Takasago International Corporation

Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.

Mamoru Yamada

Toshimitsu Hagiwara

Hitoshi Kondo

Hiroshi Sugiyama

Yukiharu Iwaya

Yoshimasa Matsushima

Akio Yamaguchi

Takashi Imai

Tohru Kobayashi

Shinya Yamada

Shigeru Mitsuhashi

Yoko Aoki

Toshio Kobayashi

Hajime Suzuki

Masahiro Miyamoto

Misao Yagi

Tadao Kitamura

Hiroko Konuma

Mika Tadokoro

Keisuke Itakura

Minzo Sakaguchi

Yukio Osawa

Noboru Usui

Tadahiro Sakuta

Kiichi Mori

Disclosed are novel compounds useful in electrophotographic photoreceptors as charge-transporting materials having good miscibility with binder polymers and capable of forming a thin stable organic film having a high concentration; and an electrophotographic photoreceptor containing the same. The compounds are bis(3,4-methylenedioxyphenylamino) derivatives represented by general formula (1):

Bis(3,4-methylenedioxyphenylamino) derivatives and electrophotographic photoreceptor containing the derivatives

Disclosed is a charge transfer material which is highly soluble in a binder resin, does not precipitates crystals and produces no pinhole and also disclosed is an electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising the charge transfer material which comprises a butadiene compound represented by the formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2, which may be the same or different, respectively represent a lower alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms or a phenyl group or benzyl group which may have a substituent and R.sup.3, R.sup.4 and R.sup.5, which may be the same or different, respectively represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a lower alkyl group, a lower alkoxy group having 1-4 carbon atoms or a halogen atom; and a butadiene compound represented by the general formula (II): ##STR2## wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 are the same as above, and the content of the butadiene compound of the formula (I) is at least 60% by weight based on the total amount by weight of the butadiene compounds of the formulae (I) and (II).

Electrophotographic photoreceptor

An optically active compound represented by formula (I): wherein A represents ##STR1## wherein R.sup.2 represents an alkyl group having from 8 to 12 carbon atoms; R.sup.1 represents a straight chain alkyl group having from 2 to 5 carbon atoms; X represents a fluorine atom or a methyl group; n represents 1 or 2; m represents an integer of from 0 to 3; and C* represents an asymmetric carbon atom, and a liquid crystal composition containing the same are disclosed. The compound exhibits large spontaneous polarization and low viscosity and, when added to an achiral base liquid crystal composition, induces a chiral nematic phase in which the helical pitch has small temperature dependence.

Optically active compound, liquid crystal composition containing the

An optically active compound which itself generally exhibits no antiferroelectric liquid crystal phase, but which can be added to an antiferroelectric liquid crystal or composition thereof having a high threshold voltage to reduce the threshold voltage of the resulting composition. Also disclosed is an antiferroelectric liquid crystal composition containing the optically active compound, a process for reducing the threshold voltage of an antiferroelectric liquid crystal composition, a process for producing the optically active compound, and a process for producing an optically active carboxylic acid as an intermediate.

Optically active compound, antiferroelectric liquid crystal composition

Disclosed is a novel optically active compound which exhibits an antiferroelectric liquid crystal phase and has a low threshold voltage and a low viscosity, a novel optically active compound which doesn't exhibit an antiferroelectric liquid crystal phase but can be incorporated in an antiferroelectric liquid crystal having a high threshold voltage to reduce the threshold voltage thereof, an antiferroelectric liquid crystal composition containing the compound, and a process for the reduction of the threshold voltage of an antiferroelectric liquid crystal composition.

Optically active compound and antiferroelectric liquid crystal

A liquid crystal compound represented by formula (I) and a liquid crystal composition containing the same. The compound exhibits an antiferroelectric liquid crystal phase and has good compatibility with known liquid crystal compounds. ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 represents a straight-chain or branched alkyl, alkoxy, alkoxycarbonyl, alkanoyloxy or alkoxycarbonyloxy group having 4 to 16 carbon atoms; R.sup.2 represents a straight-chain alkyl group having 4 to 10 carbon atoms or a branched alkyl group containing 1 to 3 carbon atoms in its branch and 4 to 12 carbon atoms in total; X represents an oxygen or sulfur atom; rings A and B each represent an F-substituted or unsubstituted phenylene group, a cyclohexylene group or a divalent nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group, provided that either one of rings A and B is the nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group; ring C represents an F-substituted or unsubstituted phenylene group; and C* represents an asymmetric carbon atom.

Liquid crystal compound and liquid crystal composition containing the

An induced plasma generating apparatus comprises: a seed gas supply unit for supplying a seed gas, a first chamber for receiving the seed gas: a DC current source; a pair of electrodes connected to the DC current source for causing a discharge in the first chamber to generate a plasma from the seed gas; a nozzle for ejecting the plasma from the first chamber; a second chamber for receiving the plasma ejected from the first chamber; an AC current source; and a coil connected to the AC current source and disposed to surround the second chamber for producing a magnetic field in the second chamber. An induced plasma is generated by subjecting plasma in the second chamber to the magnetic field.

Method and apparatus for generating induced plasma

An antiferroelectric liquid crystal compound represented by the following general formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 represents an alkyl group having 6 to 16 carbon atoms; R.sup.2 represents a straight chain alkyl group having 3 to 8 carbon atoms or a branched alkyl group having 4 to 10 carbon atoms; and * means an asymmetric carbon atom, and an antiferroelectric liquid crystal composition comprising at least one liquid crystal compound as defined above. The optically active compound of the present invention is highly miscible with a number of known antiferroelectric liquid crystal compounds and thus capable of providing liquid crystal materials having improved temperature properties. A liquid crystal composition containing the optically active compound of the present invention is applicable to electro-optical devices with the use of antiferroelectric liquid crystals.

Antiferroelectric liquid crystal compound and antiferroelectric liquid

An improved vacuum valve including an insulating container and an arc shield held in the insulating container, wherein a protrusion is formed on either the outer cylindrical surface of the arc shield or on the inner surface of the container. A detecting electrode is set confronted with the outer surface of the insulating container with an air gap therebetween, and is grounded through a current sensor. The current sensor detects a discharge current which is induced through the protrusion when the degree of vacuum of the vacuum valve is reduced, to output a detection signal. In response to the detection signal, a signal processing unit outputs an alarm signal indicating the reduction in the degree of vacuum of the vacuum valve. Thus, while the vacuum valve is in operation, its vacuum reduction can be positively detected with the vacuum valve maintained unchanged in reliability.

Method and apparatus for detecting a reduction in the degree of vacuum

An optically active compound represented by formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 represents an alkyl group having from 3 to 9 carbon atoms; R.sup.2 represents an alkyl group having from 3 to 7 carbon atoms; m and n each represent 1 or 2 provided that they do not simultaneously represent 1; and C.sup.*1 and C.sup.*2, both represent an optically active carbon atom, and a liquid crystal composition containing the same are disclosed. The compound exhibits chiral nematic and smectic phases and are excellent as a chiral dopant for ferroelectric liquid crystal compositions or nematic liquid crystal compositions.

Optically active compound and liquid crystal composition containing the

A fluorine-containing optically active compound represented by formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 represents a straight chain alkyl or alkoxy group having from 6 to 14 carbon atoms or a 4-alkylphenyl or 4-alkoxyphenyl group having from 8 to 12 carbon atoms; R.sub.2 represents a straight chain alkyl group having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms; C.sup.* represents an asymmetric carbon atoms; and X represents a hydrogen atom or a fluorine atom, provided that X represents a fluorine atom when R.sub.1 contains a phenyl group, and a liquid crystal composition containing the same are disclosed. The compound (I) has large spontaneous polarization and low viscosity to achieve a fast response time. In the N.sup.* phase of the compound (I), the helical pitch has small temperature dependence.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Mamoru Yamada