An optically anisotropic layer wherein a polymerizable composition, containing one or more polymerizable rod-like liquid crystal compound showing a smectic phase, is fixed in a state of smectic phase, and a direction of maximum refractive index of said optically anisotropic layer is inclined at 10° or smaller to the surface of said optically anisotropic layer,
- wherein the polymerizable rod-like liquid crystal compound is a compound represented by the formula (II);
- L1-G1-D1-Ar-D2-G2-L2 Formula (II):
- where, Ar represents a divalent aromatic ring group represented by the formulae (II-1), (II-2), (II-3) or (II-4) below;
- each of D1 and D2 independently represents —CO—O—, —O—CO—, —C(═S)O—, —O—C(═OS)—, —CR1R2—, —CR1R2—CR3R4—, —O—CR1R2—O—, —CR1R2—O—CR3R4—, —CR1R2—O—CO—, —O—CO—CR1R2—, —CR1R2—O—CO—CR3R4—, —CR1R2—CO—O—CR3R4—, —NR1—CR2R3—, —CR1R2—NR3—, —CO—NR2—, or —NR1—CO—;
- each of R1, R2, R3 and R4 independently represents a hydrogen atom, halogen atom, or C1-4 alkyl group;
- each of G1 and G2 independently represents a C5-8 divalent alicyclic hydrocarbon group, a methylene group contained in the alicyclic hydrocarbon group may be substituted by —O—, —S—, —NH— or —N(R)—;
- each of L1 and L2 independently represents a monovalent organic group, and at least one selected from the group consisting of L1 and L2 represents a monovalent group having a polymerizable group,
- in the formula (II-1), Q1 represents —S—, —O— or —NR11—, where R11 represents a hydrogen atom or C1-6 alkyl group;
- Y1 represents a C6-12 aromatic hydrocarbon group, or, C3-12 aromatic heterocyclic group;
- each of Z1 and Z2 independently represents a hydrogen atom or C1-20 aliphatic hydrocarbon group, C3-20 alicyclic hydrocarbon group, monovalent C6-20 aromatic hydrocarbon group, halogen atom, cyano group, nitro group, —NR12R13 or —SR12, Z1 and Z2 may combine with each other to form an aromatic ring or aromatic heterocycle, each of R12 and R13 independently represents a hydrogen atom or C1-6 alkyl group;
- in the formula (II-2), each of A1 and A2 independently represents a group selected from the group consisting of —O—, —NR—, —S— and —CO—, where R represents a hydrogen atom or substituent;
- X represents a Group-XIV to XVI nonmetal atom, where, X may have a hydrogen atom or substituent bound thereto, and each of Z1 and Z2 independently represents a substituent;
- in the formula (II-3) and the formula (II-4), Ax represents an C2-30 organic group having at least one aromatic ring selected from the group consisting of aromatic hydrocarbon ring and aromatic heterocycle, Ay represents a hydrogen atom, a C1-6 alkyl group which may have a substituent, or, a C2-30 organic group having at least one aromatic ring selected from the group consisting of aromatic hydrocarbon ring and aromatic heterocycle;
- the aromatic ring contained in Ax and Ay may have a substituent;
- Ax and Ay may combine together to form a ring;
- each of Z1, Z2 and Z3 independently represents a hydrogen atom or substituent;
- and
- Q2 represents a hydrogen atom, or, C1-6 alkyl group which may have a substituent, and
- wherein the polymerizable composition comprises two or more different polymerizable rod-like liquid crystal compounds represented by the formula (II).