Liquid crystal device

A liquid crystal device comprising at least two opposing transparent substrates, at least one liquid crystal switching layer sandwiched between said at least two opposing substrates comprising:

• a polymer obtainable from one or more photoreactive mesogens of formula I,
• R11-Sp11-X11[-A-Z]o-A11-CY11═CY12[—C═O]x[—O]y-A[-Z-A]p-X21-Sp21-R21 I
• wherein
• A11 denotes a radical selected from the following groups:
• a) a group consisting of 1,4-phenylene and 1,3-phenylene, wherein, in addition, one or two CH groups are each optionally replaced by N and wherein, in addition, one or more H atoms are each optionally replaced by L,
• b) a group selected from the group consisting of
• where, in addition, one or more H atoms in these radicals are optionally replaced by L, and/or one or more double bonds are optionally replaced by single bonds, and/or one or more CH groups are optionally replaced by N,
• A have each, independently of one another, in each occurrence one of the meanings for A11 or
• a) group consisting of trans-1,4-cyclohexylene, 1,4-cyclohexenylene, wherein, in addition, one or more non-adjacent CH2 groups are each optionally replaced by —O— or —S— and wherein, in addition, one or more H atoms are optionally replaced by F, or
• b) a group consisting of tetrahydropyran-2,5-diyl, 1,3-dioxane-2,5-diyl, tetrahydrofuran-2,5-diyl, cyclobutane-1,3-diyl, piperidine-1,4-diyl, thiophene-2,5-diyl and selenophene-2,5-diyl,
• each of which may also be mono- or polysubstituted by L,
• L on each occurrence, identically or differently, denotes —OH, —F, —Cl, —Br, —I, —CN, —NO2, SF5, —NCO, —NCS, —OCN, —SCN, —C(═O)N(Rz)2, —C(═O)Rz, —N(Rz)2, optionally substituted silyl, optionally substituted aryl having 6 to 20 C atoms, or straight-chain alkyl or alkoxy having 1 to 25 C atoms, straight chain alkylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyloxy, alkoxycarbonyloxy having 2 to 25 C atoms, branched or cyclic alkyl or alkoxy having 3 to 25 C atoms, or branched or cyclic alkylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyloxy, or alkoxycarbonyloxy having 4 to 25 C atoms, or X21—Sp21-R21,
• M denotes —O—, —S—, —CH2—, —CHRz— or —CRyRz—,
• Ry and Rz each, independently of one another, denote H, CN, F, or alkyl having 1-12 C atoms, wherein one or more H atoms are each optionally replaced by F,
• Y11 and Y12 each, independently of one another, denote H, F, phenyl, or optionally fluorinated alkyl having 1-12 C atoms,
• Z denotes, independently of each other, in each occurrence, a single bond, —COO—, —OCO—, —O—CO—O—, —OCH2—, -CH2O—, —OCF2-, -CF2O—, (CH2)n—, —CF2CF2—, —CH═CH—, —CF═CF—, —CH═CH—COO—, —OCO—CH═CH—, —CO—S—, —S—CO—, —CS—S—, —S—CS—, —S—CSS—, or —C≡C—,
• n denotes an integer between 2 and 8,
• o and p denote each and independently 0, 1 or 2,
• x and y denote each and independently 0 or 1, under the condition that if x denotes 0, y cannot denote 1,
• X11 and X21 denote independently from one another, in each occurrence a single bond, —CO—O—, —O—CO—, —O—COO—, —O—, —CH═CH—, —C≡C—, —CF2—O—, —O—CF2—, —CF2—CF2—, —CH2—O—, —O—CH2—, —CO—S—, —S—CO—, —CS—S—, —S—CS—, —S—CSS—, or —S—,
• Sp11 and Sp21 denote each and independently, in each occurrence a single bond or a spacer group comprising 1 to 20 C atoms, wherein one or more non-adjacent and non-terminal CH2 groups are each optionally replaced by —O—, —S—, —NH—, —N(CH3)—, —CO—, —O—CO—, —S—CO—, —O—COO—, —CO—S—, —CO—O—, —CF2—, —CF2O—, —OCF2— —CH(OH)-, —CH(alkyl)-, —CH(alkenyl)-, —CH(alkoxyl)-, —CH(oxaalkyl)-, —CH═CH—, or —C≡C—, however in such a way that no two O-atoms are adjacent to one another and no two groups selected from —O—CO—, —S—CO—, —O—COO—, —CO—S—, —CO—O— and —CH═CH— are adjacent to each other,
• R11 denotes P,
• R21 denotes P, halogen, CN, optionally fluorinated alkyl, or alkenyl with up to 15 C atoms in which one or more non-adjacent CH2-groups are each optionally replaced by
• —O—, —S—, —CO—, -C(O)O—, —O—C(O)-, O—C(O)—O—,
• P each and independently from another in each occurrence a polymerizable group,
• and one or more nematogenic compounds;
• wherein an electrode structure is provided on one or both of the at least two opposing substrates, wherein one or more of said at least two opposing substrates correspond to an optical grating or a lens structure, or one or more of said at least two opposing substrates are additionally provided with an optical grating or a lens structure adjacent to the at least one liquid crystal switching layer;
• and
• wherein said device is a beam focusing device.