Nitto-denko Corporation

Yasuko Iwakawa

Shoichi Matsuda

Shusaku Nakano

Minoru Miyatake

Tadayuki Kameyama

Tetsuo Inoue

Akinori Nishimura

Masashi Shinagawa

As the polarizing fiber of the present invention, the cross sectional form perpendicular to the longitudinal direction has a sea-island structure, and the cross sectional form is continuously made up in the longitudinal direction. A resin (sea component) that constitutes the sea region of the sea-island structure comprises a dichroic dye, and a resin (island component) that constitutes the island regions of the sea-island structure is a transparent resin. The polarizing fiber of the present invention may be used as a forming material of a polarizer, for example. By using the above polarizing fiber, a polarizer wherein unevenness of the transmittance is small and cracks are less generated may be formed.

Polarizing fiber, polarizer, polarizing plate, laminated optical film, and image display

An object of the present invention is to provide a thin optical laminate a refractive index of which is three-dimensionally controlled. The optical laminate of the present invention comprises a retardation layer containing a polycyclic compound having at least one of a &#x2014;SOM group and a &#x2014;COOM group, and having an index ellipsoid satisfying a relationship of nx&#x2266;nz&#x3e;ny; and a retardation layer having an index ellipsoid satisfying a relationship of nx&#x2267;ny&#x3e;nz. As the polycyclic compound, for example, a quinoxaline derivative represented by the following formula (I) is used. 

Optical laminate, polarizing plate, image display, and process for producing an optical laminate

The present invention provides a method of producing an optical laminate that can produce an optical laminate including an applied film containing a lyotropic liquid crystalline compound so that the thickness of the applied film will be approximately uniform. A method of producing an optical laminate having a base material and an applied film, comprising the step of applying a solution containing at least one kind of lyotropic liquid crystalline compound on the base material so as to form the applied film, wherein the concentration of the lyotropic liquid crystalline compound in the solution is lower than the isotropic phase&#x2014;liquid crystal phase transition concentration. For example, the concentration of the lyotropic liquid crystalline compound in the solution is from (C&#x2212;18)% by mass to (C&#x2212;1)% by mass, where Crepresents the isotropic phase-liquid crystal phase transition concentration.

Method of producing optical laminate and image displaying apparatus

A process for the producing a coating fluid of the present invention comprises a step of adjusting a pH of the coating fluid by mixing ammonium hydroxide into an acid solution containing a lyotropic liquid crystal compound and a solvent. Further, a process for the producing an optically anisotropic film of the present invention comprises a step of obtaining an optically anisotropic film by casting the coating fluid produced by the aforementioned process for production of the coating fluid in a thin film state, followed by drying.

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Ibaraki, Japan

Yasuko Iwakawa