Liquid crystal display device

A liquid crystal display device comprising:

• a liquid crystal cell that includes a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer which is interposed between the pair of substrates,
• wherein at least one of the pair of substrates includes a photo-alignment film, and an electrode in the stated order from the liquid crystal layer side;
• the photo-alignment film aligns liquid crystal molecules horizontally to the photo-alignment film surface;
• the liquid crystal display device further includes a polarizing element in the observation surface side of the liquid crystal cell;
• a polarization transmission axis direction of the polarizing element crosses an alignment direction of liquid crystal molecules at a voltage lower than the threshold voltage in the liquid crystal layer;
• and
• a material constituting the photo-alignment film contains a polymer including a molecular structure represented by the following formula (1):
• (in the formula, Z represents a polyvinyl monomer unit, a polyamic acid monomer unit, a polyamide monomer unit, a polyimide monomer unit, a polymaleimide monomer unit, or a polysiloxane monomer unit;
• R1 represents a single bond or a divalent organic group;
• R2 represents a hydrogen atom, a fluorine atom, or a monovalent organic group;
• and n represents an integer of 2 or greater.).

A liquid crystal display device comprising:

• a liquid crystal cell that includes a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer which is interposed between the pair of substrates,
• wherein at least one of the pair of substrates includes a photo-alignment film, and an electrode in the stated order from the liquid crystal layer side;
• the photo-alignment film aligns liquid crystal molecules horizontally to the photo-alignment film surface;
• the liquid crystal display device further includes a polarizing element in the observation surface side of the liquid crystal cell;
• a polarization transmission axis direction of the polarizing element is along an alignment direction of liquid crystal molecules at a voltage lower than the threshold voltage in the liquid crystal layer;
• and
• a material constituting the photo-alignment film contains a material for aligning liquid crystal molecules in a direction along a polarization direction of polarized light irradiated to the photo-alignment film by polarized light irradiated to the photo-alignment film.