Idemitsu Kosan Company, Limited

Idemetsu Kosan Co., Ltd.

Idenitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.

Shunji Uchida

Kenji Hashimoto

Kazuharu Morita

Satoshi Hachiya

Hiroyuki Endo

Kimihiro Yuasa

A liquid-crystalline polymer composition comprising a ferroelectric liquid-crystalline polymer and a low molecular weight liquid-crystalline compound which exhibits smectic C phase or chiral smectic C phase. Such liquid-crystalline polymer compositions have not only excellent moldabilities such as ease of orientation, but also exhibit chiral smectic C phase at wide temperature range within room temperatures and exhibit high speed response to changes of external fields and high contrast ratios when they are used for optical display elements.

Liquid-crystalline polymer composition

A liquid-crystalline copolymer having a long helical pitch, the liquid-crystalline copolymer comprises the copolymerization product of;

Liquid-crystalline copolymer

A liquid-crystalline polymer having the repeating units represented by the following general formula (II): ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 is ##STR2## wherein a is an integer having a value of 1 to 10,

Liquid-crystalline compounds and liquid-crystalline polymers

Liquid-crystalline polymers and copolymers

The liquid-crystalline polymeric composition of the invention comprises (A) a non-liquid-crystalline polymeric compound and (B) a low-molecular liquid-crystalline compound each having a proton donor and/or a proton acceptor in the molecular structure and the low-molecular compound has a chiral smectic C phase. By virtue of these functional groups forming hydrogen bonds between the components, the liquid-crystalline polymeric composition of the invention is not a mere blend of the components liable to cause phase separation but is imparted with greatly increased stability and uniformity of the blend as well as responsivity of high speed.

Ferroelectric liquid-crystalline polymeric composition

A ferroelectric liquid crystal polymer comprising the recurring units represented by the following general formula: ##STR1## in which k is an integer of from 1 to 30,

Ferroelectric liquid crystal polymer

A liquid crystal optical element comprising: (a) an oriented ferroelectric liquid-crystalline polymer layer which exhibits chiral smectic C phase, and (b) two electrically conducting layers which support the oriented ferroelectric liquid-crystalline polymer layer between them, where at least one of the two electrically conducting layers is transparent. The liquid crystal optical element can be easily made into one having a large area and can be used as a flexible display screen. Further, it has excellent electric field response property and high contrast. Furthermore, the production of the liquid crystal optical element and the control of its thickness can be easily conducted.

Liquid crystal optical element and method of producing the same using

A liquid-crystalline polymer comprising the repeating units of the general formula (I) ##STR1## in which: k is an integer from 1 to 30; and

Liquid-crystalline polymer

A ferroelectric liquid crystal polymer comprising the recurring units represented by the following general formula: ##STR1## in which k is an integer of from 1 to 30, R.sub.1 is ##STR2## R.sub.2 is --COOR.sub.3, --OCOR.sub.3, --OR.sub.3, or --R.sub.3, in which R.sub.3 is ##STR3## R.sub.4 is --CH.sub.3 or Cl, m is 0 or an integer of from 1 to 10,

A liquid-crystalline polymer comprising repeating units of the following general formula ##STR1## wherein: R.sup.1 is --H, --CH.sub.3 or --C.sub.2 H.sub.5,

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Chiba, Japan

Shunji Uchida