Anti-reflection film, polarizing plate comprising the same, and image display device using the anti-reflection film or the polarizing plate

An anti-reflection film comprising a low-refractive-index layer, having a refractive index of 1.30 to 1.55, which comprises from 50 to 95% by weight of short fibrous inorganic fine particles, and from 5 to 50% by weight of a polymer, wherein there are micro voids formed among the short fibrous inorganic fine particles.

A polarizing plate comprising a polarizing layer interposed between two transparent supports, wherein the polarizing plate has an optical compensative layer containing an optical anisotropic layer, on the surface of one of the transparent supports opposite to the polarizing layer, and has an anti-reflection film on the surface of the other transparent support opposite to the polarizing layer, and wherein the optical anisotropic layer comprises a compound with a discotic structure unit and having a negative birefringence, disk surfaces of the discotic structure unit being inclined to the surface of the transparent support at angles changed to each other for the surface of the transparent support with respect to the direction of depth of the optical anisotropic layer.