Polymerizable liquid crystal composition and optically anisotropic film comprising the same

A polymerizable liquid crystal composition comprising a first kind of monofunctional (meth)acrylate compound which is a (meth)acrylic ester of a cyclic alcohol, phenol or aromatic hydroxy compound having a liquid crystalline skeleton having at least two 6-membered rings as a partial structure, said composition further comprising a chiral compound, and wherein said composition contains not more than 10% by weight of a liquid crystal compound without a polymerizable functional group and exhibits a liquid crystalline phase at room temperature.

An optically anisotropic film comprising a photopolymerization product of a polymerizable liquid crystal composition comprising a first kind of monofunctional (meth)acrylate compound which is a (meth)acrylic ester of a cyclic alcohol, phenol or aromatic hydroxy compound having a liquid crystalline skeleton having at least two 6-membered rings as a partial structure, wherein said composition contains not more than 10% by wight of a liquid crystal compound without a polymerizable functional group and exhibits a liquid crystalline phase at room temperature and wherein the main chain of the polymer obtained by the polymerization of the first (meth)acrylate compound has a rigid liquid crystalline skeleton directly connected thereto without any spacer.

A liquid crystal display device comprising an optically anisotropic film comprising a photopolymerization product of a polymerizable liquid crystal composition comprising a first kind of monofunctional (meth)acrylate compound which is a (meth)acrylic ester of a cyclic alcohol, phenol or aromatic hydroxy compound having a liquid crystalline skeleton having at least two 6-membered rings as a partial structure, wherein said composition contains not more than 10% by weight of a liquid crystal compound without a polymerizable functional group and exhibits a liquid crystalline phase at room temperature and wherein the main chain of the polymer obtained by the polymerization of the first (meth)acrylate compound has a rigid liquid crystalline skeleton directly connected thereto without any spacer.

A process for producing an optically anisotropic film comprising a photopolymerization product of a polymerizable liquid crystal composition comprising a first kind of monofunctional (meth)acrylate compound which is a (meth)acrylic ester of a cyclic alcohol, phenol or aromatic hydroxy compound having a liquid crystalline skeleton having at least two 6-membered rings as a partial structure, wherein said composition contains not more than 10% by weight of a liquid crystal compound without a polymerizable functional group and exhibits a liquid crystalline phase at room temperature, which comprises (1) a first step of allowing the polymerizable liquid crystal composition to be interposed between a first kind of transparent substrate which is treated to align the liquid crystal and a second kind of substrate which is treated to align the liquid crystal, and (2) a second step of irradiating the material with light on the first kind of transparent substrate side, and wherein the main chain of the polymer obtained by the polymerization of the first (meth)acrylate compound has a rigid liquid crystalline skeleton directly connected thereto without any spacer.

A process for producing an optically anisotropic film comprising a photopolymerization product of a polymerizable liquid crystal composition comprising a first kind of monofunctional (meth)acrylate compound which is a (meth)acrylic ester of a cyclic alcohol, phenol or aromatic hydroxy compound having a liquid crystalline skeleton having at least two 6-membered rings as a partial structure, wherein said composition contains not more than 10% by weight of a liquid crystal compound without a polymerizable functional group and exhibits a liquid crystalline phase at room temperature, which comprises (1) a first step of allowing the polymerizable liquid crystal composition to be interposed between a first kind of transparent substrate having an electrically conducting layer and a second kind of electrically conducting substrate, and (2) a second step of irradiating the material with light on the first kind of transparent substrate side with a voltage being applied across said two substrates, and wherein the main chain of the polymer obtained by the polymerization of the first (meth)acrylate compound has a rigid liquid crystalline skeleton directly connected thereto without any spacer.