Abstract: Compounds with the general formula (I): R—S1—A—Z1—B—S2—R, where A and B are independent ring systems with the formulae (a1), (a2) or (b), whereby in the trans-1,4-cyclohexylene ring, one or two non-adjacent CH2 groups may be replaced by oxygen, and whereby, in the 1,4-phenylene ring, one or two non-adjacent CH groups may be replaced by nitrogen; L1, L2, L3 represent, independently, hydrogen, C1-C20-alkyl, C1-C20-alkenyl, C1-C20-alkyloxy, C1-C20-alkyloxy carbonyl, formyl, C1C20-alkyl carbonyl, C1-C20-alkyl carbonyloxy, halogen, cyano or nitro; Z1, Z2, Z3 represent, independently, a single bond, —CH2CH2—, —CH2O—, —OCH2—, —COO—, —OOC—, —(CH2)4—, —O(CH2)3—, —(CH2)3O— or —C≡C—; S1, S2 represent a spacer unit; R represents crosslinkable groups, with the proviso that at least one of the ring systems A or B represents a ring system with the formula (a1

Abstract: A polymerizable compound represented by formula (I): 1

Abstract: Nematic liquid-crystal compositions of negative dielectric anisotropy comprising compounds of the formula I are useful in plasma-addressed liquid-crystal displays.

Abstract: A liquid crystal composition includes (1) an anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal compound of formula (1) and (2) a ferrielectric liquid crystal compound or racemic compound thereof. The composition ratio of (1) to (2) is in the range extending from a value which extends from within 5 mol % of the boundary compositional ratio on the anti-ferroelectric phase side and to within 25 mol % of the boundary compositional ratio on the ferrielectric phase side. The boundary compositional ratio is obtained on the basis of a liquid crystal phase diagram prepared on the basis of conoscopic image observations obtained by changing the mixing ratio of (1) and (2). The liquid crystal composition has the following properties: (b) an optical response in a positive voltage region and a negative voltage region and free or substantially free of hysteresis; and (c) excellent alignment stability.

Abstract: Disclosed are polymerizable liquid-crystalline compounds of the general formula (I) 1

Abstract: There is disclosed a liquid crystalline polyacetylene having a repeat structure of the formula 1

Abstract: The present invention relates to liquid-crystalline compositions of matter comprising, as components,

Abstract: The invention relates to a liquid-crystalline medium based on a mixture of polar compounds having positive dielectric anisotropy, characterized in that it comprises one or more compounds of the general formula I 1

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition whose orientation undergoes a large change upon irradiation with light, and which also has a large birefringence &Dgr;n. The liquid crystal composition contains an aromatic acetylene compound and a chiral compound that undergoes a structural change upon photoreaction, and has such properties that, upon irradiation with light, its helical pitch undergoes a large change in accordance with the level of the light intensity, and that has a large birefringence &Dgr;n. Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to provide a reflection type color filter which utilizes the liquid crystal composition, and which provides a lighter display with high reflectance. Moreover, the present invention also provides an optical film that can be formed as a thinner film using the liquid crystal composition.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display which carries out matrix driving of a chiral nematic liquid crystal composition, which is capable of displaying an image theron continuously after a turn-off of an electric field applied thereto, by applying an electric field to the liquid crystal composition through a plurality of scan electrodes and a plurality of data electrodes which face and cross each other with the liquid crystal composition in-between. The nematic liquid crystal which is the main element of the liquid crystal composition mainly contains a liquid crystalline ester compound, a liquid crystalline stilbene compound, a liquid crystalline tarphenyl compound or a liquid crystalline tolane compound.

Abstract: The invention relates to chiral compounds of formula I 1

Abstract: An electroclinic device having two spaced cell walls each bearing electrode structures and treated on at least one facing surface with an alignment layer, a layer of a smectic liquid crystal material enclosed between the cell walls, where the liquid crystal material contains one or more of the compounds described by formula I as defined in the specification.

Abstract: Liquid crystalline compounds having a comparatively high voltage holding ratio, high &Dgr;n and high &Dgr;&egr;, and excellent miscibility with known liquid crystalline compounds at low temperatures.

Abstract: 1,4-disubstituted 2,6-difluorobenzene compound of formula I wherein R is an alkyl or alkenyl radical, A1 and A2 are independently (a) a trans-1,4-cyclohexylene radical in which a CH2 group may be replaced by -O- and/or -S, (b) a 1,4-phenylene radical in which a CH group may be replaced by N, (c) 1,4-cyclohexenylene, 1,4-bicyclo(2,2,2)octylene, piperidine-1,4-diyl, naphthalene-2,6-diyl, decahydronaphthalene-2,6-diyl or 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene-2,6-diyl, Z1 and Z2 are —CO—O—, —O—CO—, —CH2O—,—OCH2—, —CH2CH2—, —CH═CH—,—C≡C—or a single bond m and n are 0, 1, 2 or 3, (m+n) is 1, 2 or 3, X is R or F, Cl, CF3, —OCF3, or —OCHF2, —OCF5, —CN or —NCS with the provisos that at least one of the radicals A1 and A2 present in the molecule is  and at least one of Z1 or Z2 is —COO—, are suitable as components of liquid-

Abstract: A new class of mesogenic compounds has the formula: where R1 is an ester (—COO—) group; R2 is H, NO2, CN, F, or Cl; R3 is H, CH2═CH, or (CH3)3Si; k is 1 or 2; q is 0 or 1; m is from 2 to 16; n is from 2 to 12; r is from 0 to n−1 (but not greater than 3 or 4); s=1 when r=0, s=0 when r≠0; x is from 0 to 4; and * denotes the position of a chiral carbon. Compounds within this class will have a smectic A* phase, and in some cases a smectic C* phase. Mixtures including one or more of these mesogenic compounds will be useful for a variety of applications.

Abstract: To improve switching times, especially at low temperatures, one or more reactive liquid crystalline compounds is added to a liquid crystal mixture used in an electroptical system.

Abstract: An electroclinic device having two spaced cell walls each bearing electrode structures and treated on at least one facing surface with an alignment layer, a layer of a smectic liquid crystal material enclosed between the cell walls, where the liquid crystal material contains one or more of the compounds described by formula I as defined in the specification.

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 fluorine-substituted compound of the following general formula (1) or (2), and a ferrielectric liquid crystal composition comprising the above compound and a specific ferrielectric liquid crystal compound, wherein, in the formula (1), each of X1 and X2 is a hydrogen atom, or one of them is a hydrogen atom and the other is a fluorine atom, p is an integer of 0 to 3 and q is an integer of 1 to 3, and in the formula (2), each of X1 and x2 is a hydrogen atom, or one of them is a hydrogen atom and the other is a fluorine atom, p is an integer of 1 to 3 and q is an integer of 1 to 3.

Abstract: A smectic liquid crystal material which comprises (1) an antiferroelectric liquid crystal material and/or a liquid crystal material ferroelectric phase and (2) a liquid crystal material having a smectic C phase. The smectic liquid crystal material may be used in a liquid crystal optical element having a spontaneous polarization of 0.06 nC/cm2 to 96 nC/cm2. The smectic material has a low spontaneous polarization value and the curve of light transmittance to applied voltage for the smectic material has a V-shaped characteristic.

Abstract: An anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal composition containing a phenyl triester compound of the formula (1), wherein R1 is a linear alkyl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, m is an integer of 0 to 3, n is an integer of 1 to 3, and X1 is a hydrogen atom or a fluorine atom, and an anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal compound of the formula (2),  wherein R2 is a linear alkyl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, X2 is a hydrogen atom or a fluorine atom, A is —CH3 or —CF3, r is 0 or 1 and C* is an asymmetric carbon, provided that when A is —CH3, r is 0 and p is an integer of 4 to 10, that when A is —CF3 and when r is 0, p is an integer of 6 to 8, and further than when A is —CF3 and when r is 1, q is an integer of 5 to 8 and p is 2 or 4.

Abstract: Provided are novel acetylene compounds which are useful as a component for a liquid crystal composition used for a liquid crystal element, a liquid crystal composition containing said compounds and a liquid crystal element using said liquid crystal composition. The acetylene compound is represented by Formula (1): n-CmH2m+1—C≡C—A—Z1—B—Y1—R1  (1) wherein m represents an integer of 2 to 24; R1 represents a linear or branched alkyl group, a linear or branched alkoxyalkyl group, a linear or branched alkenyl group, or a linear or branched alkenyloxyalkyl group each of which may be substituted with a halogen atom; R1 may have an asymmetric carbon atom, and the asymmetric carbon atom may be optically active; A and B represents a cyclic group such as a phenylene group, a biphenylene group, a naphthylene group and the like each of which may be substituted with a halogen atom.

Abstract: 1,4-disubstituted 2,6-difluorobenzene compound of formula I wherein R is an alkyl or alkenyl radical, A1 and A2, in each case independently of one another, are (a) a trans-1,4-cyclohexylene radical in which a CH2 group may be replaced by —O— and/or —S, (b) a 1,4-phenylene radical in which a CH group may be replaced by N, (c) 1,4-cyclohexenylene, 1,4-bicyclo(2,2,2)octylene, piperidine-1,4-diyl, naphthalene-2,6-diyl, decahydronaphthalene-2,6-diyl or 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene-2,6-diyl, Z1 and Z2 are —CO—O—, —O—CO—, —CH2—O—, —OCH2—, —CH2CH2—, —CH═CH—, —C≡C— or a single bond m and n are 0, 1, 2 or 3, (m+n) is 1, 2 or 3, X is R or F, Cl, CF3, —OCF3, or —OCHF2, —OCF5, —CN or —NCS with the proviso that at least one of the radicals A1 and A2 present in the molecule is are suitable as components of liquid-c

Abstract: A novel ferrielectric liquid crystal compound of the formula (1), wherein R is a linear alkyl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, X is a hydrogen atom or a fluorine atom, m is an integer of 1 to 3, n is an integer of 1 to 3, and C* is an asymmetric carbon atom. The ferrielectric liquid crystal compound of the invention characteristically has a ferrielectric phase in a broad temperature range and shows a high speed optical response in spite of a small spontaneous polarization.

Abstract: The present invention provides a ferrielectric liquid crystal compound represented by the following general formula (1), wherein R is a linear alkyl group having of 6 to 12 carbon atoms, X is a hydrogen atom or a fluorine atom, m is an integer of 1 to 3, n is an integer of 1 to 3, and C* is an asymmetric carbon atom. The ferrielectric liquid crystal compound of the present invention has a ferrielectric phase in a broad temperature range and shows a high speed response in spite of a small spontaneous polarization, and accordingly, it is very useful as a practical raw material for liquid crystal display device.

Abstract: Methods, based on the Wittig-Horner reaction, are provided for the synthesis of compounds of formula (I) where m is from 5-150, X and Y are independently selected from: CN, H, OH, COCH3, CO2H, CO2H, CO2R1, where R1 is C1-12 alkyl, NCS, SCN, CF3, CH2X where X is F, Cl, Br, OH, CHF2 and formula (IB), where J for each X and Y group is independently selected from: CH2, single covalent bond, OOC, CO2, O, CH2O, OCH2, CH2CO2, CH2OOC; p=1-20; L for each X and Y group is independently selected from: O, CH2OCO, CO2, S, NH; (a) is defined by formula (IC), where rings A, B and C are independently selected from phenyl, cyclohexyl, pyridine and pyrimidine and may be independently of each other substituted with at least one of Cl or F; linking groups A and B may be selected from single bond, CO2, OOC, CH2O, OCH2, CH2CH2, C≡C; Z is selected from CN, F, Cl, NO2, R, OR, CO2R, CF3, OOCR, NCS, SCN, where R=straight chain or branched chain alkyl and may include from 1-16 carbon atoms and incl

Abstract: An electro-optic material that is characterized by short reaction times when working with a low drive voltage. For that, the electro-optic material has a lamellar liquid crystal (10), which contains one or more components and into which chiral molecules (20), whose longitudinal axes (m) are longer than the longitudinal axes of the molecules (10) forming the lamellar liquid crystal, are introduced at a predefined concentration, so that the longitudinal axes (m) of the chiral molecules (20) are tilted, without an external electric field, statistically by a predefined angle (&thgr;m) toward the normal (z) of the layer of the lamellar liquid crystal (10).

Abstract: Disclosed are (a) liquid crystalline compounds which are essential as component of the liquid crystal compositions, are excellent in miscibility with other liquid crystal compositions, particularly in the miscibility at low temperatures, and expressed by the general formula (1) wherein R0 and R1 independently represent an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms; ring A0, ring A1, ring A2, and ring A3 represent 1,4-cyclohexylene group, 1,3-dioxane-2,5-diyl group, 1,4-phenylene group in which one or more hydrogen atoms on the ring may be represented by a halogen atom or R2O group, pyridine-2,5-diyl group, or pyrimidine-2,5-diyl group; Z0, Z1, Z2, and Z3 represent —CH2CH2—, —CH═CH—, —C≡C—, —CH2O—, —OCH2—, —CF2O—, —OCF2—, —COO—, —OCO—, —(CH2)4—, or single bond; Q1 and Q2 represent hydrogen atom or a halogen atom; Q3 represents hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, or R2O g

Abstract: A ferroelectric liquid crystal mixture having a negative value of &Dgr;e and allowing a high speed response and a low voltage driving, as well as a liquid crystal display devise using the crystal mixture of the invention. The ferroelectric liquid crystal mixture according to the invention comprises two or more compounds from at least two different of the following classes of compounds: A. thiadiazoles, B. phenanthrenes, C. 2-fluoropyridines, D. difluorobenzenes, E. meta-substituted aromatic compounds.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of preparing an oriented cross-linked polymer, which comprises the steps of orienting and polymerizing a liquid-crystal composition. The liquid-crystal composition comprises a monomer which reduces the order during polymerization. This makes it possible to obtain oriented cross-linked polymers having a low degree of optical anisotropy and optical elements having a relatively low degree of scattering.

Abstract: Liquid crystal phases containing components of the formulae I and III have an acceptable combination of threshold steepness, viewing angle and temperature dependence at a low threshold voltage.