optical rotatory layer; bonding the optical rotatory layer of the temporary support with an optical rotatory layer and polarizer through a curable adhesive layer, and curing the curable adhesive layer to form a first bonding layer having a storage elastic modulus of 2 to 1500 MPa; peeling off the temporary support from the laminate; and bonding the optical rotatory layer of the laminate and a brightness enhancement film through a second bonding layer.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device which is capable of suppressing reflected glare of a display screen on a windshield and the like, has excellent front contrast, and has excellent visibility of a display screen as viewed via polarized sunglasses. A liquid crystal display device includes, in order from a viewing side, a viewing side polarizer, a liquid crystal cell, a non-viewing side polarizer, and an anisotropic light absorption layer having an absorption axis in a thickness direction. The liquid crystal display device further includes at least one polarization control layer, in which the polarization control layer is arranged on a viewing side of the viewing side polarizer or on a non-viewing side of the non-viewing side polarizer.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a polarizing element which has an excellent antireflection function as being applied to an image display device; and a circularly polarizing plate and an image display device, each of which has the polarizing element. The polarizing element of an embodiment of the present invention has an alignment film and an anisotropic light-absorbing film formed using a dichroic substance, in which a degree S of alignment of the anisotropic light-absorbing film is 0.92 or more, and an average refractive index nave at a wavelength of 400 to 700 nm of the alignment film is 1.55 to 2.0.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device which is capable of suppressing reflected glare of a display screen on a windshield and the like, has excellent front contrast, and has excellent visibility of a display screen as viewed via polarized sunglasses. A liquid crystal display device includes, in order from a viewing side, a viewing side polarizer, a liquid crystal cell, a non-viewing side polarizer, and an anisotropic light absorption layer having an absorption axis in a thickness direction. The liquid crystal display device further includes at least one polarization control layer, in which the polarization control layer is arranged on a viewing side of the viewing side polarizer or on a non-viewing side of the non-viewing side polarizer.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a polarizing plate capable having excellent appearance properties and including a polarizer, an optical rotatory layer, and a brightness enhancement film, a polarizing plate, and a liquid crystal display device including the polarizing plate, are described. The method includes forming an optical rotatory layer, which has a film thickness of 10 ?m or less and rotates a polarization axis of linearly polarized light, on a temporary support to manufacture a temporary support with an optical rotatory layer; bonding the optical rotatory layer of the temporary support with an optical rotatory layer and polarizer through a curable adhesive layer, and curing the curable adhesive layer to form a first bonding layer having a storage elastic modulus of 2 to 1500 MPa; peeling off the temporary support from the laminate; and bonding the optical rotatory layer of the laminate and a brightness enhancement film through a second bonding layer.

Abstract: There is provided an optical film including: a layer A containing a cyclic olefin-based resin; and a layer B containing a cyclic olefin-based resin, and having a thickness thinner than a thickness of the layer A, wherein a glass transition temperature Tg[B] of the layer B is lower than a glass transition temperature Tg[A] of the layer A.

Abstract: There is provided a polarizing plate including a first protective film, a polarizer, and a second protective film in this order, in which the first protective film is a film including a synthetic polymer, and has a thickness of 30 ?m or less, an elastic modulus in the TD direction of 2 GPa to 2.5 GPa, and a humidity dimensional change rate in a TD direction of 0.1% or less, and the second protective film has an evaluation value represented by the following Equation (2) of 7.0 to 11.0: Evaluation value=elastic modulus (GPa) of the second protective film in a TD direction/humidity dimensional change rate (%) of the second protective film in the TD direction×(thickness (?m) of the second protective film/thickness (?m) of the first protective film)2×(30/thickness (?m) of the polarizer)1/2 Equation (2).

Abstract: There is provided an optical film including: a layer A containing a cyclic olefin-based resin; and a layer B containing a cyclic olefin-based resin, and having a thickness thinner than a thickness of the layer A, wherein a glass transition temperature Tg[B] of the layer B is lower than a glass transition temperature Tg[A] of the layer A.

Abstract: There is provided a polarizing plate including a first protective film, a polarizer, and a second protective film in this order, in which the first protective film is a film including a synthetic polymer, and has a thickness of 30 ?m or less, an elastic modulus in the TD direction of 2 GPa to 2.5 GPa, and a humidity dimensional change rate in a TD direction of 0.1% or less, and the second protective film has an evaluation value represented by the following Equation (2) of 7.0 to 11.0: Evaluation value=elastic modulus (GPa) of the second protective film in a TD direction/humidity dimensional change rate (%) of the second protective film in the TD direction×(thickness (?m) of the second protective film/thickness (?m) of the first protective film)2×(30/thickness (?m) of the polarizer)1/2 Equation (2).

Abstract: An optical film contains a cellulose ester and more than 30% by mass, relative to the cellulose ester, of a condensation product of at least one polyhydric alcohol having an average of 2.01 or more carbon atoms and at least one polybasic acid having an average of 4.10 or more carbon atoms, and at least one of the at least one polyhydric alcohol contains at least three carbon atoms bonded together without being interrupted by any other atom.