Abstract: A heat transport fluid passage device for a heat transport circuit has a wall defining a passage through which a heat transport fluid flows. The heat transport fluid contains a solvent made of water or an organic substance and fine particles dispersed in the solvent. A hydrophobic membrane is formed on a surface of the wall.

Abstract: A compound is represented by the following formula: In the formula (1), X is a chalcogen atom. Z is carbon or an aromatic ring structure having at least one sulfur, at least one oxygen, or at least one nitrogen in an aromatic ring to which a substituent is attached. n is an integer of 1 to 3. R1 and R2 are independently selected from a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a straight, branched, or cyclic alkyl group, a straight, branched, or cyclic alkoxy group, and a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group.

Abstract: A heat transport fluid passage device for a heat transport circuit has a wall defining a passage through which a heat transport fluid flows. The heat transport fluid contains a solvent made of water or an organic substance and fine particles dispersed in the solvent. A hydrophobic membrane is formed on a surface of the wall.

Abstract: A compound is represented by the following formula: In the formula (1), X is a chalcogen atom. Z is carbon or an aromatic ring structure having at least one sulfur, at least one oxygen, or at least one nitrogen in an aromatic ring to which a substituent is attached. n is an integer of 1 to 3. R1 and R2 are independently selected from a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a straight, branched, or cyclic alkyl group, a straight, branched, or cyclic alkoxy group, and a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group.

Abstract: An air conditioning system comprising a gas-impermeable wall defining a space for air conditioning, and a selective separating member disposed in the wall as a part of the wall, having a function of allowing preferential permeation of oxygen and carbon dioxide and at the same time, blocking the permeation of hydrocarbon, nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide and a fine solid component, in which the selective separating member comprises an organic polymer and satisfies the relationship of P1/P2>10 wherein P1 is the permeation coefficient of oxygen and carbon dioxide and P2 is the permeation coefficient of hydrocarbon, nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide and a fine solid component.

Abstract: An air conditioning system comprising a gas-impermeable wall defining a space for air conditioning, and a selective separating member disposed in the wall as a part of the wall, having a function of allowing preferential permeation of oxygen and carbon dioxide and at the same time, blocking the permeation of hydrocarbon, nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide and a fine solid component, in which the selective separating member comprises an organic polymer and satisfies the relationship of P1/P2>10 wherein P1 is the permeation coefficient of oxygen and carbon dioxide and P2 is the permeation coefficient of hydrocarbon, nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide and a fine solid component.

Abstract: An antiferroelectric liquid crystal composition having a chiral smectic CA* phase composed by blending liquid crystal composition-constituting compounds having the same direction of inclination of optic axis produced by application of an electric field and/or comprised of a mixture of two enantiomers of a liquid crystal material; one having the stereosense (+) and the other having the stereosense (−). The stereosense is defined so that, when the molecule is viewed so that the bond between the core group and the asymmetric carbon is behind the asymmetric carbon atom, the stereosense is (+) if the remaining three groups (or atoms) are arranged clockwise in order of length of the groups (or, if the groups are the same length, in order of their volume), and the stereosense is (−) if the groups are arranged counter clockwise.

Abstract: A liquid crystal cell which minimizes disordered orientation occurring with temperature changes even across a wide range, to exhibit good contrast and high reliability, as well as a smectic liquid crystal composition for use the liquid crystal cell are provided. In smectic liquid crystal compositions having a layer construction in the liquid crystal molecular arrangement, it was found that antiferroelectric liquid crystal compositions resistant to variation in the layer spacing of the smectic phase due to temperature changes are resistant to disordered orientation. Specifically, if the antiferroelectric liquid crystal composition contains at lest 45 wt % of an antiferroelectric liquid crystal compound with roughly constant layer spacing in a temperature range from the temperature t.sub.1 which gives the minimum value for the layer spacing of the smectic C.sub.A * phase to -20.degree. C., no disordered liquid crystal orientation results even after cold/hot temperature cycles.

Abstract: An antiferroelectric composition comprising 70 wt % or more of a mixture consisting of two groups of compounds represented by the following general formula (I): ##STR1## wherein each of R, R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are an atom or an atomic group, R is an atomic group having the most carbon atoms, C* represents an asymmetric carbon, R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 are numbered in order of increasing number of carbon atoms (i.e. R.sup.1 <R.sup.2 <R.sup.3), or, if two or more groups have the same number of carbon atoms, they are numbered in order of increasing atomic group weight or increasing atomic weight, and wherein one component of the mixture has R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 arranged clockwise when the molecule is viewed along the R--C bond, with the C* atom in front, and the other, counterclockwise. The composition provides an antiferroelectric liquid crystal composition having a lower crystal temperature and a wide liquid crystal temperature range with a small number of component compounds.

Abstract: An antiferroelectric liquid crystal composition comprising a liquid crystal composition having the chiralsmectic C.sub.A phase and a compound represented by the formula (I) shown below: ##STR1## wherein X is --CH.sub.3, --CF.sub.3 or --C.sub.2 H.sub.5 ; R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are straight-chain or branched alkyl radicals having 3 to 14 and 3 to 10 carbon atoms respectively; Y represents a single bond, or --O--, --CO--, --COO-- or --OCO-- radical; Z represents --COO--, --C.tbd.C-- or --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 -- radical; and A.sup.1, A.sup.2 and A.sup.3 independently represent a six membered ring including benzene rings, cyclohexane rings, pyridine rings, and pyrimidine rings, at least one hydrogen of which six membered rings may be replaced by a fluorine atom, chlorine atom, bromine atom, cyano group, nitro group, methyl group, ethyl group or methoxy group.

Abstract: Antiferroelectric liquid crystals represented by the following formula (1) and (2). ##STR1## In the formula (1), each of m and n is an integer satisfying 6.ltoreq.m.ltoreq.14 and 2.ltoreq.n.ltoreq.10, and each of Z.sub.1, Z.sub.2 and Z.sub.3 is independently a substituent selected from the group consisting H, F, Cl, Br, CN and CH.sub.3. ##STR2## In the formula (2), each of m and n is an integer satisfying 6.ltoreq.m.ltoreq.14 and 3.ltoreq.k.ltoreq.10, and each of Z.sub.1, Z.sub.2 and Z.sub.3 is independently a substituent selected from the group consisting H, F, Cl, Br, CN and CH.sub.3.