Optical laminate, polarizing plate, and image device display

An optical laminate comprising:

• a first optically anisotropic layer formed of a first liquid crystal compound;
• a second optically anisotropic layer formed of a second liquid crystal compound that is different from the first liquid crystal compound;
• and
• a mixed layer in direct contact with, and disposed between, the first optically anisotropic layer and the second optically anisotropic layer, the mixed layer including a component derived from the first liquid crystal compound and a component derived from the second liquid crystal compound,
• wherein the first optically anisotropic layer is an A-plate,
• the A-plate satisfying one of two Expressions (A1) and (A2):
• nx>ny≈nz Expression (A1)
• ny<nx≈nz Expression (A2)
• where nx is a refractive index in the slow axis direction in the layer plane (i.e., the direction in which the refractive index becomes a maximum in the plane), ny is a refractive index in the direction in-plane orthogonal to the in-plane slow axis direction, and nz is a refractive index in the layer thickness direction,
• a surface energy of a surface of the first optically anisotropic layer on a side opposite to a mixed layer side is 25 mN/m or more,
• the second optically anisotropic layer is a C-plate,
• the C-plate satisfying one of two Expressions (C1) and (C2):
• nz>nx≈ny Expression (C1)
• nz<nx≈ny Expression (C2)
• the mixed layer further includes a photo-alignment compound which has a horizontal alignment function, and
• the following conditions are satisfied by the optical laminate in which a component in a depth direction of the optical laminate is analyzed with time-of-flight type secondary ion mass spectrometry while irradiating ion beams from a surface of the optical laminate on a first optically anisotropic layer side toward a second optically anisotropic layer side,
• condition 1:
• where a depth position in the mixed layer, at which a secondary ion intensity derived from the photo-alignment compound is maximum, is defined as a peak position, a depth position which is on the first optically anisotropic layer side from the peak position, where a secondary ion intensity that is half of the secondary ion intensity at the peak position is exhibited, is defined as a first position, and a depth position which is on the second optically anisotropic layer side from the peak position, where a secondary ion intensity that is half of the secondary ion intensity at the peak position is exhibited, is defined as a second position, secondary ions derived from the first liquid crystal compound and the second liquid crystal compound are detected at any depth position in a region between the first position and the second position, and
• condition 2:
• where a distance between the first position and the peak position is defined as a first distance and a distance between the second position and the peak position is defined as a second distance, a ratio of the second distance is less than 50% with respect to a total distance of the first distance and the second distance.