Abstract: A polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by formula (I) is disclosed. R0 and R1 represent a hydrogen atom, or a C1-4 alkyl group, provided that at least one of R0 and R1 represent a C1-4 alkyl group; A0, A1, B0 and B1 represent a single bond, or a divalent linking group having a cyclic structure; X0, X1, Y0 and Y1 represent a single bond, —O—, —S—, —OCO—, —COO—, —OCOO—, —NR2CO—, —CONR2—, —OCONR2—, —NR2COO—, —NR2CONR2—, —C?N— or —N?C—; Q0 and Q1 a single bond or a divalent aliphatic group; Z0 and Z1 represent a hydrogen atom, cyano, halogen atom or polymerizable group; and n and m each independently represent an integer of from 0 to 2.

Abstract: A polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by formula (I) is disclosed. R0 and R1 represent a hydrogen atom, or C1-4 alkyl; L0 and L1 represent a hydrogen atom, or C1-4 alkyl group; A0 and A1 represent a divalent linking group having a 5- to 12-membered cyclic structure; B0 and B1 represent a single bond or a divalent linking group having a 5- to 12-membered cyclic structure; D0 and D1 represent —O—, —S—, or —NR2—; X0 and X1 represent a hydrogen atom, acyl group or cyano; Y0 and Y1 represent a single bond or a divalent group; Q0 and Q1 represent a C1-20 divalent aliphatic group; Z0 and Z1 represent a hydrogen atom, cyano, halogen atom or polymerizable group; and n and m each independently represent an integer of from 0 to 2.

Abstract: A compound represented by formula (I) is disclosed. P1 and P2 represent a polymerizable group; m1 and m2 represent an integer of from 1 to 10, “A” represents a divalent group having a 5- to 18-membered aromatic hydrocarbon ring or a 5- to 18-membered aromatic hetero ring, L3 and L4 represent a C1-10 alkyl group or a C1-10 alkoxy group, k1 and k2 represent an integer of from 0 to 4, X1, X2, X3 and X4 represent —O—, —S—, —NH—, —NR— or —SiR0R00—, n1 and n2 represent 0 or 1, provided that at least one of them is 1; and L1a, L1b, L2a and L2b represent a hydrogen atom, halogen atom, —CN, —NC, —NCO, —NCS, or —OCN, provided that those in which both of X2 and X3 represent —O—, those in which one of X2 and X3 represents —O— and another represents —NH— or —NR— are excluded only when n1 is 1, both of L1a and L1b are hydrogen atoms, n2 is 1, and both of L2a and L2b are hydrogen atoms, or only when n1 is 1, both of L1a and L1b are hydrogen atoms, and n2 is 0.

Abstract: A process of preparing a lamination film comprising two or more layers of a fixed cholesteric liquid-crystal phase is disclosed. The process comprises (a) applying a coating liquid of a curable liquid crystal composition comprising a rod-like liquid crystal compound, an alignment-control agent capable of controlling an alignment of the rod-like liquid crystal compound and a solvent to a surface; (b) drying the applied curable liquid crystal composition to form a cholesteric liquid-crystal phase; (c) carrying out a curing reaction of the composition and fixing the cholesteric liquid-crystal phase, thereby to form a lower layer; and (d) repeating the steps (a) to (c) on the lower layer, thereby to form an upper layer; wherein at least a part of the alignment-control agent in the lower layer diffuses into the upper layer.

Abstract: A heat shield comprising a first light-reflective layer, having a reflectance peak both in a wavelength range of from 400 nm to less than 850 nm and in a wavelength range of from more than 850 nm to 1300 nm and satisfying C>A>B, is disclosed. “A” means the maximum reflectance in the wavelength range of from 400 nm to less than 850 nm; “B” means the reflectance at a wavelength of 850 nm; “C” means the maximum reflectance in the wavelength range of from more than 850 nm to 1300 nm; and “B” is equal to or less than 50%.

Abstract: Disclosed a liquid crystal display device comprising at least one polarizing plate; and a liquid crystal cell comprising a multi-domain liquid crystal layer (16) comprising positive-birefringent liquid crystal molecules, and a multi-domain retardation layer (18) disposed between the liquid crystal layer and at least one of the two substrates, and comprising negative-birefringent molecules fixed in an alignment; the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer (16) being tilt-aligned in the black state so that the averaged tilt angle falls in the range from more than 1° to not more than 20°, with respect to the direction of normal lines of the two substrates, and having directions of tilting of the liquid crystal molecules different between at least two domains, and the retardation layer (18) having retardation in-plane at 550 nm, Re(550), of equal to or smaller than 20 nm, and having directions of in-plane slow axis different between at least two domains.

Abstract: A polarizing film, satisfying DI?/P??4.3×10?4 which expresses relation between degree of polarization P?, and depolarization index DI? calculated by the equation below is disclosed. X represents a value calculated by the equation below, provided that a polarizing plate having degree of polarization of P, the polarizing film, and a polarizing plate having degree of polarization P, having azimuths of transmission axes of a°, b° and c°, respectively, are stacked in this order as viewed from a light source, to give brightness written as [a/b/c].

Abstract: A novel optically-anisotropic film is disclosed. The film is formed of a composition comprising at least one discotic liquid-crystal compound having a ratio, ?1, which is a ratio of birefringence at 400 nm to birefringence at 550 nm in a liquid-crystal state, of less than 1.25, in which the molecules of the liquid-crystal compound are fixed in an alignment state at a mean tilt angle ranging from 35 to 85°, wherein its in-plane retardation Re, as measured in a direction normal to a plane of the optically-anisotropic film for 550 nm wavelength light, falls within the range from 60 nm to 220 nm.

Abstract: The present invention provides a vertical alignment film having a polymerizable liquid crystal compound having negative dielectric constant anisotropy, where the polymerizable liquid crystal compound is vertically aligned against the surface of the substrate, and then the polymerizable liquid crystal compound is fixed to form the vertical alignment film.

Abstract: A novel liquid crystal display device is disclosed. The liquid crystal display device comprises a first polarizing film, a first retardation area with an Re of 70 to 330 nm and a value of Nz of not less than 0 to less than 0.5 and a slow axis perpendicular to a transmission axis of the first polarizing film; a second retardation region with an Re of not greater than 50 nm and an Rth of 10 to 140 nm; and a liquid crystal cell comprising a liquid crystal layer with a slow axis in a black state parallel to the transmission axis of the first polarizing film; and a second polarizing film in this order.

Abstract: An optically anisotropic film comprising a liquid crystal compound forming a nematic phase or smectic A phase, the liquid crystalline phase satisfying the following inequality: ?n(450 nm)/?n(550 nm)<1.0 in which each ?n (?) represents an intrinsic birefringence at a wavelength of ?, wherein the optically anisotropic film (A) has an absolute in-plane retardation (Re) of 40 nm or less and a retardation in the thickness direction (Rth) of ?10 nm or less.

Abstract: An optically anisotropic film comprising at least one species of liquid crystal compound which exhibits a nematic phase or a smectic phase, the liquid crystal phase showing birefringence ?n(?) at wavelength ? which satisfies the numerical expression (1) below is disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a liquid crystal composition comprising two or more species of liquid crystal compounds respectively having a polymerizable group, at least one species of which being a compound represented by formula (I) below, having a content of the compound of from 20% to 80% relative to the total mass of said two or more species of liquid crystal compounds.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical compensation film comprising a light absorbing layer and a retardation layer, wherein the light absorbing layer shows absorption anisotropy in the plane (x-y plane) thereof with respect to light of wavelength ? nm in the visible light region and a degree of polarization P of 0.986 or smaller, and the in-plane absorption axis of the light absorbing layer and the in-plane slow axis of the retardation layer are orthogonal to each other.

Abstract: A compound of formula (1): wherein A1 and A2 are —O—, —NR—, —S—, or —CO—, in which R is a hydrogen atom or substituent; Z is one or two atoms selected from a carbon atom or a non-metal atom of Group 14, 15 or 16 in the Periodic Table, and forms a five- or six-membered ring with the C—C?C—C or C?C—C?C; R1, R2, and R3 each are a substituent; m is an integer of 0 to 4; L1 and L2 are a single bond or divalent linking group; X is a non-metal atom of Group 14, 15 or 16 in the Periodic Table, and may have a hydrogen atom or R4; and at least one of R, R1, R2, R3, and R4 is substituted with a polymerizable group; a liquid crystal composition, an optical film, a retardation sheet, a polarizing plate, and a liquid crystal display.

Abstract: An optical compensation film capable of contributing to improvement in a viewing angle characteristic of a liquid crystal display device, especially an IPS mode liquid crystal display device is proposed. A composition comprises at least one onium salt, at least one rod-like liquid crystalline compound, and at least one additive capable of promoting a vertical alignment of molecules of the rod-like liquid crystalline compound at an air interface; and an optical compensation film comprising an optically anisotropic layer formed of the composition are disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a polarizing plate comprising at least a polarizing layer having a K value as defined by the following expression of from 0.25 to 0.75; K=(kx?kz)/(kx?ky) wherein axes which are orthogonal to each other in a plane of the polarizing layer are an x-axis and a y-axis; an axis which is orthogonal to an x-y axis plane is a z-axis; and kx, ky and kz are an absorption coefficient along the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis directions, respectively.

Abstract: An optical compensation film comprising a light absorbing layer capable of absorbing at least light of wavelength ? nm in the visible light region is disclosed. The light absorbing layer has absorption anisotropy, light absorption coefficient kz(?) in the direction normal to the surface of layer (in the direction of z-axis), with respect to light of wavelength ? nm in the visible light region, being larger than in-plane (x-y plane) light absorption coefficients kx(?) and ky(?); and the light absorbing layer has the larger degree of absorption anisotropy at the light of longer wavelength. A liquid crystal display device employing the film is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method of producing a cellulose derivative film, the method comprising: forming a film with a solvent cast method from a dope including a cellulose derivative satisfying following conditions (a) and (b): (a) at least one among three hydroxyl groups included in a glucose unit of cellulose is substituted by a substituent of which a polarizability anisotropy ?? represented as following Expression (1) is 2.5×10?24 cm3 or higher: Expression (1): ??=?x?(?y+?z)/2, wherein ?x, ?y and ?z is as defined in the specification; and (b) when a substitution degree by a substituent of which ?? is 2.5×10?24 cm3 or higher is PA, and a substitution degree by a substituent of which ?? is lower than 2.5×10?24 cm3 is PB, the PA and PB satisfy following Expressions (3) and (4): Expression (3): 2PA+PB>3.0; and Expression (4): PA>0.2.

Abstract: An agent comprising a substituted aromatic azo compound is capable of making a liquid surface express anisotropy in a simplified manner.