Polymerizable dichroic dyes

A composition comprising at least a dichroic dye of formula (I) and at least one slave material which is selected from the group consisting of a liquid crystal and a polymerizable liquid crystal:

• wherein
• X2, X1 are independently from each other NR,
• R represents hydrogen, unbranched or branched lower alkyl radical,
• Y1, Y2 independently from each other are a single bond,
• Z1 is O,
• Z2 is a single bond,
• n2 is 1,
• n1, n3, n4, n5, n6 are 0,
• W1, W4, W5, W6 are hydrogen,
• W2, W3 independently from each other are unsubstituted or substituted, straight chain or branched C1-C30 alkyl, in which one —CH— or —CH2— group may be replaced by one or more linking group consisting of —O—, —S—, —NR1—, —CH(OR1)—, —CO—NR1—, —NR1—CO—, —CO—O—, —O—CO—, —SO2— or an aromatic group which is unsubstituted or substituted by one or more straight chain or branched lower alkyl radical, —F, —Cl or —OR1, and wherein
• R1 represents hydrogen, straight chain or branched lower alkyl radical,
• PG is a polymerizable group consisting of CH2═CQ-COO—, wherein Q is hydrogen or methyl;
• or
• a dichroic dye of formula (I), wherein
• X1 is S
• X2 is single bond or NR,
• R has the same meaning as mentioned above,
• Y1 is S,
• Y2 is a single bond or NR,
• Z1, Z2 are single bond,
• n1, n6 are 1,
• n2, n3, n4, n5, are 0,
• W2, W3, W4, W5 are hydrogen
• W1, W6 are independently from each other are unsubstituted or substituted, straight chain or branched C1-C30 alkyl, in which one —CH— or —CH2— group may be replaced by one or more linking group consisting of —O—, —S—, —NR1—, —CH(OR1)—, —CO—NR1—, —NR1—CO—, —CO—O—, —O—CO—, —SO2— or an aromatic group which is unsubstituted or substituted by one or more straight chain or branched lower alkyl radical, —F, —Cl or —OR1, and wherein
• R1 having the same meaning as mentioned above,
• PG is a polymerizable group consisting of CH2═CQ-COO—, wherein Q is hydrogen or methyl;
• or
• a dichroic dye of formula (I), wherein
• X1, X2 are independently from each other NR
• Y1, Y2 are independently from each other NR,
• R has the same meaning as mentioned above,
• Z1, Z2 are independently from each other a single bond or O
• n2, n5 are 1,
• n1, n3, n4, n6, are 0,
• W1, W6 are hydrogen
• W2, W3 W4, W5 are independently from each other unsubstituted or substituted, straight chain or branched C1-C30 alkyl, in which one —CH— or —CH2— group may be replaced by one or more linking group consisting of —O—, —S—, —NR1—, —CH(OR1)—, —CO—NR1—, —NR1—CO—, —CO—O—, —O—CO—, —SO2— or an aromatic group which is unsubstituted or substituted by one or more straight chain or branched lower alkyl radical, —F, —Cl or —OR1, and wherein
• R1 having the same meaning as mentioned above,
• PG is a polymerizable group consisting of CH2═CQ-COO—, wherein Q is hydrogen or methyl.