Polymerizable liquid crystal material and polymerized liquid crystal film

Abstract

The present invention relates to a polymerisable LC material comprising one or more di- or polyreactive mesogenic compounds and one or more compounds of the formula UVI, wherein the respective radicals have one of the meanings given in the claims. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a process for the preparation thereof, a polymer film with improved thermal durability and UV stability obtainable from the corresponding polymerisable LC material, a process for the preparation of such a polymer film, and the use of such a polymer film and of said polymerisable LC material for optical, electro-optical, decorative or security devices.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a polymerisable LC material comprising one or more di- or polyreactive mesogenic compounds and one or more compounds of formula UVI,

[0002]

[0003] wherein the respective radicals have one of the meanings given in the claims. The invention furthermore relates to a process for the preparation thereof, a polymer film with improved thermal durability and UV stability obtainable from the corresponding polymerizable LC material, a process for the preparation of such a polymer film, and the use of such a polymer film and of the polymerizable LC material for optical, electro-optical, decorative or security devices.

[0004] Background and Prior Art

[0005] Polymerizable liquid crystal materials are known in the prior art for preparing anisotropic polymer films with uniform orientation. These films are usually prepared by coating a thin layer of a polymerizable liquid crystal mixture onto a substrate, aligning the mixture into a uniform orientation and polymerizing the mixture. The orientation of the film can be planar, i.e. the liquid crystal molecules are oriented substantially parallel to the layers, homeotropic (rectangular or perpendicular to the layers) or tilted.

[0006] Such optical films are described, for example, in EP 0 940 707 B1, EP 0 888 565 B1 and GB 2 329 393 B1.

[0007] Although polymerizable liquid crystal (LC) materials are stable at room temperature, they degrade at elevated temperatures. For example, when heated for a period of time, optical properties such as dispersion or retardation decrease, and thus, the performance of the optical film decreases over time. This can be attributed, among other things, to a low degree of polymerization and a correspondingly high residual free radical content in the polymer, polymer shrinkage, and / or thermo-oxidative degradation.

[0008] Thermo-oxidative degradation is the degradation of the polymer network catalyzed by oxidation at elevated temperatures. As is generally known, antioxidant additives or short antioxidants can be used to reduce the thermo-oxidative degradation of polymers when subjected to elevated temperatures. This is particularly important when the optical film is used for in-liquid crystal cell applications due to the high temperatures. In particular, the optical film must be resistant when annealing the polyimide layer in the LC cell. In this regard, documents WO 2009 / 86911 A1 and JP 5354238 B1 describe optical films comprising commercially available antioxidants. polymerizable liquid crystal (LC) materials.

[0009] The above materials all have significant disadvantages, for example, due to the LC materials used, the UV stability or thermal durability of the resulting polymer film is still not high enough, the transparency to VIS light is limited, other additives need to be used or the application bandwidth is limited.

[0010] There is therefore still a need for new and preferably improved polymerisable liquid crystal materials or mixtures which do not exhibit the disadvantages of the prior art materials, or if they do exhibit them to a lesser extent.

[0011] Advantageously, such polymerisable LC materials should preferably be suitable for LC applications for preparing different homogeneously aligned polymer networks (eg polymer films or polymer networks) and should, and in particular at the same time should,

[0012] - show favorable adhesion to substrates,

[0013] -Highly transparent to VIS-light,

[0014] - exhibits reduced yellowness over time (yellowing), and

[0015] - show good high temperature stability or durability, in addition,

[0016] - exhibits advantageously high thermal and / or UV stability or durability, and in addition

[0017] - Uniformly aligned polymer films should be produced by compatible, generally known large-scale production processes.

[0018] Other objects of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description.

[0019] Surprisingly, the inventors of the present invention have found that by using a polymerisable LC material according to claim 1 one or more, preferably all of the above desired objects can be achieved, preferably simultaneously. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0021] The present invention therefore relates to a polymerisable LC material comprising at least one di- or polyreactive mesogenic compound and one or more compounds of the formula UVI

[0022]

[0023] where the individual radicals, independently of one another and identically or differently on each occurrence, have the following meanings:

[0024] R 1 , R 2 , R 5 and R 6 Each independently represents H, halogen, -OH, -SH, -NRxx R yy -、-CO-R xx -、-COOR xx 、-OCOR xx 、-OCO-OR xx 、-S-COR xx 、-CO-SR xx 、-NR xx -CO-OR yy 、-O-CO-NR xx R yy 、-NR xx -CO-NR xx R yy , where R in the formula UVI 1 or R 6 One of them represents -OH,

[0025] R 3 and R 4 each represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group or a halogen atom,

[0026] R xx and R yy each independently of one another represents H, an alkyl radical having 1 to 12 C atoms, wherein in addition, one or more non-adjacent CH2 groups can each independently of one another be replaced by -O-, -S-, -NH-, -NR xx -、-SiR xx R yy -, -CO-, -COO-, -OCO-, -OCO-O-, -S-CO-, -CO-S-, -NR xx -CO-O-, -O-CO-NR xx -、-NR xx -CO-NR yy -, -CH=CH- or -C≡C- are substituted in such a way that the O and / or S atoms are not directly bonded to each other.

[0027] Furthermore, the present invention also relates accordingly to a method for preparing a polymerisable LC material.

[0028] The present invention further relates to a polymer network or a polymer film obtainable, preferably obtainable, from a polymerisable LC material as described above and below, and a method for preparing a polymer film as described above and below.

[0029] The present invention also relates to a method for improving the UV stability of a polymer film obtainable, preferably obtainable, from a polymerisable LC material as described above and below by adding a compound of formula UVI to the LC material before polymerization.

[0030] The invention further relates to the use of a polymer network or a polymer film or a polymerizable LC material as described above and below in optical, electrooptical, information storage, decorative and security applications, such as liquid crystal displays, projection systems, polarizers, compensators, alignment layers, circular polarizers, color filters, decorative images, liquid crystal pigments, reflective films with spatially varying reflected color, multicolor images, unforgeable documents such as identity cards or credit cards or banknotes.

[0031] The present invention also relates to optical components or devices comprising at least one polymer network or polymer film or polymerizable LC material as described above and below, polarizers, patterned retarders, compensators, alignment layers, circular polarizers, color filters, decorative images, liquid crystal lenses, liquid crystal pigments, reflective films with spatially varying reflected color, multicolor images for decoration or information storage.

[0032] The present invention furthermore relates to a liquid crystal display comprising at least one polymer network or polymer film or polymerisable LC material or optical component as described above and below.

[0033] The invention also relates to a coloured or multicoloured image for authentication, verification or security marking of a valuable, unforgeable object or document for security purposes, such as an identity card or credit card or banknote, comprising a polymer network or polymer film or a polymerisable LC material or an optical component as described above and below.

[0034] Terms and Definitions

[0035] As used herein, the term "polymer" is understood to mean a molecule comprising a backbone of one or more different types of repeating units (the smallest structural unit of a molecule), and includes the commonly known terms "oligomer", "copolymer", "homopolymer", etc. In addition, it is understood that the term polymer includes, in addition to the polymer itself, residues from initiators, catalysts and other elements accompanying the synthesis of such a polymer, wherein these residues are understood to be not covalently bound thereto. Furthermore, these residues and other elements, although generally removed during post-polymerization purification, are generally mixed or co-mingled with the polymer so that they generally remain with the polymer when it is transferred between containers or between solvents or between dispersion media.

[0036] The term "(meth)acrylic polymer" as used in the present invention includes polymers obtained from acrylic monomers, polymers obtained from methacrylic monomers, and corresponding copolymers obtained from mixtures of these monomers.

[0037] The term "polymerization" means the chemical process of forming a polymer by bonding together a plurality of polymerizable groups or polymer precursors (polymerizable compounds) containing such polymerizable groups.

[0038] The terms "film" and "layer" include rigid or flexible, self-supporting or freestanding films having mechanical stability, as well as coatings or layers on a supporting substrate or between two substrates.

[0039] The term "liquid crystal" or "LC" refers to materials that have a liquid crystal mesophase within a certain temperature range (thermotropic LC) or within a certain concentration range in solution (lyotropic LC). They necessarily contain a mesogenic compound.

[0040] The terms "mesogenic compounds" and "liquid crystal compounds" mean compounds containing one or more rod-shaped (stick-shaped or plate-shaped / lath-shaped) or disc-shaped (disc-shaped) mesogenic groups. The term "mesogenic group" means a group having the ability to induce liquid crystal phase (or mesophase) behavior. Compounds containing mesogenic groups do not necessarily have to show liquid crystal mesophases themselves. They may also show liquid crystal mesophases only in mixtures with other compounds or when the mesogenic compound or material, or a mixture thereof, is polymerized. This includes low molecular weight non-reactive liquid crystal compounds, reactive or polymerizable liquid crystal compounds, and liquid crystal polymers.

[0041] The rod-like mesogenic group generally comprises a mesogenic core, which is composed of one or more aromatic or non-aromatic cyclic groups connected to each other directly or through connecting groups, optionally comprises terminal groups connected to the ends of the mesogenic core, and optionally comprises one or more side groups connected to the long sides of the mesogenic core, wherein these terminal groups and side groups are generally selected from, for example, carbon or hydrocarbon groups, polar groups such as halogen, nitro, hydroxyl, etc., or polymerizable groups.

[0042] The term "reactive mesogen" means a polymerizable mesogenic or liquid crystal compound, preferably a monomeric compound. These compounds can be used as pure compounds or as a mixture of reactive mesogens with other compounds such as photoinitiators, inhibitors, surfactants, stabilizers, chain transfer agents, non-polymerizable compounds, etc.

[0043] A polymerizable compound having one polymerizable group is also referred to as a "monoreactive" compound, a compound having two polymerizable groups is referred to as a "direactive" compound, and a compound having more than two polymerizable groups is referred to as a "polyreactive" compound. A compound having no polymerizable groups is also referred to as a "non-reactive or non-polymerizable" compound.

[0044] The term "non-mesogenic compound or material" means a compound or material that does not contain a mesogenic group as defined above.

[0045] Visible light is electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of about 400 nm to about 740 nm. Ultraviolet (UV) light is electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of about 200 nm to about 450 nm.

[0046] Irradiance (Ee ) or radiated power is defined as the electromagnetic radiation power (dθ) per unit area (dA) occurring on a surface:

[0047] E e =dθ / dA.

[0048] Radiation exposure or radiation dose (H e ) is the irradiance or radiant power (E) per time (t) e ):

[0049] H e =E e ·t.

[0050] All temperatures, such as the melting point T(C,N) or T(C,S) of a liquid crystal, the transition from the smectic (S) to the nematic (N) phase T(S,N) and the clearing point T(N,I) are expressed in degrees Celsius. All temperature differences are expressed as a difference in degrees.

[0051] The term "clearing point" means the temperature at which the transition between the mesophase having the highest temperature range and the isotropic phase occurs.

[0052] The term "director" is known in the prior art and means the preferred orientation direction of the long molecular axis (in the case of rod-shaped compounds) or the short molecular axis (in the case of discotic compounds) of the liquid crystal or RM molecules. In the case of a uniaxial ordering of such anisotropic molecules, the director is the axis of anisotropy.

[0053] The term "alignment" or "orientation" refers to the alignment (orientational ordering) of anisotropic units of a material, such as small molecules or macromolecular fragments, in a common direction called the "alignment direction". In an alignment layer of a liquid crystal or RM material, the liquid crystal director is aligned with the alignment direction, so that the alignment direction corresponds to the direction of the anisotropic axis of the material.

[0054] The term "uniform orientation" or "uniform alignment" of a liquid crystal or RM material, for example in a layer of material, means that the long molecular axes (in the case of rod-shaped compounds) or the short molecular axes (in the case of discotic compounds) of the liquid crystal or RM molecules are oriented substantially in the same direction. In other words, the liquid crystal directors are parallel.

[0055] The terms "homeotropic structure" or "homeotropic orientation" refer to films in which the optic axis is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the film.

[0056] The terms "planar structure" or "planar orientation" refer to films in which the optic axis is substantially parallel to the plane of the film.

[0057] The term "negative (optical) dispersion" refers to the birefringence of a liquid crystal material or layer that exhibits opposite birefringence dispersion, wherein the magnitude of the birefringence (Δn) increases with increasing wavelength (λ), i.e., |Δn(450)|<|Δn(550)|, or Δn(450) / Δn(550)<1, wherein Δn(450) and Δn(550) are the birefringence of the material measured at wavelengths of 450 nm and 550 nm, respectively. In contrast, "positive (optical) dispersion" refers to a material or layer having |Δn(450)|>|Δn(550)| or Δn(450) / Δn(550)>1. See also, for example, A. Uchiyama, T. Yatabe "Control of Wavelength Dispersion of Birefringence for Oriented Copolycarbonate Films Containing Positive and Negative Birefringent Units". J. Appl. Phys. Vol. 42 pp 6941-6945 (2003).

[0058] Since the retardation of light at a given wavelength is defined as the product of the birefringence and the layer thickness [R(λ)=Δn(λ)·d] as described above, the optical dispersion can be expressed as the "birefringence dispersion" by the ratio Δn(450) / Δn(550), or as the "retardation dispersion" by the ratio R(450) / R(550), where R(450) and R(550) are the retardations of the material measured at wavelengths of 450 nm and 550 nm, respectively. Since the layer thickness d does not vary with wavelength, R(450) / R(550) is equal to Δn(450) / Δn(550). Thus, a material or layer with negative or opposite dispersion has R(450) / R(550)<1 or |R(450)|<|R(550)|, and a material or layer with positive or normal dispersion has R(450) / R(550)>1 or |R(450)|>|R(550)|.

[0059] In the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "optical dispersion" refers to the retardation dispersion, that is, the ratio R(450) / R(550).

[0060] The term "high dispersion" means that the absolute value of the dispersion shows a large deviation from 1, while the term "low dispersion" means that the absolute value of the dispersion shows a small deviation from 1. Thus, "high negative dispersion" means that the dispersion value is significantly less than 1, and "low negative dispersion" means that the dispersion value is only slightly less than 1.

[0061] The retardation (R(λ)) of a material can be measured using a spectroscopic ellipsometer, such as the M2000 spectroscopic ellipsometer manufactured by JA Woollam Co. This instrument is capable of measuring the nanoscale optical retardation of birefringent samples, such as quartz, over a range of wavelengths, typically from 370nm to 2000nm. From this data, the dispersion ratio (R(450) / R(550) or Δn(450) / Δn(550)) of the material can be calculated.

[0062] The method for making these measurements is presented in "Spectroscopic Ellipsometry, Part 1 - Theory and Fundamentals, Part 2 - Practical Examples and Part 3 - measurements" by N. Singh, National Physics Laboratory (London, UK), October 2006. The measurement procedures are based on the Retardation Measurement (RetMeas) Manual (2002) and the Guide to WVASE (2002) (Woollam Variable Angle Spectroscopic Ellipsometer) published by JA Woollam Co. Inc (Lincoln, NE, USA). Unless otherwise stated, this method is used to determine the retardation of the materials, films and devices described in this invention.

[0063] The term "A-plate" refers to an optical retarder utilizing a layer of uniaxial birefringent material with its extraordinary axis oriented parallel to the plane of the layer.

[0064] The term "C-plate" refers to an optical retarder utilizing a layer of uniaxial birefringent material with its extraordinary axis oriented perpendicular to the plane of the layer.

[0065] In an A / C plate containing an optically uniaxial birefringent liquid crystal material having a uniform orientation, the optical axis of the film is given by the direction of the extraordinary axis. An A (or C) plate containing an optically uniaxial birefringent material having a positive birefringence is also referred to as a "positive A (or C) plate" or "+A (or +C) plate".

[0066] An A (or C) plate comprising a film of an optically uniaxial birefringent material having a negative birefringence, such as a discotic anisotropic material, is also referred to as a "negative A (or C) plate" or "-A (or C) plate", depending on the orientation of the discotic material. Films made of cholesteric rod-shaped materials having a reflection band in the UV part of the spectrum also have the optical properties of a negative C plate.

[0067] The birefringence Δn is defined as follows

[0068] Δn=n e -n o

[0069] where n e is the extraordinary refractive index, n o is the ordinary refractive index, and the mean refractive index n av. Given by:

[0070] n av. =((2n o 2 +n e 2 ) / 3) 1 / 2

[0071] Average refractive index n av. and the ordinary refractive index n o This can be measured using an Abbe refractometer. Δn can then be calculated from the equation above.

[0072] As used herein, plural forms of the terms herein are to be construed as including the singular form and vice versa, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0073] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all physical properties have been determined according to "Merck Liquid Crystals, Physical Properties of Liquid Crystals", Status Nov. 1997, Merck KGaA, Germany, and the temperature is 20° C. The optical anisotropy (Δn) is measured at a wavelength of 589.3 nm.

[0074] In case of doubt, the definitions given in C. Tschierske, G. Pelzl and S. Diele, Angew. Chem. 2004, 116, 6340-6368 shall apply.

[0075] Unless expressly stated otherwise in a given formula, the following terms have the following meanings:

[0076] "Carbonyl" means a mono- or polyvalent organic group comprising at least one carbon atom, which contains no other atoms (e.g., -C≡C-) or optionally contains one or more other atoms, such as N, O, S, P, Si, Se, As, Te or Ge (e.g., carbonyl, etc.). "Alkyl" means a carbonyl group which additionally contains one or more H atoms and optionally one or more heteroatoms, such as N, O, S, P, Si, Se, As, Te or Ge.

[0077] The carbyl or hydrocarbon radical may be a saturated or unsaturated radical. An unsaturated radical is, for example, an aryl, alkenyl or alkynyl radical. A carbyl or hydrocarbon radical having more than 3 C atoms may be straight-chain, branched and / or cyclic and may contain spiro or fused rings.

[0078] Preferred carbyl and hydrocarbyl groups are optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkoxy, alkylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyloxy and alkoxycarbonyloxy groups having 1 to 40, preferably 1 to 25, particularly preferably 1 to 18 C atoms, optionally substituted aryl or aryloxy groups having 6 to 40, preferably 6 to 25 C atoms, or optionally substituted alkylaryl, arylalkyl, alkylaryloxy, arylalkoxy, arylcarbonyl, aryloxycarbonyl, arylcarbonyloxy and aryloxycarbonyloxy groups having 6 to 40, preferably 6 to 25 C atoms.

[0079] Further preferred carbon and hydrocarbon groups are C1-C 40 Alkyl, C2-C 40 Alkenyl, C2-C 40 Alkynyl, C3-C 40 Allyl, C4-C 40 Alkyldienyl, C4-C 40 Polyene, C6-C 40 Aryl, C6-C 40 Alkyl aryl, C6-C 40 Arylalkyl, C6-C 40 Alkyl aryloxy, C6-C 40 Arylalkoxy, C2-C 40 Heteroaryl, C4-C 40 Cycloalkyl, C4-C 40 Particularly preferred is C1-C 22 Alkyl, C2-C 22 Alkenyl, C2-C 22 Alkynyl, C3-C 22 Allyl, C4-C 22 Alkyldiene, C6-C 12 Aryl, C6-C 20 Arylalkyl and C2-C 20 Heteroaryl.

[0080] Further preferred carbyl and hydrocarbyl groups are straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkyl groups having 1 to 40, preferably 1 to 25, more preferably 1 to 12 C atoms, which are unsubstituted or mono- or polysubstituted by F, Cl, Br, I or CN and in which one or more non-adjacent CH2 groups may be replaced independently of one another by -C(R x )=C(R x )-,-C≡C-,-N(R x)-, -O-, -S-, -CO-, -CO-O-, -O-CO-, -O-CO-O- are replaced in such a way that the O and / or S atoms are not directly connected to each other.

[0081] Above, R x Preferably it denotes H, halogen, a straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkyl chain having 1 to 25 C atoms, in which, in addition, one or more non-adjacent C atoms may be replaced by -O-, -S-, -CO-, -CO-O-, -O-CO-, -O-CO-O- and in which one or more H atoms may be replaced by fluorine, optionally substituted aryl or aryloxy having 6 to 40 C atoms or optionally substituted heteroaryl or heteroaryloxy having 2 to 40 C atoms.

[0082] Preferred alkyl groups are, for example, methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, 2-methylbutyl, n-pentyl, sec-pentyl, n-hexyl, 2-ethylhexyl, n-heptyl, n-octyl, n-nonyl, n-decyl, n-undecyl, n-dodecyl, dodecyl, trimethyl, perfluoro-n-butyl, 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl, perfluorooctyl, perfluorohexyl and the like.

[0083] Preferred alkenyl groups are, for example, ethenyl, propenyl, butenyl, pentenyl, cyclopentenyl, hexenyl, cyclohexenyl, heptenyl, cycloheptenyl, octenyl, cyclooctenyl and the like.

[0084] Preferred alkynyl groups are, for example, ethynyl, propynyl, butynyl, pentynyl, hexynyl, octynyl and the like.

[0085] Preferred alkoxy groups are, for example, methoxy, ethoxy, 2-methoxy-ethoxy, n-propoxy, i-propoxy, n-butoxy, i-butoxy, sec-butoxy, tert-butoxy, 2-methylbutoxy, n-pentyloxy, n-hexyloxy, n-heptyloxy, n-octyloxy, n-nonyloxy, n-decyloxy, n-undecyloxy, n-dodecyloxy and the like.

[0086] Preferred amino groups are, for example, dimethylamino, methylamino, methylphenylamino, phenylamino and the like.

[0087] Aryl and heteroaryl groups may be monocyclic or polycyclic, i.e. they may have one ring (e.g. phenyl) or two or more rings, which may also be fused (e.g. naphthyl) or covalently linked (e.g. biphenyl), or contain a combination of fused and linked rings. Heteroaryl groups contain one or more heteroatoms, preferably selected from O, N, S and Se.

[0088] Particularly preferred are monocyclic, bicyclic, or tricyclic aryl radicals having 6 to 25 C atoms and monocyclic, bicyclic or tricyclic heteroaryl radicals having 2 to 25 C atoms, which optionally contain fused rings and which are optionally substituted. In addition, preference is given to 5-, 6- or 7-membered aryl and heteroaryl radicals, in which, in addition, one or more CH groups may be replaced by N, S or O in such a way that the O atoms and / or S atoms are not directly connected to one another.

[0089] Preferred aryl groups are, for example, phenyl, biphenyl, terphenyl, [1,1':3',1"]terphenyl-2'-yl, naphthyl, anthracene, binaphthyl, phenanthrene, pyrene, dihydropyrene, Perylene, tetracene, pentacene, benzopyrene, fluorene, indene, indenofluorene, spirobifluorene, etc.

[0090] Preferred heteroaryl groups are, for example, 5-membered rings such as pyrrole, pyrazole, imidazole, 1,2,3-triazole, 1,2,4-triazole, tetrazole, furan, thiophene, selenophene, Azoles, Iso azole, 1,2-thiazole, 1,3-thiazole, 1,2,3- Oxadiazole, 1,2,4- Oxadiazole, 1,2,5- Oxadiazole, 1,3,4- oxadiazole, 1,2,3-thiadiazole, 1,2,4-thiadiazole, 1,2,5-thiadiazole, 1,3,4-thiadiazole, a 6-membered ring such as pyridine, pyridazine, pyrimidine, pyrazine, 1,3,5-triazine, 1,2,4-triazine, 1,2,3-triazine, 1,2,4,5-tetrazine, 1,2,3,4-tetrazine, 1,2,3,5-tetrazine, or a condensed group such as indole, isoindole, indolizine, indazole, benzimidazole, benzotriazole, purine, naphthimidazole, phenanthrolineimidazole, pyridinimidazole, pyrazineimidazole, quinoxalineimidazole, benzotriazole, benzophenoneimid ... Azoles, naphtho Azoles, anthracenes Azoles, phenanthracenes Azoles, Iso azole, benzothiazole, benzofuran, isobenzofuran, dibenzofuran, quinoline, isoquinoline, pteridine, benzo-5,6-quinoline, benzo-6,7-quinoline, benzo-7,8-quinoline, benzisoquinoline, acridine, phenothiazine, phen The heteroaryl group may also be substituted with alkyl, alkoxy, alkylthio, fluorine, alkyl fluorine or other aryl or heteroaryl groups.

[0091] (Non-aromatic) alicyclic and heterocyclic groups include saturated rings, i.e. those containing only single bonds, and partially unsaturated rings, i.e. those which may also contain multiple bonds. The heterocyclic ring contains one or more heteroatoms, preferably selected from Si, O, N, S and Se.

[0092] (Non-aromatic) alicyclic and heterocyclic groups can be monocyclic, i.e. contain only one ring (e.g. cyclohexane), or polycyclic, i.e. comprise multiple rings (e.g., decalin or bicyclooctane). Particularly preferred saturated groups. In addition, preferably monocyclic, bicyclic or tricyclic groups with 3 to 25 C atoms, it optionally contains fused rings and is optionally substituted. In addition, preferably 5-, 6-, 7- or 8-membered carbocyclic groups, wherein in addition, one or more C atoms can be substituted by Si and / or one or more CH groups can be substituted by N and / or one or more non-adjacent CH2 groups can be substituted by-O- and / or-S-.

[0093] Preferred alicyclic and heterocyclic groups are, for example, 5-membered groups such as cyclopentane, tetrahydrofuran, tetrahydrothiophene, pyridine, 6-membered groups such as cyclohexane, silane, cyclohexene, tetrahydropyran, tetrahydrothiopyran, 1,3-dihydro- alkanes, 1,3-dithianes, piperidines, 7-membered groups such as cycloheptane, and fused groups such as tetralin, decalin, indanes, bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane-1,3-diyl, bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-1,4-diyl, spiro[3.3]heptane-2,6-diyl, octahydro-4,7-methanoindan-2,5-diyl.

[0094] The aryl, heteroaryl, (non-aromatic) alicyclic and heterocyclic groups optionally have one or more substituents which are preferably selected from silyl, sulfo, sulfonyl, formyl, amine, imino, nitrile, mercapto, nitro, halogen, C 1-12 Alkyl, C 6-12 Aryl, C 1-12 Alkoxy, hydroxy or a combination of these groups.

[0095] Preferred substituents are, for example, solubility-promoting groups, such as alkyl or alkoxy groups, electron-withdrawing groups, such as fluorine, nitro or nitrile, or substituents for increasing the glass transition temperature (Tg) in the polymer, in particular bulky groups such as, for example, tert-butyl or optionally substituted aryl groups.

[0096] Preferred substituents, also referred to below as "L", are, for example, F, Cl, Br, I, -OH, -CN, -NO2, -NCO, -NCS, -OCN, -SCN, -C(=O)N(R x )2, -C(=O)Y x , -C(=O)R x , -C(=O)OR x , -N(Rx )2, where R x has the above meaning, and the above Y x represents halogen, optionally substituted silyl, optionally substituted aryl or heteroaryl having 4 to 40, preferably 4 to 20 ring atoms, and straight-chain or branched alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkoxy, alkylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyloxy or alkoxycarbonyloxy having 1 to 25 C atoms, wherein one or more H atoms may optionally be replaced by F or Cl.

[0097] "Substituted silyl or aryl" preferably means substituted with halogen, -CN, R y , -OR y ,-CO-R y ,-CO-OR y ,-O-CO-R y OR-O-CO-OR y Substitution, where R y represents H, a linear, branched or cyclic alkyl chain having 1 to 12 C atoms.

[0098] In the formulae shown above and below, the substituted phenylene ring

[0099] Best

[0100] or

[0101] wherein L, identical or different on each occurrence, has one of the meanings given above and below and is preferably F, Cl, CN, NO2, CH3, C2H5, C(CH3)3, CH(CH3)2, CH2CH(CH3)C2H5, OCH3, OC2H5, COCH3, COC2H5, COOCH3, COOC2H5, CF3, OCF3, OCHF2, OC2F5 or P-Sp-, very preferably F, Cl, CN, CH3, C2H5, OCH3, COCH3, OCF3 or P-Sp- and most preferably F, Cl, CH3, OCH3, COCH3 or OCF3.

[0102] "Halogen" means F, Cl, Br or I, preferably F or Cl, more preferably F.

[0103] The "polymerizable group" (P) is preferably selected from groups containing a C=C double bond or a C≡C triple bond, and groups suitable for ring-opening polymerization, such as an oxetane group or an epoxy group.

[0104] Preferably, the polymerizable group (P) is selected from CH2=CW 1 -COO-, CH2=CW1 -CO-, CH2=CW 2 -(O) k3 -, CW 1 =CH-CO-(O) k3 -, CW 1 =CH-CO-NH-, CH2=CW 1 -CO-NH-, CH3-CH=CH-O-, (CH2=CH)2CH-OCO-, (CH2=CH-CH2)2CH-OCO-, (CH2=CH)2CH-O-, (CH2=CH-CH2)2N-, (CH2=CH-CH2)2N-CO-, CH2=CW 1 -CO-NH-, CH2=CH-(COO) k1 -Phe-(O) k2 -, CH2=CH-(CO) k1 -Phe-(O) k2 -, Phe-CH=CH-, where

[0105] W 1 represents H, F, Cl, CN, CF3, phenyl or alkyl having 1 to 5 C atoms, in particular H, F, Cl or CH3,

[0106] W 2 represents H or alkyl having 1 to 5 C atoms, in particular H, methyl, ethyl or n-propyl,

[0107] W 3 and W 4 each independently of one another represents H, Cl or an alkyl radical having 1 to 5 C atoms, Phe represents 1,4-phenylene, which is optionally substituted by one or more radicals L as defined above but different from P-Sp, preferred substituents L being F, Cl, CN, NO2, CH3, C2H5, OCH3, OC2H5, COCH3, COC2H5, COOCH3, COOC2H5, CF3, OCF3, OCHF2, OC2F5 and also phenyl, and

[0108] k1, k2 and k3 each independently represent 0 or 1, k3 preferably represents 1, and k4 is an integer of 1 to 10.

[0109] Particularly preferred polymerizable groups P are CH2=CH-COO-, CH2=C(CH3)-COO-, CH2=CF-COO-, CH2=CH-, CH2=CH-O-, (CH2=CH)2CH-OCO-, (CH2=CH)2CH-O-, Where W2 represents H or has 1 to 5 C atoms, in particular H, methyl, ethyl or n-propyl,

[0110] Further preferred polymerizable groups (P) are vinyloxy, acrylate, methacrylate, fluoroacrylate, chloroacrylate, oxetanyl and epoxy, most preferably acrylate or methacrylate, especially acrylate.

[0111] Preferably, all polyreactive polymerizable compounds and subformulae thereof contain one or more branched groups (polyreactive polymerizable groups) containing two or more polymerizable groups P instead of one or more groups P-Sp-.

[0112] Suitable groups of this type and polymerizable compounds containing them are described, for example, in US Pat. No. 7,060,200 B1 or US 2006 / 0172090 A1.

[0113] Particularly preferred multi-reactive polymerizable groups are selected from the following formulae:

[0114] -X-alkyl-CHP x -CH2-CH2P y I*a

[0115] -X-alkyl-C(CH2P x )(CH2P y )-CH2P z I*b

[0116] -X-alkyl-CHP x CHP y -CH2P z I*c

[0117] -X-alkyl-C(CH2P x )(CH2P y )-C aa H 2aa+1 I*d

[0118] -X-alkyl-CHP x -CH2P y I*e

[0119] -X-alkyl-CHP x P y I*f

[0120] -X-alkyl-CP x P y -C aa H 2aa+1 I*g

[0121] -X-alkyl-C(CH2P v )(CH2P w )-CH2OCH2-C(CH2P x )(CH2Py)CH2P z

[0122] I*h

[0123] -X-alkyl-CH((CH2) aa P x )((CH2) bb P y ) I*i

[0124] -X-alkyl-CHP x CHP y -C aa H 2aa+1 I*k

[0125] in

[0126] Alkyl represents a single bond or a straight-chain or branched alkylene radical having 1 to 12 C atoms, wherein one or more non-adjacent CH2 groups may each be replaced by -C(R x )=C(R x )-,-C≡C-,-N(R x )-, -O-, -S-, -CO-, -CO-O-, -O-CO-, -O-CO-O- in such a way that the O and / or S atoms are not directly connected to one another, and wherein in addition, one or more H atoms may be replaced by F, Cl or CN, wherein R X has one of the above meanings,

[0127] aa and bb Each independently represents 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6,

[0128] X has one of the meanings indicated for X', and

[0129] P v To P z each independently of one another has one of the meanings indicated above for P.

[0130] Preferred spacer groups Sp are selected from the formula Sp'-X', such that the group "P-Sp-" conforms to the formula "P-Sp'-X'-", wherein

[0131] Sp' denotes an alkylene radical having 1 to 20, preferably 1 to 12 C atoms, which is optionally mono- or polysubstituted by F, Cl, Br, I or CN, and in which, in addition, one or more non-adjacent CH2 groups may each be substituted independently of one another by -O-, -S-, -NH-, -NR xx -,-SiR xx R yy -, -CO-, -COO-, -OCO-, -OCO-O-, -S-CO-, -CO-S-, -NR xx- CO-O-, -O-CO-NR 0xx -,-NR xx -CO-NR yy -, -CH=CH- or -C≡C- are substituted in such a way that O and / or S atoms are not directly connected to each other,

[0132] X' represents -O-, -S-, -CO-, -COO-, -OCO-, -O-COO-, -CO-NR xx -,-NR xx -CO-, -NR xx -CO-NR yy -, -OCH2-, -CH2O-, -SCH2-, -CH2S-, -CF2O-, -OCF2-, -CF2S-, -SCF2-, -CF2CH2-, -CH2CF2-, -CF2CF2-, -CH=N-, -N=CH-, -N=N-, -CH=CR xx -,-CY xx =CY xx -, -C≡C-, -CH=CH-COO-, -OCO-CH=CH- or a single bond,

[0133] R xx and R yy each independently of one another represents H or an alkyl group having 1 to 12 C atoms, and

[0134] Y xx and Y yy Each independently represents H, F, Cl or CN.

[0135] X' is preferably -O-, -S-, -CO-, -COO-, -OCO-, -O-COO-, -CO-NR xx -,-NR xx -CO-, -NR xx -CO-NR yy or single key.

[0136] A typical spacer group Sp' is, for example, -(CH2) p1-,-(CH2CH2O) q1 -CH2CH2-, -CH2CH2-S-CH2CH2-, -CH2CH2-NH-CH2CH2- or -(SiR xx R yy -O) p1 -, wherein p1 is an integer from 1 to 12, q1 is an integer from 1 to 3, and R xx and R yy Has the meanings stated above.

[0137] A particularly preferred group -X'-Sp'- is -(CH2) p1 -,-O-(CH2) p1 -,-OCO-(CH2) p1 -,-OCOO-(CH2) p1 -, wherein p1 is an integer from 1 to 12.

[0138] Particularly preferred radicals Sp′ are, for example, in each case straight-chain methylene, ethylene, propylene, butylene, pentylene, hexylene, heptylene, octylene, nonylene, decylene, undecylene, dodecylene, octadecylene, ethyleneoxyethyl, methyleneoxybutyl, ethylenethioethyl, ethylene-N-methyliminoethyl, 1-methylalkylene, vinylene, propenylene and butenylene.

[0139] For the present invention,

[0140]

[0141] represents trans-1,4-cyclohexylene, and

[0142]

[0143] It represents 1,4-phenylene.

[0144] For the present invention, the group -COO- or -CO2- is represented by The ester group, and the group -OCO-, -O2C- or -OOC- represents the formula Ester group.

[0145] A "polymer network" is one in which all polymer chains are interconnected by numerous crosslinks to form a single macroscopic entity.

[0146] Polymer networks can occur in the following types:

[0147] - Grafted polymer molecules are branched polymer molecules in which one or more side chains differ in structure or configuration from the main chain.

[0148] -A star polymer molecule is a branched polymer molecule in which a single branch point gives rise to multiple linear chains or arms. If the arms are identical, the star polymer molecule is said to be regular. If adjacent arms contain different repeating subunits, the star polymer molecule is said to be hybrid.

[0149] -A comb polymer molecule consists of a main chain with two or more three-way branching points and linear side chains. If the arms are identical, the comb polymer molecule is said to be regular.

[0150] -Brush polymer molecules consist of a backbone with linear, unbranched side chains and in which one or more branching points have a four-way functionality or greater.

[0151] Throughout the specification and claims of this specification, the words "include" and "comprising" and word variations such as "containing" and "having" mean "including but not limited to", and are not intended to (and do not) exclude other components. On the other hand, the word "comprising" also includes the term "consisting of", but is not limited to this.

[0152] Throughout the specification and claims of this specification, the words "obtainable" and "obtained" and variations of the words mean "including but not limited to", and are not intended to (and do not) exclude other components. On the other hand, the word "obtainable" also includes the term "obtained", but is not limited to this.

[0153] All concentrations are expressed as weight percent and are relative to the entire mixture, all temperatures are expressed in degrees Celsius and all temperature differences are expressed as degree differences.

[0154] Detailed Description

[0155] Preferred compounds of formula UVI are selected from the following subformula UVI-1:

[0156]

[0157] Where R 1 To R 6 has one of the meanings given under formula UVI.

[0158] In a preferred embodiment, R in formula UVI-1 4 represents H or -OH, and the other represents

[0159] Further preferred compounds of formula UVI are selected from the following subformula UVI-2:

[0160]

[0161] Where R 1 To R 6 has one of the meanings given under formula UVI.

[0162] In a preferred embodiment, R in formula UVI-2 1 or R 6 One of them represents -OH, and R 1 or R 6 The other one in represents H, -OH, -SH, -NR xx R yy -、-COR xx -、-COOR xx 、-OCOR xx 、-OCO-OR xx 、-S-COR xx 、-CO-SR xx 、-NR xx -CO-OR yy 、-O-CO-NR xx R yy 、-NR xx -CO-NR xx R yy ,

[0163] Preferably, R 1 or R 6 Another one in -OH or -COOR xx ,

[0164] in

[0165] R xx and R yy each independently of one another represents H or an alkyl group having 1 to 12 C atoms, preferably an alkyl group having 1 to 12 C atoms,

[0166] and

[0167] R 2 and R 5 Each independently represents H, halogen, -OH, -SH, -NR xx R yy -、-CO-R xx -、-COOR xx 、-OCOR xx 、-OCO-OR xx 、-S-COR xx 、-CO-SR xx 、-NR xx -CO-OR yy 、-O-CO-NR xx R yy 、-NR xx -CO-NR xx R yy ,

[0168] Further preferred compounds of formula UVI are selected from the group consisting of compounds of the following sub-formulae:

[0169]

[0170] in

[0171] R 2 and R 5 Each independently represents -OR xx 、-NR xx R yy -、-CO-R xx -、-COOR xx 、-OCOR xx 、-OCO-OR xx 、-S-COR xx 、-CO-SR xx 、-NR xx -CO-OR yy 、-O-CO-NR xx R yy 、-NR xx -CO-NR xx R yy ,

[0172] and

[0173] R xx and R yy Each independently of one another represents H or an alkyl group having 1 to 12 C atoms, preferably an alkyl group having 1 to 12 C atoms.

[0174] Further preferred compounds of formula UVI are compounds selected from the following sub-formulae:

[0175]

[0176] in

[0177] R xx and R yy each independently of one another represents a straight-chain alkyl radical having 1 to 12 C atoms.

[0178] Particularly preferred compounds of formula UVI are selected from the group consisting of compounds of the following sub-formulae:

[0179]

[0180] Preferably, the proportion of compounds of the formula UVI in the LC medium is from 0.01 to 3%, very preferably from 0.05 to 2%, in particular from 0.1 to 1%.

[0181] The compounds of the formula UVI and its subformulae can be prepared analogously to the methods known to the person skilled in the art and described in standard works of organic chemistry, for example Houben-Weyl, Methoden der organischen Chemie [Methods of Organic Chemistry], Thieme-Verlag, Stuttgart. Some of the compounds are also available under the trade name (BASF, Germany) are commercially available, e.g.

[0182] Preferably, the one or more di- or poly-reactive mesogenic compounds are selected from the group consisting of DRMs of the formula

[0183] P 1 -Sp 1 -MG-Sp 2 -P 2 DRM

[0184] in

[0185] P 1 and P 2 independently of one another represent a polymerizable group,

[0186] Sp 1 and Sp 2 are independently a spacer or a single bond, and

[0187] MG is a rod-shaped mesogenic group, which is preferably selected from the formula MG

[0188] -(A 1 -Z 1 ) n -A 2 -MG

[0189] in

[0190] A 1 and A 2 In the case of multiple occurrences, independently of one another, represents an aromatic or alicyclic radical, which optionally contains one or more heteroatoms selected from N, O and S and is optionally replaced by L 1 Single or multiple substitution,

[0191] L 1 P-Sp-, F, Cl, Br, I, -CN, -NO2, -NCO, -NCS, -OCN, -SCN, -C(=O)NR 00 R 000 , -C(=O)OR 00 , -C(=O)R 00 , -NR 00 R 000, -OH, -SF5, optionally substituted silyl, aryl or heteroaryl having 1 to 12, preferably 1 to 6 C atoms, and straight-chain or branched alkyl, alkoxy, alkylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyloxy or alkoxycarbonyloxy having 1 to 12, preferably 1 to 6 C atoms, wherein one or more H atoms are optionally replaced by F or Cl,

[0192] R 00 and R 000 independently of one another represent H or an alkyl radical having 1 to 12 C atoms,

[0193] Z 1 In the case of multiple occurrences, -O-, -S-, -CO-, -COO-, -OCO-, -S-CO-, -CO-S-, -O-COO-, -CO-NR are independently 00 -,-NR 00 -CO-, -NR 00 -CO-NR 000 , -NR 00 -CO-O-, -O-CO-NR 00 -, -OCH2-, -CH2O-, -SCH2-, -CH2S-, -CF2O-, -OCF2-, -CF2S-, -SCF2-, -CH2CH2-, -(CH2) n1 , -CF2CH2-, -CH2CF2-, -CF2CF2-, -CH=N-, -N=CH-, -N=N-, -CH=CR 00 -,-CY 1 =CY 2 -, -C≡C-, -CH=CH-COO-, -OCO-CH=CH- or a single bond,

[0194] Y 1 and Y 2 independently of one another represent H, F, Cl or CN,

[0195] n is 1, 2, 3 or 4, preferably 1 or 2, most preferably 2,

[0196] n1 is an integer of 1 to 10, preferably 1, 2, 3 or 4.

[0197] Preferred group A 1 and A 2 Including but not limited to furan, pyrrole, thiophene, oxazole, thiazole, thiadiazole, imidazole, phenylene, cyclohexylene, bicyclooctylene, cyclohexenylene, pyridine, pyrimidine, pyrazine, azulene, indane, fluorene, naphthalene, tetralin, anthracene, phenanthrene and dithienothiophene, all of which are unsubstituted or substituted by 1, 2, 3 or 4 groups L as defined above.

[0198] Particularly preferred groups A 1 and A 2 is selected from 1,4-phenylene, pyridine-2,5-diyl, pyrimidine-2,5-diyl, thiophene-2,5-diyl, naphthalene-2,6-diyl, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-naphthalene-2,6-diyl, indan-2,5-diyl, bicyclooctylene or 1,4-cyclohexylene, in which one or two non-adjacent CH2 groups are optionally replaced by O and / or S, wherein these groups are unsubstituted or substituted by 1,2,3 or 4 groups L as defined above.

[0199] Particularly preferred groups Z 1 is preferably selected at each occurrence, independently of one another, from -COO-, -OCO-, -CH2CH2-, -CF2O-, -OCF2-, -C≡C-, -CH=CH-, -OCO-CH=CH-, -CH=CH-COO- or a single bond,

[0200] Very preferred direactive mesogenic compounds of formula DRM are selected from the following formulae:

[0201]

[0202]

[0203] in

[0204] P 0 in the case of multiple occurrences is independently of one another a polymerizable group, preferably acryloyl, methacryloyl, oxetanyl, epoxide, vinyl, heptadienyl, vinyloxy, propenyl ether or styryl,

[0205] L has the same or different characteristics at each occurrence. 1 one of the meanings given and preferably, in the case of multiple occurrences, independently of one another, is selected from F, Cl, CN or optionally halogenated alkyl, alkoxy, alkylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyloxy or alkoxycarbonyloxy having 1 to 5 C atoms,

[0206] r is 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4,

[0207] x and y are independently 0 or the same or different integers from 1 to 12,

[0208] z is independently 0 or 1, and is 0 if the adjacent x or y is 0.

[0209] Particularly preferred are compounds of the formulae DRMa1, DRMa2 and DRMa3, in particular those of the formula DRMa1.

[0210] Preferably, the polymerisable LC material additionally comprises at least one monoreactive mesogenic compound, which is preferably selected from the group consisting of formula MRM,

[0211] P 1 -Sp 1 -MG-R MRM

[0212] Where P 1 , Sp 1 and MG has the meaning given in Formula DRM,

[0213] R is F, Cl, Br, I, -CN, -NO2, -NCO, -NCS, -OCN, -SCN, -C(=O)NR x R y , -C(=O)X, -C(=O)OR x , -C(=O)R y , -NR x R y , -OH, -SF5, optionally substituted silyl, straight-chain or branched alkyl, alkoxy, alkylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyloxy or alkoxycarbonyloxy having 1 to 12, preferably 1 to 6, C atoms, wherein one or more H atoms are optionally replaced by F or Cl,

[0214] X is halogen, preferably F or Cl, and

[0215] R x and R y are independently H or alkyl having 1 to 12 C atoms.

[0216] Preferably, the mono-reactive mesogenic compound of formula MRM is selected from the following formulae.

[0217]

[0218]

[0219]

[0220]

[0221] Where P 0 , L, r, x, y and z are as defined in Formula DRMa-1 to Formula DRMe,

[0222] R 0 is alkyl, alkoxy, thioalkyl, alkylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyloxy or alkoxycarbonyloxy having 1 or more, preferably 1 to 15, C atoms, or represents Y 0 ,

[0223] Y 0is F, Cl, CN, NO2, OCH3, OCN, SCN, SF5, or a mono-, oligo- or poly-fluorinated alkyl or alkoxy group having 1 to 4 C atoms,

[0224] Z 0 is -COO-, -OCO-, -CH2CH2-, -CF2O-, -OCF2-, -CH=CH-, -OCO-CH=CH-, -CH=CH-COO- or a single bond,

[0225] A 0 in the case of multiple occurrences independently of one another is 1,4-phenylene which is unsubstituted or substituted by 1, 2, 3 or 4 radicals L, or trans-1,4-cyclohexylene,

[0226] u and v are independently 0, 1, or 2,

[0227] w is 0 or 1,

[0228] And wherein the benzene and naphthalene rings may additionally be substituted by one or more identical or different groups L.

[0229] Further preferred are compounds of the formula MRM1, MRM2, MRM3, MRM4, MRM5, MRM6, MRM7, MRM9 and MRM10, especially those of the formula MRM1, MRM4, MRM6 and MRM7, and in particular those of the formula MRM1 and MRM7.

[0230] Compounds of the formulae DRM, MRM and subformulae thereof can be prepared analogously to methods known to the person skilled in the art and described in standard works of organic chemistry, for example in Houben-Weyl, Methoden der organischen Chemie [Methods of Organic Chemistry], Thieme-Verlag, Stuttgart.

[0231] In the entire polymerizable liquid crystal material according to the present invention, the proportion of the mono-, di- or poly-reactive liquid crystal compound is preferably in the range of 30 to 99.9% by weight, more preferably in the range of 40 to 99.9% by weight, and even more preferably in the range of 50 to 99.9% by weight.

[0232] In a preferred embodiment, in the whole polymerizable liquid crystal material according to the present invention, the proportion of the di- or poly-reactive polymerizable mesogen compound is preferably in the range of 5 to 99% by weight, more preferably in the range of 10 to 97% by weight, and even more preferably in the range of 15 to 95% by weight.

[0233] In another preferred embodiment, in the whole polymerizable liquid crystal material according to the present invention, the proportion of the monoreactive polymerizable mesogenic compound, if present, is preferably in the range of 5 to 80% by weight, more preferably in the range of 10 to 75% by weight, and even more preferably in the range of 15 to 70% by weight.

[0234] In another preferred embodiment, in the whole polymerizable liquid crystal material according to the present invention, the proportion of the multi-reactive polymerizable mesogenic compound (if present) is preferably in the range of 1 to 30% by weight, more preferably in the range of 2 to 20% by weight, and even more preferably in the range of 3 to 10% by weight.

[0235] In another preferred embodiment the polymerisable LC material does not contain polymerisable mesogenic compounds having more than two polymerisable groups.

[0236] In another preferred embodiment the polymerisable LC material does not contain polymerisable mesogenic compounds having less than two polymerisable groups.

[0237] In another preferred embodiment, the polymerisable LC material is an achiral material, ie it does not contain any chiral polymerisable mesogenic compounds or other chiral compounds.

[0238] In a further preferred embodiment, the polymerisable LC material comprises at least one monoreactive mesogenic compound, preferably selected from formula MRM-1, at least one direactive mesogenic compound, preferably selected from formula DRMa-1, and one or more compounds of formula UVI.

[0239] In a further preferred embodiment, the polymerisable LC material comprises at least one monoreactive mesogenic compound, preferably selected from formula MRM-7, at least one direactive mesogenic compound, preferably selected from formula DRMa-1, and one or more compounds of formula UVI.

[0240] In a further preferred embodiment, the polymerisable LC material comprises at least two monoreactive mesogenic compounds, preferably selected from formula MRM-1 and / or MRM-7, at least one direactive mesogenic compound, preferably selected from formula DRMa-1, and one or more compounds of formula UVI.

[0241] In a further preferred embodiment, the polymerisable LC material comprises at least two monoreactive mesogenic compounds, preferably selected from formula MRM-1 and / or MRM-7, at least two direactive mesogenic compounds, preferably selected from formula DRMa-1, and one or more compounds of formula UVI.

[0242] In a further preferred embodiment, the polymerizable LC material comprises at least two di-reactive mesogenic compounds, preferably selected from formula DRMa-1, and one or more compounds of formula UVI.

[0243] In a further preferred embodiment, especially for negative optical dispersion applications, the polymerizable LC material as described above further comprises one or more compounds of formula ND,

[0244]

[0245] wherein

[0246] U 1,2 are each independently selected from

[0247]

[0248] including their mirror images, wherein ring U 1 and ring U 2 are each bonded to the -(B) q - group by an axial bond, and one or two non-adjacent CH2 groups in these rings are optionally replaced by O and / or S, and ring U 1 and ring U 2 are optionally substituted by one or more groups L,

[0249] Q 1,2 are each independently CH or SiH,

[0250] Q 3 is C or Si,

[0251] B is, each time it appears, independently of one another, -C≡C-, -CY 1 =CY 2 - or an optionally substituted aromatic or heteroaromatic group,

[0252] Y 1,2 are each independently H, F, Cl, CN or R 0 ,

[0253] q is an integer from 1 to 10, preferably 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7,

[0254] A 1-4 are each independently selected from non-aromatic, aromatic or heteroaromatic carbocyclic groups or heterocyclic groups, which are optionally substituted by one or more groups R 5 and wherein -(A 1 -Z 1 ) m -U 1 -(Z 2 -A 2 ) n - and -(A3 -Z 3 ) o -U 2 -(Z 4 -A 4 ) p - each contains no more aromatic groups than non-aromatic groups, and preferably contains no more than one aromatic group,

[0255] Z 1-4 are independently -O-, -S-, -CO-, -COO-, -OCO-, -O-COO-, -CO-NR 0 -,-NR 0 -CO-,-NR 0 -CO-NR 00 -,-OCH2-,-CH2O-,-SCH2-,-CH2S-,-CF2O-,-OCF2-,-CF2S-,-SCF2-,-CH2CH2-,-(CH2)3-,-(CH2)4-,-CF2CH2-,-CH2CF2-,-CF2CF2-,-CH=CH-,-CY 1 =CY 2 -,-CH=N-,-N=CH-,-N=N-,-CH=CR 0 -,-C≡C-,-CH=CH-COO-,-OCO-CH=CH-,CR 0 R 00 or single key,

[0256] R 0 and R 00 are independently H or alkyl having 1 to 12 C atoms,

[0257] m and n are independently 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4,

[0258] o and p are independently 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4,

[0259] R 1-5 are independently selected from H, halogen, -CN, -NC, -NCO, -NCS, -OCN, -SCN, -C(=O)NR 0 R 00 ,-C(=O)X 0 ,-C(=O)R 0 ,-NH2,-NR 0 R 00 ,-SH,-SR 0 ,-SO3H,-SO2R 0, -OH, -NO2, -CF3, -SF5, P-Sp-, optionally substituted silyl, or a carbonyl or hydrocarbon group having 1 to 40 carbon atoms which is optionally substituted and optionally contains one or more heteroatoms, or represents P or P-Sp-, or is substituted by P or P-Sp-, wherein the compound comprises at least one R representing P or P-Sp- or substituted by P or P-Sp- 1-5 Group,

[0260] P is a polymerizable group,

[0261] Sp is a spacer group or a single bond.

[0262] Preferably, the subgroups forming the bridging group B in the formula ND are preferably selected from groups with a bond angle of 120° or more, preferably in the range of 180°. Very preferred are -C≡C- groups or divalent aromatic groups connected to their adjacent groups in the para position, such as 1,4-phenylene, naphthalene-2,6-diyl, indan-2,6-diyl or thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-2,5-diyl.

[0263] Other possible subgroups include -CH=CH-, -CY 1 =CY 2 -,-CH=N-,-N=CH-,-N=N- and -CH=CR 0 -, where Y 1 ,Y 2 ,R 0 Has the meanings stated above.

[0264] Preferably, the bridging group in formula ND or -(B) q - contains one or more groups selected from -C≡C-, optionally substituted 1,4-phenylene and optionally substituted 9H-fluorene-2,7-diyl. The subgroup or B in formula ND is preferably selected from -C≡C-, optionally substituted 1,4-phenylene and optionally substituted 9H-fluorene-2,7-diyl, wherein the H-atom at the 9-position in the fluorene group is optionally replaced by a carbon group or a hydrocarbon group.

[0265] Very preferably, the bridging group in formula ND or -(B) q -Selected from:

[0266] -C≡C-,-C≡CC≡C-,-C≡CC≡CC≡C-,-C≡CC≡CC≡C-, or

[0267]

[0268] wherein r is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 and L has the meaning as described below.

[0269] Preferably, the non-aromatic ring to which the bridging group is attached in the mesogenic group, such as U in formula ND 1 and U 2 , preferably selected from

[0270]

[0271] Where R 5 As defined in Formula ND.

[0272] Preferably, the aromatic group A in formula ND 1-4 It may be mononuclear, i.e. have only one aromatic ring (e.g. phenyl or phenylene), or polynuclear, i.e. have two or more condensed rings (e.g. naphthyl or naphthylene). Particularly preferred are mono-, bi- or tricyclic aromatic or heteroaromatic groups having up to 25 C atoms, which may also contain condensed rings and are optionally substituted.

[0273] Preferably, the non-aromatic carbocyclic and heterocyclic rings A in the compounds of formula ND 1-4 These include saturated (also called "fully saturated"), i.e. they contain only C atoms or heteroatoms linked by single bonds and unsaturated (also called "partially saturated"), i.e. they also contain C atoms or heteroatoms linked by double bonds. The non-aromatic rings may also contain one or more heteroatoms, preferably selected from Si, O, N and S.

[0274] Preferably, the non-aromatic and aromatic rings or A in formula ND 1-4 Selected from trans-1,4-cyclohexylene and 1,4-phenylene optionally substituted by one or more L groups.

[0275] Very preferred are compounds of the formula ND wherein m and p are 1 and n and o are 1 or 2. Further preferred are compounds of the formula ND wherein m and p are 1 or 2 and n and o are 0. Further preferred are compounds wherein m, n, o and p are 2.

[0276] In the compound of formula ND, the linking group or Z connecting the aromatic and non-aromatic ring groups in the mesogenic group 1-4 Preferably selected from -O-, -S-, -CO-, -COO-, -OCO-, -O-COO-, -CO-NR 0 -,-NR 0 -CO-,-NR 0 -CO-NR 0-,-OCH2-,-CH2O-,-SCH2-,-CH2S-,-CF2O-,-OCF2-,-CF2S-,-SCF2-,-CH2CH2-,-(CH2)3-,-(CH2)4-,-CF2CH2-,-CH2CF2-,-CF2CF2-,-CH=CH-,-CY 1 =CY 2 -,-CH=N-,-N=CH-,-N=N-,-CH=CR 0 -,-C≡C-,-CH=CH-COO-,-OCO-CH=CH-,CR 0 R 00 or a single bond, very preferably selected from -COO-, -OCO- and a single bond.

[0277] Preferably, in the compound of formula ND, the substituent on the ring, such as L, is preferably selected from P-Sp-, F, Cl, Br, I, -CN, -NO2, -NCO, -NCS, -OCN, -SCN, -C(=O)NR 0 R 00 ,-C(=O)X,-C(=O)OR 0 ,-C(=O)R 0 ,-NR 0 R 00 , -OH, -SF5, optionally substituted silyl, aryl or heteroaryl having 1 to 12, preferably 1 to 6 C atoms, and straight-chain or branched alkyl, alkoxy, alkylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyloxy or alkoxycarbonyloxy having 1 to 12, preferably 1 to 6 C atoms, wherein one or more H atoms are optionally replaced by F or Cl, wherein R 0 and R 00 As defined in formula ND and X is halogen.

[0278] Preferably, the compound of formula ND comprises one or more terminal groups substituted with two or more polymerizable groups P or P-Sp- (multifunctional polymerizable groups), such as R 1-4 , or a substituent such as R 5 Suitable multifunctional polymerizable groups of this type are disclosed, for example, in US Pat. No. 7,060,200 B1 or US Pat. No. 2006 / 0172090 A1.

[0279] Very preferred compounds of the formula ND are those of the following sub-formula:

[0280]

[0281]

[0282]

[0283]

[0284]

[0285] Where R 1-5 , A 1-4 , Z 1-4 , B, m, n, o, p and q have one of the above meanings.

[0286] Particularly preferred are compounds of the following sub-formula:

[0287]

[0288]

[0289]

[0290]

[0291]

[0292]

[0293]

[0294]

[0295]

[0296]

[0297] where Z has the Z given above 1 One of the meanings of R is different from the R given above for P-Sp- 1 and P, Sp, L and r are as defined above, and the benzene ring in the mesogenic group is optionally substituted by one or more groups L as defined above.

[0298] Furthermore, preference is given to polymerizable liquid-crystalline media in which the compound of the formula ND is selected from compounds of the formula ND 25 or ND 26, in particular in which Z represents —COO—, r is 0 at each occurrence and P, Sp are as defined above.

[0299] P-Sp- in these preferred compounds is preferably P-Sp'-X', wherein X' is preferably -O-, -COO- or -OCOO-.

[0300] Compounds of formula ND, their subformulae and suitable synthesis methods thereof are disclosed in WO 2008 / 119427 A1.

[0301] The amount of compounds of the formula ND in the polymerisable LC material is preferably from 1 to 50%, very preferably from 1 to 40%.

[0302] The combination of a compound of formula UVI with a compound of formula ND in particular leads to a beneficial reduction of the optical dispersion compared to polymerisable LC materials not using this particular combination and to a beneficial thermal durability of the optical dispersion and / or retardation.

[0303] In a further preferred embodiment, the polymerisable LC material optionally comprises one or more additives selected from further polymerisation initiators, antioxidants, surfactants, stabilizers, catalysts, sensitizers, inhibitors, chain transfer agents, co-reactive monomers, reactive viscosity reducers, surface-active compounds, lubricants, wetting agents, dispersants, hydrophobic agents, binders, flow improvers, degassing agents or defoamers, scavengers, diluents, reactive diluents, auxiliaries, colourants, dyes, pigments and nanoparticles.

[0304] In another preferred embodiment, the polymerisable LC material optionally comprises one or more additives selected from polymerisable non-mesogenic compounds (reactive viscosity reducers).The amount of these additives in the polymerisable LC material is preferably from 0 to 30%, very preferably from 0 to 25%.

[0305] The reactive viscosity reducer used is not only a substance called a reactive viscosity reducer in the actual sense, but also an auxiliary compound mentioned above that contains one or more complementary reactive units or polymerizable groups P such as hydroxyl, thiol or amino groups, and can react with the polymerizable units of the liquid crystal compound through it.

[0306] Substances that are generally capable of photopolymerization include, for example, mono-, di- and polyfunctional compounds containing at least one olefinic double bond. Examples are vinyl esters of carboxylic acids, such as lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid; and vinyl esters of dicarboxylic acids, such as succinic acid, adipic acid; allyl and vinyl ethers of monofunctional alcohols, such as lauryl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, palmityl alcohol and stearyl alcohol, and methacrylates and acrylates; and diallyl and divinyl ethers of difunctional alcohols, such as ethylene glycol and 1,4-butanediol.

[0307] Also suitable are, for example, methacrylates and acrylates of polyfunctional alcohols, in particular those which, apart from hydroxyl groups, do not contain further functional groups or contain at most ether groups. Examples of such alcohols are difunctional alcohols, for example ethylene glycol, propylene glycol and their more highly condensed representatives, for example diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol and the like, butanediol, pentanediol, hexanediol, neopentyl glycol, alkoxylated phenolic compounds, such as ethoxylated and propoxylated bisphenols, cyclohexanedimethanol, trifunctional and polyfunctional alcohols, such as glycerol, trimethylolpropane, butanetriol, trimethylolethane, pentaerythritol, ditrimethylolpropane, dipentaerythritol, sorbitol, mannitol and the corresponding alkoxylated, in particular ethoxylated and propoxylated alcohols.

[0308] Further suitable reactive viscosity reducers are polyester (meth)acrylates, which are the (meth)acrylates of polyesterols.

[0309] Examples of suitable polyesterols are those which can be prepared by esterification of polycarboxylic acids, preferably dicarboxylic acids, with polyols, preferably diols. The starting materials for such hydroxyl-containing polyesters are known to the person skilled in the art. Dicarboxylic acids which can be used are succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, sebacic acid, phthalic acid and isomers and hydrogenation products thereof, and esterifiable and transesterifiable derivatives of the acids, such as anhydrides and dialkyl esters. Suitable polyols are the abovementioned alcohols, preferably ethylene glycol, 1,2- and 1,3-propylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, neopentyl glycol, cyclohexanedimethanol and polyethylene glycols of the ethylene glycol and propylene glycol type.

[0310] Suitable reactive viscosity reducers include 1,4-divinylbenzene, triallyl cyanurate, and the acrylic ester of tricyclodecenol of the formula

[0311]

[0312] Also known as dihydrodicyclopentadienyl acrylate, and the allyl esters of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and cyanoacrylic acid.

[0313] Among the reactive viscosity reducing agents mentioned as examples, those containing a photopolymerizable group are particularly used in view of the above-mentioned preferred composition.

[0314] This group includes, for example, diols and polyols, such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol and their more highly condensed representatives, for example diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol and the like, butanediol, pentanediol, hexanediol, neopentyl glycol, cyclohexanedimethanol, glycerol, trimethylolpropane, butanetriol, trimethylolethane, pentaerythritol, ditrimethylolpropane, dipentaerythritol, sorbitol, mannitol and the corresponding alkoxylated, in particular ethoxylated and propoxylated alcohols.

[0315] This group also includes, for example, alkoxylated phenolic compounds, such as ethoxylated and propoxylated bisphenols.

[0316] These reactive viscosity reducers may also be (meth)acrylates, for example, of epoxides or urethanes.

[0317] Epoxy (meth)acrylates are those obtainable, for example, by reaction of epoxidized olefins or poly- or diglycidyl ethers known to the person skilled in the art, such as bisphenol A diglycidyl ether, with (meth)acrylic acid.

[0318] Urethane (meth)acrylates are in particular reaction products of hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylates, which are likewise known to the person skilled in the art, with poly- or diisocyanates.

[0319] Such epoxy and urethane (meth)acrylates are included in the above-listed compounds as "mixed forms".

[0320] If reactive viscosity reducers are used, their amount and nature must be matched to the respective conditions in such a way that, on the one hand, satisfactory desired effects, such as the desired color of the composition according to the invention, are achieved, but, on the other hand, the phase behavior of the liquid-crystal composition is not excessively impaired. Low-crosslinked (high-crosslinked) liquid-crystal compositions can be prepared, for example, using corresponding reactive viscosity reducers having a relatively low (high) number of reactive units per molecule.

[0321] The group of diluents includes, for example:

[0322] C1-C4-alcohols, for example methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, butanol, isobutanol, sec-butanol, and in particular C5-C12-alcohols, n-pentanol, n-hexanol, n-heptanol, n-octanol, n-nonanol, n-decanol, n-undecanol and n-dodecanol and isomers thereof, diols, for example 1,2-ethanediol, 1,2- and 1,3-propylene glycol, 1,2-, 2,3- and 1,4-butanediol, di- and triethylene glycol and di- and tripropylene glycol, ethers, for example methyl tert-butyl ether, 1,2-ethanediol mono- and dimethyl ether, 1,2-ethanediol mono- and diethyl ether, 3-methoxypropanol, 3-isopropoxypropanol, tetrahydrofuran and dimethoxypropanol. Alkanes, ketones such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone and diacetone alcohol (4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone), C1-C5-alkyl esters such as methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, propyl acetate, butyl acetate and amyl acetate, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons such as pentane, hexane, heptane, octane, isooctane, petroleum ether, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, tetralin, decalin, dimethylnaphthalene, white wine, and Mineral oils, such as gasoline, kerosene, diesel, and heating oil, and natural oils, such as olive, soybean, canola, linseed, and sunflower oils.

[0323] It is of course also possible to use mixtures of these diluents in the compositions according to the invention.

[0324] These diluents can also be mixed with water as long as there is at least partial miscibility. Examples of suitable diluents here are C1-C4-alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, butanol, isobutanol and sec-butanol, diols such as 1,2-ethanediol, 1,2- and 1,3-propylene glycol, 1,2-, 2,3- and 1,4-butanediol, di- and triethylene glycol, di- and tripropylene glycol, ethers such as tetrahydrofuran and dimethicone. Alkanes, ketones such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone and diacetone alcohol (4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone), and C1-C4 alkyl esters such as methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, propyl acetate and butyl acetate.

[0325] The diluent is optionally used in a proportion of about 0 to 10.0 wt. %, preferably about 0 to 5.0 wt. %, based on the total weight of the polymerisable LC material.

[0326] Defoamers and deaerators (c1)), lubricants and flow control agents (c2)), thermal or radiation curing agents (c3)), substrate wetting agents (c4)), wetting and dispersing agents (c5)), hydrophobizing agents (c6)), adhesion promoters (c7)) and agents promoting scratch resistance (c8)) cannot be strictly defined from one another in terms of their action.

[0327] For example, lubricants and flow aids are often also used as defoamers and / or deaerators and / or as aids for improving scratch resistance. Radiation curing aids can also be used as lubricants and flow aids and / or deaerators and / or as substrate wetting aids. In individual cases, some of these additives can also fulfill the function of adhesion promoters (c8)).

[0328] Corresponding to the above, a certain additive can therefore be classified into a plurality of groups c1) to c8) described below.

[0329] The defoamers of group c1) include silicon-free and silicon-containing polymers. Silicon-containing polymers are, for example, unmodified or modified polydialkylsiloxanes or branched copolymers, comb or block copolymers comprising polydialkylsiloxanes and polyether units, which can be obtained from ethylene oxide or propylene oxide.

[0330] Degassing agents in group c1) include, for example, organic polymers, such as polyethers and polyacrylates, dialkylpolysiloxanes, in particular dimethylpolysiloxanes, organomodified polysiloxanes, such as aralkyl-modified polysiloxanes, and fluorosilicones.

[0331] The action of defoamers is essentially based on preventing the formation of foam or preventing the destruction of already formed foam. Defoamers essentially act by promoting the coalescence of finely divided gases or gas bubbles to produce larger gas bubbles in the medium to be degassed, such as the composition according to the invention, thereby accelerating the escape of gas (air). Since defoamers can usually also be used as deaerators and vice versa, these additives are included together in group c1).

[0332] These additives are available, for example, from Tego as Foamex 800, Foamex 805, Foamex 810, Foamex 815, Foamex 825, Foamex 835, Foamex 840, Foamex 842, Foamex 1435, Foamex 1488, Foamex 1495, Foamex 3062, Foamex 7447, Foamex 8020, Foamex N, Foamex K 3, Antifoam 2-18, Antifoam 2-18, Antifoam 2-57, Antifoam 2-80, Antifoam 2-82, Antifoam 2-89, Antifoam 2-92, Antifoam 14, Antifoam 28, Antifoam 81, Antifoam D 90, Antifoam 93, Antifoam 200, Antifoam 201, Antifoam 202, Antifoam 793, Antifoam 1488, Antifoam 3062, 5803, 5852, 5863, 7008, Antifoam 1-60, Antifoam 1-62, Antifoam 1-85, Antifoam2-67, Antifoam WM 20, Antifoam 50, Antifoam 105, Antifoam 730, Antifoam MR 1015, Antifoam MR 1016, Antifoam 1435, Antifoam N, Antifoam KS 6, Antifoam KS 10, Antifoam KS 53, Antifoam KS 95, Antifoam KS 100, Antifoam KE 600, Antifoam KS 911, Antifoam MR1000, Antifoam KS 1100, Airex 900, Airex 910, Airex 931, Airex 935, Airex 936, Airex 960, Airex 970, Airex 980 and Airex 985 and those commercially available from BYK as and 530.

[0333] The auxiliaries from group c1) are optionally used in a proportion of about 0 to 3.0% by weight, preferably about 0 to 2.0% by weight, based on the total weight of the polymerisable LC material.

[0334] In group c2), lubricants and flow aids generally include silicon-free polymers as well as silicon-containing polymers, such as polyacrylates or modifiers, low molecular weight polydialkylsiloxanes. The modification includes that some of the alkyl groups have been replaced by various organic groups. These organic groups are, for example, polyethers, polyesters or even long-chain (fluoro) alkyl groups, the former being the most commonly used.

[0335] The polyether groups in the corresponding modified polysiloxanes are usually composed of ethylene oxide and / or propylene oxide units. In general, the higher the proportion of these alkylene oxide units in the modified polysiloxanes, the higher the hydrophilicity of the resulting product.

[0336] These additives are available, for example, from Tego as Glide 100, Glide ZG 400, Glide 406, Glide 410, Glide 411, Glide415, Glide 420, Glide 435, Glide 440, Glide 450, Glide A 115, Glide B 1484 (can also be used as a defoamer and deaerator), Flow ATF, Flow 300, Flow 460, Flow425 and Flow ZFS 460 is commercially available. Suitable radiation curing lubricants and flow aids that may also be used to improve scratch resistance are the products Rad 2100, Rad 2200, Rad 2500, Rad 2600 and Rad 2700, also available from TEGO.

[0337] These additives can also be obtained, for example, from BYK as get.

[0338] These additives can also be obtained, for example, from 3M as get.

[0339] These adjuvants are also available, for example, from Cytonix as or get.

[0340] These auxiliaries can also be obtained, for example, from Merck KGaA as 2300 and 2500 obtained.

[0341] The auxiliaries from group c2) are optionally used in a proportion of about 0 to 3.0% by weight, preferably about 0 to 2.0% by weight, based on the total weight of the polymerisable LC material.

[0342] In group c3), radiation curing auxiliaries include in particular polysiloxanes with terminal double bonds, which are, for example, constituents of acrylate groups. These auxiliaries can be crosslinked by actinic or, for example, electron radiation. These auxiliaries usually combine many properties together. In the uncrosslinked state, they can act as defoamers, degassing agents, lubricants and flow aids and / or substrate wetting aids, while in the crosslinked state, they especially increase the scratch resistance of, for example, coatings or films that can be produced using the composition according to the invention. For example, the improvement of the gloss properties of precisely those coatings or films is essentially considered to be the result of the action of these auxiliaries as defoamers, degassing agents and / or lubricants and flow aids (in the uncrosslinked state).

[0343] Examples of suitable radiation curing aids are the products available from TEGO and and products available from BYK

[0344] The heat-curing auxiliaries in group c3) contain, for example, primary OH groups which are capable of reacting, for example, with isocyanate groups of the adhesive.

[0345] Examples of heat curing aids that can be used are the products available from BYK and

[0346] The auxiliaries from group c3) are optionally used in a proportion of about 0 to 5.0% by weight, preferably about 0 to 3.0% by weight, based on the total weight of the polymerisable LC material.

[0347] The substrate wetting aids in group c4) are used in particular to increase the wettability of substrates to be printed or coated, for example by printing inks or coating compositions such as the compositions of the invention. The generally accompanying improvement of the lubrication and flow behavior of such printing inks or coating compositions has an impact on the appearance of the finished (e.g. crosslinked) print or coating.

[0348] A wide variety of such auxiliaries are available, for example, from Tego as Wet KL 245, Wet 250, Wet 260 and Wet ZFS 453 and from BYK as and Commercially available.

[0349] The auxiliary agents in group c4) are optionally used in a proportion of about 0 to 3.0% by weight, preferably about 0 to 1.5% by weight, based on the total weight of the liquid crystal composition.

[0350] The wetting and dispersing assistants of group c5) serve in particular to prevent overflow and floating and sedimentation of the pigments and are therefore, if desired, particularly suitable for pigmenting compositions.

[0351] These additives stabilize the pigment dispersions substantially by electrostatic repulsion and / or steric hindrance of the pigment particles containing these additives, wherein in the latter case the interaction of the additives with the surrounding medium (eg binder) plays a major role.

[0352] Since the use of such wetting and dispersing assistants is common practice, for example in the technical field of printing inks and paints, the selection of suitable assistants of this type, if they are used, generally does not present a person skilled in the art with any difficulties.

[0353] Such wetting and dispersing aids are available, for example, from Tego as Dispers 610, Dispers 610S, Dispers 630, Dispers 700, Dispers 705, Dispers 710, Dispers 720W, Dispers725W, Dispers 730W, Dispers 735W and Dispers 740W and from BYK as 104S, 105, -WS and Commercially available.

[0354] The amount of auxiliaries in group c5) is based on the average molecular weight of the auxiliaries. In any case, preliminary experiments are therefore recommended, but can be easily carried out by a person skilled in the art.

[0355] The hydrophobizing agents of group c6) can be used to impart water resistance to printed products or coatings prepared, for example, using the composition according to the invention. This prevents or at least greatly suppresses swelling due to water absorption and thus prevents, for example, changes in the optical properties of such printed products or coatings. In addition, when the composition is used, for example, as a printing ink in offset printing, water absorption can thereby be prevented or at least greatly reduced.

[0356] Such hydrophobizing agents are available, for example, from Tego as Phobe WF, Phobe 1000, Phobe 1000S, Phobe 1010, Phobe 1030, Phobe 1010, Phobe 1010, Phobe 1030, Phobe 1040, Phobe 1050, Phobe 1200, Phobe 1300, Phobe 1310 and Phobe 1400 is commercially available.

[0357] The auxiliaries from group c6) are optionally used in a proportion of about 0 to 5.0% by weight, preferably about 0 to 3.0% by weight, based on the total weight of the polymerisable LC material.

[0358] In addition, adhesion promoters from group c7) are used to improve the adhesion of two contact interfaces. It is directly obvious from this that essentially the only active part of the adhesion promoter is located at one or the other or both interfaces. For example, if it is desired to apply a liquid or pasty printing ink, a coating composition or a paint to a solid substrate, this generally means that the adhesion promoter must be added directly to the latter, or the substrate must be pretreated with the adhesion promoter (also called priming), i.e. the substrate has improved chemical and / or physical surface properties.

[0359] If the substrate has been previously primed, this means that the interfaces in contact are those of the primer on the one hand and of the printing ink or coating composition or paint on the other hand. In this case, not only the adhesion properties between substrate and primer but also between substrate and printing ink or coating composition or paint play a role in the adhesion of the multilayer structure on the entire substrate.

[0360] Adhesion promoters in the broad sense which may be mentioned are also the substrate wetting assistants already listed in group c4), but these generally do not have the same adhesion-promoting capacity.

[0361] The variety of adhesion promoter systems is not surprising in view of the wide variation in the physical and chemical properties of substrates and, for example, printing inks, coating compositions and paints used to print or coat them.

[0362] Adhesion promoters based on silanes are, for example, 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-aminopropylmethyldiethoxysilane, N-aminoethyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, N-aminoethyl-3-aminopropylmethyldimethoxysilane, N-methyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-ureidopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane and vinyltrimethoxysilane. These and other silanes are available from For example, the product name Commercially available.

[0363] The corresponding technical information from the manufacturers of these additives should generally be used or can be obtained in a simple manner by the person skilled in the art by means of corresponding preliminary experiments.

[0364] If, however, these additives are added as auxiliaries of group c7) to the polymerisable LC material according to the invention, their proportion optionally corresponds to about 0 to 5.0% by weight, based on the total weight of the polymerisable LC material. These concentration data serve only as a guide, since the amount and nature of the additives are determined in each case by the properties of the substrate and the printing / coating composition. For this case, the corresponding technical information is generally available from the manufacturers of these additives or can be determined in a simple manner by a person skilled in the art by corresponding preliminary experiments.

[0365] The auxiliaries in group c8) for improving the scratch resistance include, for example, the above-mentioned products available from Tego and

[0366] For these auxiliaries, the quantitative data given for group c3) likewise apply, ie these additives are optionally used in a proportion of about 0 to 5.0% by weight, preferably about 0 to 3.0% by weight, based on the total weight of the liquid-crystal composition.

[0367] Examples of other light, heat and / or oxidation stabilizers which may be mentioned are:

[0368] Alkylated monophenols, such as 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol, 2-tert-butyl-4,6-dimethylphenol, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-ethylphenol, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-n-butylphenol, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-isobutylphenol, 2,6-dicyclopentyl-4-methylphenol, 2-(α-methylcyclohexyl)-4,6-dimethylphenol, 2,6-dioctadecyl-4-methylphenol, 2,4,6-tricyclohexylphenol, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methoxymethylphenol, nonylphenols with linear or branched side chains, such as 2,6 - dinonyl-4-methylphenol, 2,4-dimethyl-6-(1'-methylundec-1'-yl)phenol, 2,4-dimethyl-6-(1'-methylheptadecan-1'-yl)phenol, 2,4-dimethyl-6-(1'-methyltridecan-1'-yl)phenol and mixtures of these compounds, alkylthiomethylphenols such as 2,4-dioctylthiomethyl-6-tert-butylphenol, 2,4-dioctylthiomethyl-6-methylphenol, 2,4-dioctylthiomethyl-6-ethylphenol and 2,6-didodecylthiomethyl-4-nonylphenol,

[0369] Hydroquinone and alkylated hydroquinones, such as 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methoxyphenol, 2,5-di-tert-butylhydroquinone, 2,5-di-tert-amylhydroquinone (2,5-di-tert-amylhydrocrainone), 2,6-diphenyl-4-octadecyloxyphenol, 2,6-di-tert-butylhydroquinone, 2,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole, 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole, 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl stearate and bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) adipate,

[0370] tocopherols, such as alpha-tocopherol, beta-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, delta-tocopherol and mixtures of these compounds, and tocopherol derivatives such as tocopherol acetate, succinate, nicotinate and polyoxyethylene succinate ("tocofersolate"),

[0371] Hydroxylated diphenyl sulfides, such as 2,2'-thiobis(6-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol), 2,2'-thiobis(4-octylphenol), 4,4'-thiobis(6-tert-butyl-3-methylphenol), 4,4'-thiobis(6-tert-butyl-2-methylphenol), 4,4'-thiobis(3,6-di-sec-amylphenol) and 4,4'-bis(2,6-dimethyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) disulfide,

[0372] Alkylene bisphenols, such as 2,2'-methylenebis(6-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol), 2,2'-methylenebis(6-tert-butyl-4-ethylphenol), 2,2'-methylenebis[4-methyl-6-(α-methylcyclohexyl)phenol], 2,2'-methylenebis(4-methyl-6-cyclohexylphenol), 2,2'-methylenebis(6-nonyl-4-methylphenol), 2,2'-methylenebis(4,6-di-tert-butylphenol), 2,2-ethylenebis( 4,6-di-tert-butylphenol), 2,2'-ethylenebis(6-tert-butyl-4-isobutylphenol), 2,2'-methylenebis[6-(α-methylbenzyl)-4-nonylphenol], 2,2'-methylenebis[6-(α,α-dimethylbenzyl)-4-nonylphenol], 4,4'-methylenebis(2,6-di-tert-butylphenol), 4,4'-methylenebis(6-tert-butyl-2-methylphenol), 1,1-bis(5-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-2-methylphenol) 1,1,3-Tris(5-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-2-methylphenyl)butane, 1,1-bis(5-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-2-methylphenyl)-3-n-dodecyl-mercaptobutane, ethylene glycol bis[3,3-bis(3'-tert-butyl-4'-hydroxyphenyl)butyrate], bis(3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)dicyclopentadiene, [2-(3'-tert-butyl-2'-hydroxy-5'-methylbenzyl)-6-tert-butyl-4-methylphenyl] terephthalate, 1,1-bis(3,5-dimethyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)butane, 2,2-bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propane, 2,2-bis(5-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-2-methylphenyl)-4-n-dodecyl-mercaptobutane and 1,1,5,5-tetrakis(5-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-2-methylphenyl)pentane,

[0373] O-, N- and S-benzyl compounds, such as 3,5,3',5'-tetra-tert-butyl-4,4'-dihydroxydibenzyl ether, octadecyl-4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylbenzylthioacetate, tridecyl-4-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylbenzylthioacetate, tris(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl)amine, bis(4-tert-butyl-3-hydroxy-2,6-dimethylbenzyl) dithioterephthalate, bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl) sulfide and isooctyl-3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzylthioacetate,

[0374] Aromatic hydroxybenzyl compounds, such as 1,3,5-tris(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene, 1,4-bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl)-2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-benzene and 2,4,6-tris(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl)phenol,

[0375] Triazine compounds, such as 2,4-bis(octylmercapto)-6-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanilino)-1,3,5-triazine, 2-octylmercapto-4,6-bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanilino)-1,3,5-triazine, 2-octylmercapto-4,6-bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenoxy)-1,3,5-triazine, 2,4,6-tris(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenoxy)-1,2,3-triazine, 1,3,5-tris(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenoxy)-1,2,3-triazine, tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl) isocyanurate, 1,3,5-tris(4-tert-butyl-3-hydroxy-2,6-dimethylbenzyl) isocyanurate, 2,4,6-tris(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine, 1,3,5-tris(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenylpropionyl)hexahydro-1,3,5-triazine, 1,3,5-tris(3,5-dicyclohexyl-4-hydroxybenzyl) isocyanurate and 1,3,5-tris(2-hydroxyethyl) isocyanurate,

[0376] benzylphosphonates, for example dimethyl-2,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzylphosphonate, diethyl-3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzylphosphonate, octadecyl-3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzylphosphonate and octadecyl-5-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-3-methylbenzylphosphonate,

[0377] Aminophenols, such as 4-hydroxylauroylanilide, 4-hydroxystearylanilide and octyl N-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)carbamate,

[0378] Propionates and acetates, for example monohydric or polyhydric alcohols, for example methanol, ethanol, n-octanol, isooctyl alcohol, octadecanol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,9-nonanediol, ethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol, neopentyl glycol, thiodiglycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, pentaerythritol, tris(hydroxyethyl)isocyanurate, N,N'-bis(hydroxyethyl)oxalamide, 3-thioundecanol, 3-thiopentadecanol, trimethylhexanediol, trimethylolpropane and 4-hydroxymethyl-1-phospho-2,6,7-triol Bicyclo[2.2.2]-octane,

[0379] Amine-based propionamide derivatives, such as N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenylpropionyl)hexamethylenediamine, N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenylpropionyl)trimethylenediamine and N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenylpropionyl)hydrazine,

[0380] Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and ascorbic acid derivatives, such as palmitate, laurate and stearate esters of ascorbic acid, and sulfate and phosphate esters of ascorbic acid,

[0381] Antioxidants based on amine compounds, such as N,N'-diisopropyl-p-phenylenediamine, N,N'-di-sec-butyl-p-phenylenediamine, N,N'-bis(1,4-dimethylpentyl)-p-phenylenediamine, N,N'-bis(1-ethyl-3-methylpentyl)-p-phenylenediamine, N,N'-bis(1-methylheptyl)-p-phenylenediamine, N,N'-dicyclohexyl-p-phenylenediamine, N,N'-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine, N,N'-bis(2-naphthyl)-p-phenylenediamine, N-isopropyl-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine, N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine, N-(1-methylheptyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine, diamines, N-cyclohexyl-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine, 4-(p-toluenesulfonamide)diphenylamine, N,N'-dimethyl-N,N'-di-sec-butyl-p-phenylenediamine, diphenylamine, N-allyldiphenylamine, 4-isopropoxydiphenylamine, N-phenyl-1-naphthylamine, N-(4-tert-octylphenyl)-1-naphthylamine, N-phenyl-2-naphthylamine, octyl-substituted diphenylamines, for example p,p'-di-tert-octyldiphenylamine, 4-n-butylaminophenol, 4-butyrylaminophenol, 4-nonanoylaminophenol, 4-dodecanoylaminophenol, 4-octadecanoylaminophenol, bis[4-methoxyphenyl]amine, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4- Dimethylaminomethylphenol, 2,4-diaminodiphenylmethane, 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane, N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane, 1,2-bis[(2-methylphenyl)amino]ethane, 1,2-bis(phenylamino)propane, (o-tolyl)biguanide, bis[4-(1',3'-dimethylbutyl)phenyl]amine, tert-octyl-substituted N-phenyl-1-naphthylamine, mixture of mono- and dialkylated tert-butyl / tert-octyl diphenylamines, mixture of mono- and dialkylated nonyl diphenylamines, mixture of mono- and dialkylated dodecyl diphenylamines, mono- and dialkylated isopropyl / isohexyl diphenylamines mixture of mono- and dialkylated tert-butyldiphenylamine, 2,3-dihydro-3,3-dimethyl-4H-1,4-benzothiazine, phenothiazine, mixture of mono- and dialkylated tert-butyl / tert-octyl phenothiazines, mixture of mono- and dialkylated tert-octyl phenothiazines, N-allyl phenothiazine, N,N,N',N'-tetraphenyl-1,4-diaminobut-2-ene, N,N-bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl)hexamethylenediamine, bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl) sebacate, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-one and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-ol,

[0382] Phosphines, phosphites and phosphonic acid esters, such as triphenylphosphine, triphenylphosphite, diphenylalkylphosphites, phenyldialkylphosphites, tris(nonylphenyl)phosphite, trilaurylphosphite, trioctadecylphosphite, distearylpentaerythritol diphosphite, tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl)phosphite, diisodecylpentaerythritol diphosphite, bis(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl)pentaerythritol diphosphite, bis(2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenyl)pentaerythritol diphosphite, diisodecylpentaerythritol diphosphite, bis(2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-methylphenyl)pentaerythritol diphosphite, bis(2,4, 6-tri(tert-butylphenyl) pentaerythritol diphosphite, tristearyl sorbitol triphosphite, tetrakis(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl) 4,4'-biphenyl diphosphite, 6-isooctyloxy-2,4,8,10-tetra-tert-butyl-12H-dibenzo[d,g]-1,3,2-dioxaphosphocine, 6-fluoro-2,4,8,10-tetra-tert-butyl-12-methyl-dibenzo[d,g]-1,3,2-dioxaphosphocine, bis(2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-methylphenyl) methyl phosphite and bis(2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-methylphenyl) ethyl phosphite,

[0383] 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzotriazole, such as 2-(2'-hydroxy-5'-methylphenyl)benzotriazole, 2-(3',5'-di-tert-butyl-2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzotriazole, 2-(5'-tert-butyl-2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzotriazole, 2-(2'-hydroxy-5'-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenyl)benzotriazole, 2-(3',5'-di-tert-butyl-2'-hydroxyphenyl)-5-chlorobenzotriazole, 2-(3'-tert-butyl-2'-hydroxy-5'-methylphenyl)-5 -chlorobenzotriazole, 2-(3'-sec-butyl-5'-tert-butyl-2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzotriazole, 2-(2'-hydroxy-4'-octyloxyphenyl)benzotriazole, 2-(3',5'-di-tert-amyl-2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzotriazole, 2-(3,5'-bis-(α,α-dimethylbenzyl)-2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzotriazole; 2-(3'-tert-butyl-2'-hydroxy-5'-(2-octyloxycarbonylethyl)phenyl)-5-chlorobenzotriazole, 2-(3'-tert-butyl-5'-[2-(2 2-(3'-tert-butyl-2'-hydroxy-5'-(2-methoxycarbonylethyl)phenyl)benzotriazole, 2-(3'-tert-butyl-2'-hydroxy-5'-(2-methoxycarbonylethyl)phenyl)benzotriazole, 2-(3'-tert-butyl-2'-hydroxy-5'-(2-octyloxycarbonylethyl)phenyl)benzotriazole, 2-(3'-tert-butyl-2'-hydroxy-5'-(2-octyloxycarbonylethyl)phenyl)benzotriazole, 2-(3'-tert-butyl-5'-[2-(2-ethylhexyloxy)carbonylethyl]-2' -hydroxyphenyl)benzotriazole, 2-(3'-dodecyl-2'-hydroxy-5'-methylphenyl)benzotriazole and 2-(3'-tert-butyl-2'-hydroxy-5'-(2-isooctyloxycarbonylethyl)phenylbenzotriazole, 2,2'-methylenebis[4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)-6-benzotriazol-2-ylphenol]; a product of complete esterification of 2-[3'-tert-butyl-5'-(2-methoxycarbonylethyl)-2'-hydroxyphenyl]-2H-benzotriazole with polyethylene glycol 300;

[0384] Sulfur-containing peroxide scavengers and sulfur-containing antioxidants, such as esters of 3,3'-thiodipropionic acid, for example the lauryl, stearyl, myristyl and tridecyl esters, mercaptobenzimidazole and the zinc salt of 2-mercaptobenzimidazole, dibutyl zinc dithiocarbamate, dioctadecyl disulfide and pentaerythritol tetrakis(β-dodecylmercapto)propionate,

[0385] Esters of unsubstituted and substituted benzoic acid, for example 4-tert-butylphenyl salicylate, phenyl salicylate, octylphenyl salicylate, dibenzoylresorcinol, bis(4-tert-butylbenzoyl)resorcinol, benzoylresorcinol, 2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzoate, hexadecyl-3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzoate, octadecyl-3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzoate and 2-methyl-4,6-di-tert-butylphenyl-3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzoate,

[0386] Acrylates such as ethyl α-cyano-β,β-diphenylacrylate, isooctyl α-cyano-β,β-diphenylacrylate, methyl α-methoxycarbonyl cinnamate, methyl α-cyano-β-methyl-p-methoxycinnamate, butyl-α-cyano-β-methyl-p-methoxycinnamate and methyl-α-methoxycarbonyl-p-methoxycinnamate, sterically hindered amines such as bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl)sebacate, bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl)succinate, bis(1,2,2,6,6-pentamethylpiperidin-4-yl)sebacate, bis(1-octyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4 -yl) sebacate, bis(1,2,2,6,6-pentamethylpiperidin-4-yl)-n-butyl-3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzylmalonate, condensation product of 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-hydroxypiperidine and succinic acid, condensation product of N,N'-bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl)hexamethylenediamine and 4-tert-octylamino-2,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazine, tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl) nitrilotriacetate, tetrakis(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl) 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylate, 1,1'-(1,2-amino)-1,2-dichloro-2,6-diamine 4-ethyl)bis(3,3,5,5-tetramethylpiperazinone), 4-benzoyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine, 4-stearoyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine, bis(1,2,2,6,6-pentamethylpiperidin-4-yl)2-n-butyl-2-(2-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylbenzyl)malonate, 3-n-octyl-7,7,9,9-tetramethyl-1,3,8-triazaspiro[4.5]decane-2,4-dione, bis(1-octyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl)sebacate, bis(1-octyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl)succinate, N,N'-bis( 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl)hexamethylenediamine and 4-morpholine-2,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazine, condensation products of 2-chloro-4,6-bis(4-n-butylamino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl)-1,3,5-triazine and 1,2-bis(3-aminopropylamino)ethane, condensation products of 2-chloro-4,6-bis(4-n-butylamino-1,2,2,6,6-pentamethylpiperidin-4-yl)-1,3,5-triazine and 1,2-bis(3-aminopropylamino)ethane, 8-acetyl-3-dodecyl-7,7,9,9-tetramethyl-1,3,8-triazaspiro[4.5]-decane-2,4-dione, 3-dodecyl-1-(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl)pyrrolidine-2,5-dione, 3-dodecyl-1-(1,2,2,6,6-pentamethylpiperidin-4-yl)pyrrolidine-2,5-dione, mixture of 4-hexadecyloxy- and 4-stearyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine, condensation product of N,N'-bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl)hexamethylenediamine and 4-cyclohexylamino-2,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazine, condensation product of 1,2-bis(3-aminopropylamino)ethane and 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine, 4-butylamino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl 2-Undecyl-7,7,9,9-tetramethyl-1-oxa-3,8-diaza-4-oxo-spiro[4.5]-decane, condensation products of 7,7,9,9-tetramethyl-2-cycloundecyl-1-oxa-3,8-diaza-4-oxospiro[4.5]decane and epichlorohydrin, condensation products of 4-amino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine with tetramethylacetylene diurea and poly(methoxypropyl-3-oxy)-[4(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl)piperidinyl]-siloxane,

[0387] Oxamides, such as 4,4'-dioctyloxyoxalanilide, 2,2'-diethoxyoxalanilide, 2,2'-dioctyloxy-5,5'-di-tert-butyloxalanilide, 2,2'-docosanyloxy-5,5'-di-tert-butyloxalanilide, 2-ethoxy-2'-ethyloxalanilide, N,N'-bis(3-dimethylaminopropyl)oxalamide, 2-ethoxy-5-tert-butyl-2'-ethyloxalanilide and mixtures thereof with 2-ethoxy-2'-ethyl-5,4'-di-tert-butyloxalanilide, and mixtures of o-, p-methoxy-substituted oxalanilides, and mixtures of o- and p-ethoxy-substituted oxalanilides,

[0388] 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1,3,5-triazine, such as 2,4,6-tris-(2-hydroxy-4-octyloxyphenyl)-1,3,5-triazine, 2-(2-hydroxy-4-octyloxyphenyl)-4,6-bis(2,4-dimethylphenyl)-1,3,5-triazine, 2-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-4,6-bis(2,4-dimethylphenyl)-1,3,5-triazine, 2,4-bis(2-hydroxy-4-propoxyphenyl)-6-(2,4-dimethylphenyl)- 1,3,5-triazine, 2-(2-hydroxy-4-octylphenyl)-4,6-bis(4-methylphenyl)-1,3,5-triazine, 2-(2-hydroxy-4-dodecyloxyphenyl)-4,6-bis(2,4-dimethylphenyl)-1,3,5-triazine, 2-(2-hydroxy-4-tridecyloxyphenyl)-4,6-bis(2,4-dimethylphenyl)-1,3,5-triazine, 2-[2-hydroxy-4-(2-hydroxy-3-butoxypropoxy)phenyl]-4,6 -bis(2,4-dimethyl)-1,3,5-triazine, 2-[2-hydroxy-4-(2-hydroxy-3-octyloxypropoxy)phenyl]-4,6-bis(2,4-dimethyl)-1,3,5-triazine, 2-[4-(dodecyloxy / tridecyloxy-2-hydroxypropoxy)-2-hydroxyphenyl]-4,6-bis(2,4 dimethylphenyl)-1,3,5-triazine, 2-[2-hydroxy-4-(2-hydroxy-3-dodecyloxypropoxy)phenyl]-4,6-bis(2,4 dimethylphenyl)-1,3,5-triazine, -(2,4-dimethylphenyl)-1,3,5-triazine, 2-(2-hydroxy-4-hexyloxyphenyl)-4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazine, 2-(2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazine, 2,4,6-tris[2-hydroxy-4-(3-butoxy-2-hydroxypropoxy)phenyl]-1,3,5-triazine and 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-6-phenyl-1,3,5-triazine.

[0389] In another preferred embodiment, the polymerizable liquid crystal material comprises one or more specific antioxidant additives, preferably selected from series, such as antioxidants commercially available from Ciba, Switzerland and

[0390] In another preferred embodiment, the polymerizable LC material comprises one or more, more preferably one or a combination of two photoinitiators, selected, for example, from the commercially available or (Ciba AG) series, in particular, Irgacure 127, Irgacure 184, Irgacure 369, Irgacure 651, Irgacure 817, Irgacure 907, Irgacure 1300, Irgacure, Irgacure 2022, Irgacure 2100, Irgacure 2959, or Darcure TPO, further selected from the commercially available OXE02 (Ciba AG), NCI 930, N1919T (Adeka), SPI-03 or SPI-04 (Samyang), or preferably, a combination thereof, such as SPI-03 and NCI-930.

[0391] The concentration of the polymerisation initiator in the total polymerisable LC material is preferably from 0.5 to 5%, very preferably from 0.5 to 3%, more preferably from 1 to 2%.

[0392] Preferably, the polymerisable LC material comprises, in addition to one or more compounds of formula UVI,

[0393] a) one or more di- or polyreactive polymerizable mesogenic compounds,

[0394] b) optionally one or more monoreactive polymerizable mesogenic compounds,

[0395] c) optionally one or more antioxidant additives,

[0396] d) optionally one or more adhesion promoters,

[0397] e) optionally one or more surfactants,

[0398] f) optionally one or more mono-, di- or polyreactive polymerizable non-mesogenic compounds,

[0399] g) optionally one or more dyes showing an absorption maximum at the wavelength used to initiate photopolymerization,

[0400] h) optionally one or more chain transfer agents,

[0401] i) optionally one or more stabilizers,

[0402] j) optionally one or more lubricants and flow aids, and

[0403] k) optionally one or more diluents,

[0404] 1) Optionally a non-polymeric nematic component.

[0405] More preferably, the polymerisable LC material comprises,

[0406] a) one or more compounds of formula UVI,

[0407] b) optionally one or more compounds of formula S1,

[0408] c) one or more, preferably two or more, direactive polymerizable mesogenic compounds, if present, preferably in an amount of 10 to 90% by weight, very preferably 15 to 75% by weight, preferably selected from compounds of formula DRMa-1,

[0409] d) optionally one or more, preferably two or more, monoreactive polymerizable mesogenic compounds, preferably in an amount of 10 to 95% by weight, very preferably 25 to 85%, preferably selected from compounds of the formula MRM-1 and / or MRM-7,

[0410] e) optionally one or more compounds of the formula ND, preferably in an amount of 1 to 50%, very preferably 1 to 40%,

[0411] f) optionally one or more antioxidant additives, preferably selected from esters of unsubstituted and substituted benzoic acids, in particular and if present, the amount is preferably from 0.01 to 2% by weight, very preferably from 0.05 to 1% by weight,

[0412] g) optionally one or more lubricants and flow aids, preferably selected from FC 4430, Fluor N 561 and / or Fluor N 562, and if present, preferably in an amount of 0.1 to 5% by weight, very preferably 0.2 to 3% by weight, and

[0413] h) optionally one or more photoinitiators.

[0414] The present invention also relates to a method for preparing a polymer film, which is achieved by the following steps:

[0415] - providing a layer of polymerisable LC material as described above and below on a substrate,

[0416] - polymerising a polymerisable component of the polymerisable LC material by photopolymerisation, and

[0417] - optionally removing the polymerized LC material from the substrate and / or optionally providing it on another substrate.

[0418] The polymerisable LC material may also be dissolved in a suitable solvent.

[0419] In another preferred embodiment, the polymerizable LC material comprises one or more solvents, which are preferably selected from organic solvents. The solvent is preferably selected from ketones, such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl propyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone or cyclohexanone; acetates, such as methyl, ethyl or butyl acetate or methyl acetoacetate; alcohols, such as methanol, ethanol or isopropanol; aromatic solvents, such as toluene or xylene; alicyclic hydrocarbons, such as cyclopentane or cyclohexane; halogenated hydrocarbons, such as dichloromethane or trichloromethane; glycols or their esters, such as PGMEA (propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate), γ-butyrolactone. It is also possible to use binary, ternary or higher mixtures of the above solvents.

[0420] In case the polymerisable LC material contains one or more solvents, the total concentration of all solids (including RMs) in the solvent is preferably from 10 to 60%.

[0421] The solution is then coated or printed onto a substrate, for example by spin coating, printing or other known techniques, and the solvent evaporated prior to polymerisation. In most cases it is appropriate to heat the mixture to promote evaporation of the solvent.

[0422] The polymerisable LC material can be applied to the substrate by conventional coating techniques, such as spin coating, rod coating or doctor blade coating. It can also be applied to the substrate by conventional printing techniques known to the person skilled in the art, such as screen printing, offset printing, roll-to-roll printing, letterpress printing, gravure printing, rotogravure printing, flexographic printing, intaglio printing, pad printing, heat seal printing, inkjet printing or by stamp or printing plate.

[0423] Suitable substrate materials and substrates are known to the person skilled in the art and are described in the literature, such as conventional substrates used in the optical film industry, for example glass or plastics. Particularly suitable and preferred substrates for polymerization are polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polycarbonate (PC), triacetyl cellulose (TAC) or cycloolefin polymers (COP), or generally known color filter materials, in particular triacetyl cellulose (TAC), cycloolefin polymers (COP), or generally known color filter materials.

[0424] The polymerisable liquid crystal material preferably has a uniform alignment throughout the whole layer.Preferably, the polymerisable LC material exhibits a uniform homeotropic alignment or a uniform homeotropic alignment.

[0425] The Friedel-Creagh-Kmetz rule can be used to predict whether the mixture will adopt a planar or homeotropic alignment by comparing the surface energies of the RM layer and the substrate:

[0426] If γ RM >γ s , the reactive mesogenic compound will show a homeotropic alignment; if γRM <γ s , the reactive mesogenic compound will show a uniform alignment.

[0427] When the surface energy of the substrate is relatively low, the intermolecular forces between the reactive mesogens are stronger than the forces across the RM-substrate interface. Therefore, the reactive mesogens align perpendicular to the substrate (homeotropic alignment) to maximize the intermolecular forces.

[0428] Homeotropic alignment can also be achieved by using amphiphilic materials; they can be added directly to the polymerizable LC material or the substrate can be treated with these materials in the form of a homeotropic alignment layer. The polar head of the amphiphilic material is chemically bonded to the substrate and the hydrocarbon tail points perpendicular to the substrate. The intermolecular interactions between the amphiphilic material and the RM promote homeotropic alignment. Commonly used amphiphilic surfactants are described above.

[0429] Another method for promoting homeotropic alignment is to subject the plastic substrate to corona discharge treatment to generate alcohol or ketone functional groups on the substrate surface. These polar groups can interact with the polar groups present in the RM or surfactant to promote homeotropic alignment.

[0430] When the surface tension of the substrate is greater than that of the RM, the forces across the interface dominate. If the reactive mesogens are aligned parallel to the substrate, the interfacial energy is minimized and thus the long axis of the RM can interact with the substrate. One way to promote planar alignment is by coating the substrate with a polyimide layer and then rubbing the alignment layer with a velvet cloth.

[0431] Other suitable surface alignment layers are known in the art, such as rubbed polyimide or alignment layers prepared by photoalignment as described in US 5,602,661, US 5,389,698 or US 6,717,644.

[0432] Generally, the overview of alignment technology is given by, for example, I. Sage in "Thermotropic Liquid Crystals", edited by GWGray, John Wiley & Sons, 1987, pages 75-77; and by T. Uchida and H. Seki in "Liquid Crystals-Applications and Uses Vol. 3", edited by B. Bahadur, World Scientific Publishing, Singapore 1992, pages 1-63. A review of other alignment materials and technologies is given by J. Cognard, Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. 78, Supplement 1 (1981), pages 1-77.

[0433] To prepare the polymer film according to the present invention, the polymerizable compound in the polymerizable liquid crystal material is polymerized or crosslinked (if the compound contains two or more polymerizable groups) by in situ photopolymerization.

[0434] The photopolymerization can be carried out in one step. It is also possible to photopolymerize or crosslink the compounds which have not reacted in the first step in a second step ("final curing").

[0435] In a preferred method of preparation, the polymerisable LC material is coated onto a substrate and subsequently photopolymerised by, for example, exposure to actinic radiation, for example as described in WO 01 / 20394, GB 2315072 or WO 98 / 04651.

[0436] Photopolymerization of the LC material is preferably achieved by exposing it to actinic radiation. Actinic radiation refers to irradiation with light, such as UV light, IR light or visible light, irradiation with X-rays or gamma rays, or irradiation with high-energy particles, such as ions or electrons. Preferably, the polymerization is carried out by irradiation with light, in particular with UV light. As a source of actinic radiation, for example a single UV lamp or a bank of UV lamps can be used. When high lamp powers are used, the curing time can be reduced. Another possible source of photoradiation is a laser, such as a UV laser, an IR laser, or a visible laser.

[0437] The curing time depends inter alia on the reactivity of the polymerisable LC material, the thickness of the coating, the type of polymerisation initiator and the power of the UV lamp. The curing time is preferably ≤5 minutes, very preferably ≤3 minutes, most preferably ≤1 minute. For large scale production, short curing times of ≤30 seconds are preferred.

[0438] Suitable UV radiation power is preferably between 5 and 200 mWcm -2 in the range of 50 to 175 mWcm -2 and most preferably between 100 and 150 mWcm -2 within the range.

[0439] Depending on the UV radiation applied and as a function of time, suitable UV doses are preferably in the range of 25 to 7200 mJcm -2 In the range of 500 to 7200 mJcm -2 and most preferably in the range of 3000 to 7200 mJcm -2 within the range.

[0440] The photopolymerization is preferably carried out in an inert gas atmosphere, preferably in a heated nitrogen atmosphere, but polymerization in air is also possible.

[0441] The photopolymerization is preferably carried out at a temperature of 1 to 70°C, more preferably 5 to 50°C, even more preferably 15 to 30°C.

[0442] The polymerized LC film according to the present invention has good adhesion to plastic substrates, in particular to TAC, COP and color filters. It can therefore be used as an adhesive or base coating for subsequent LC layers that would otherwise not adhere well to the substrate.

[0443] The preferred thickness of the polymerized LC film according to the present invention is determined by the desired optical properties of the film or the final product. For example, if the polymerized LC film does not primarily serve as an optical layer, but for example as an adhesive, alignment or protective layer, its thickness is preferably not more than 1 μm, in particular not more than 0.5 μm, very preferably not more than 0.2 μm.

[0444] For example, the polymer films of the invention in uniform homeotropic or planar alignment can be used as retardation films or compensation films, for example in LCDs, to improve contrast and brightness at large viewing angles and to reduce chromaticity. They can be used outside a switchable liquid crystal cell in an LCD, or between substrates, typically glass substrates, to form a switchable liquid crystal cell and contain a switchable liquid crystal medium (in cell applications).

[0445] For optical applications of the polymer film, it preferably has a thickness of 0.5 to 10 μm, very preferably 0.5 to 5 μm, in particular 0.5 to 3 μm.

[0446] The optical retardation (δ(λ)) of the polymer film as a function of the wavelength (λ) of the incident light beam is given by the following equation (7):

[0447] δ(λ)=(2πΔn·d) / λ (7)

[0448] where (Δn) is the birefringence of the film, (d) is the thickness of the film, and λ is the wavelength of the incident beam.

[0449] According to Snellius's law, the birefringence as a function of the incident beam direction is defined as

[0450] Δn=sinθ / sinΨ (8)

[0451] where sinθ is the angle of incidence or tilt of the optical axis in the film and sinΨ is the corresponding reflection angle.

[0452] Based on these laws, the birefringence and the corresponding optical retardation rate depend on the thickness of the film and the tilt angle of the optical axis in the film (see Berek's compensator). Therefore, those skilled in the art know that different optical retardation rates or different birefringence rates can be induced by adjusting the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules in the polymer film.

[0453] The birefringence (Δn) of the polymer film according to the present invention is preferably in the range of 0.01 to 0.30, more preferably in the range of 0.01 to 0.25, and even more preferably in the range of 0.01 to 0.16.

[0454] The optical retardation as a function of the thickness of the polymer film according to the invention is less than 200 nm, preferably less than 180 nm and even more preferably less than 150 nm.

[0455] The polymer films of the invention can also be used as alignment films for other liquid crystal or RM materials. For example, they can be used in LCDs to induce or improve the alignment of a switchable liquid crystal medium, or for the alignment of subsequent layers of polymerizable LC material coated thereon. In this way, stacks of LC films can be prepared.

[0456] In summary, the polymerized LC films and polymerizable LC materials according to the invention can be used in optical elements, such as polarizers, compensators, alignment layers, circular polarizers or color filters in liquid crystal displays or projection systems, decorative images, for the preparation of liquid crystals or effect pigments, in particular reflective films with spatially varying reflection colors, such as multicolor images for decoration, information storage or security purposes, such as identity cards or credit cards, banknotes and other non-forgeable documents.

[0457] The polymerized LC films according to the invention can be used for transmissive or reflective displays. They can be used in conventional OLED displays or LCDs, in particular LCDs in DAP (deformation of alignment phase) or VA (homeotropic alignment) mode, such as ECB (electrically controlled birefringence), CSH (color super homeotropic), VAN or VAC (vertically aligned nematic or cholesteric) displays, MVA (multidomain vertical alignment) or PVA (patterned vertical alignment) displays, in displays in bend mode or hybrid displays, such as OCB (optically compensated bend cell or optically compensated birefringence), R-OCB (reflective OCB), HAN (hybrid alignment nematic) or pi-cell (π-cell) displays, furthermore in displays in TN (twisted nematic), HTN (highly twisted nematic) or STN (super twisted nematic) mode, in AMD-TN (active matrix driven TN) displays or in IPS (in-plane switching) mode displays, also known as "super TFT" displays. Particularly preferred are VA, MVA, PVA, OCB and pi-cell displays.

[0458] The polymerisable LC materials and polymer films according to the present invention are particularly useful in applications such as EP 0 829 744, EP 0 887 666 A2, EP 0 887 692, US 6,046,849, US 6,437,915 and "Proceedings of the SID 20 th3D displays as described in "International Display Research Conference, 2000", page 280. A 3D display of this type comprising a polymer film according to the invention is another object of the present invention.

[0459] The invention has been described above and below with particular reference to preferred embodiments. It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0460] Many of the compounds mentioned above and below or their mixtures are commercially available. All of these compounds are known or can be prepared by methods known per se, as described in the literature (for example in standard works such as Houben-Weyl, Methodender Organischen Chemie [Methods of Organic Chemistry], Georg-Thieme-Verlag, Stuttgart), specifically under reaction conditions known and suitable for the reactions described. Variants known per se can also be used here, but are not mentioned again here.

[0461] It should be understood that the foregoing embodiments of the present invention may be varied while still falling within the scope of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, alternative features for the same, equivalent or similar purposes may replace each feature disclosed in this specification. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, each feature disclosed is only an example of a series of equivalent or similar features.

[0462] All features disclosed in this specification may be combined in any combination, except that at least some of these features and / or steps are mutually exclusive combinations. In particular, the preferred features of the present invention are applicable to all aspects of the present invention and may be used in any combination. Similarly, features described in non-essential combinations may be used alone (not in combination).

[0463] It will be appreciated that many of the features described above, particularly those of the preferred embodiments, are inventive in their own right and not merely as part of an embodiment of the invention, and independent protection for these features may be sought in addition to or in lieu of any invention currently claimed.

[0464] The present invention will now be described in more detail by reference to the following working examples, which are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the present invention. Example

[0465] General Procedure

[0466] The mixture was dissolved in toluene / cyclohexanone (7 / 3) to 35% solids. The solution was spin-coated at 2000 rpm on a rough glass substrate coated with rubbed PI. The film was annealed at 68°C for 120 seconds and was carried out using a Fusion conveyor, H bulb (95% power, 10 m / min) under N2 atmosphere. UV B) curing.

[0467] The film was laminated to the pressure sensitive adhesive leaving an open surface so the entire film stack was glass / polymer film / pressure sensitive adhesive and the film was tested for durability.

[0468] To measure the dispersion and retardation difference of the cured film depending on thermal stress, an Axoscan ellipsometer was used to determine the initial retardation and dispersion. The film was then stressed at 95°C for 1 week. After the test, the retardation curve and dispersion were determined again. Durability was measured by the difference in retardation before and after UV testing (ΔR in ) and / or dispersion difference (R 450 / 550 ) to quantify.

[0469] Formula UVI Compounds Used

[0470]

[0471] Example 1

[0472] Prepare the following mixture M1 RMM according to the table below:

[0473]

[0474]

[0475] The mixture M1 was divided into 4 portions, and each portion was mixed with 0.25% w / w, 0.30% w / w and 0.40% w / w of UVI-a, respectively, while one portion remained unchanged.

[0476] Each mixture was dissolved, coated and cured as described above, and the retardation change and dispersion change were determined before and after stress testing. The results are summarized in the following table:

[0477] Main mixture Stabilizer quantity <![CDATA[ΔR in [%]]]> M1 - - 1.7 M1 UVI-a 0.25%w / w 1.2 M1 UVI-a 0.30%w / w 0.4 M1 UVI-a 0.40%w / w 0.3

[0478] Example 2

[0479] Prepare the following mixture M2 according to the table below:

[0480]

[0481]

[0482] The mixture M2 was divided into 4 portions, and each portion was mixed with 0.25% w / w, 0.30% w / w and 0.40% w / w of UVI-a, respectively, while one portion remained unchanged.

[0483] Each mixture was dissolved, coated and cured as described above, and the retardation change and dispersion change were determined before and after stress testing. The results are summarized in the following table:

[0484] Main mixture Stabilizer quantity <![CDATA[ΔR in [%]]]> M2 - - 1.8 M2 UVI-a 0.25%w / w 1.4 M2 UVI-a 0.30%w / w 0 M2 UVI-a 0.40%w / w 0.8

Claims

1. A polymer film, characterized in that It comprises a polymerisable LC material comprising at least one di- or polyreactive mesogenic compound and a compound of formula UVI-a, The amount of UVI-a is 0.25 wt% to 1 wt%, and comprising one or more compounds of formula ND, in U 1,2 independently selected from Including their mirror images, where the ring U 1 U 2 Each is bonded to -(B) by an axial key q -group, and one or two non-adjacent CH2 groups in these rings are optionally replaced by O and / or S, and ring U 1 U 2 is optionally substituted by one or more groups L, L is, at each occurrence, identically or differently, F, Cl, CN, NO2, CH3, C2H5, C(CH3)3, CH(CH3)2, CH2CH(CH3)C2H5, OCH3, OC2H5, COCH3, COC2H5, COOCH3, COOC2H5, CF3, OCF3, OCHF2, OC2F5 or P-Sp-, Q 1,2 are independently CH or SiH, Q 3 is C or Si, B is -C≡C-, -CY independently of each other at each occurrence 1 =CY 2 - or an optionally substituted aromatic or heteroaromatic group, Y 1,2 independently H, F, Cl, CN or R 0 , q is an integer from 1 to 10, A 1-4 Each independently selected from non-aromatic, aromatic or heteroaromatic carbocyclic groups or heterocyclic groups, which are optionally substituted by one or more groups R 5 -, and wherein -(A 1 -Z 1 ) m -U 1 -(Z 2 -A 2 ) n - and -(A 3 -Z 3 ) o -U 2 -(Z 4 -A 4 ) p - each contain no more aromatic groups than non-aromatic groups Z 1-4 are independently -O-, -S-, -CO-, -COO-, -OCO-, -O-COO-, -CO-NR 0 -,-NR 0 -CO-,-NR 0 -CO-NR 00 -,-OCH2-,-CH2O-,-SCH2-,-CH2S-,-CF2O-,-OCF2-,-CF2S-,-SCF2-,-CH2CH2-,-(CH2)3-,-(CH2)4-,-CF2CH2-,-CH2CF2-,-CF2CF2-,-CH=CH-,-CY 1 =CY 2 -,-CH=N-,-N=CH-,-N=N-,-CH=CR 0 -,-C≡C-,-CH=CH-COO-,-OCO-CH=CH-,CR 0 R 00 or single key, R 0 and R 00 are independently H or alkyl having 1 to 12 C atoms, m and n are independently 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4, o and p are independently 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4, R 1-5 are independently selected from H, halogen, -CN, -NC, -NCO, -NCS, -OCN, -SCN, -C(=O)NR 0 R 00 ,-C(=O)R 0 ,-NH2,-NR 0 R 00 ,-SH,-SR 0 ,-SO3H,-SO2R 0 , -OH, -NO2, -CF3, -SF5, P-Sp-, optionally substituted silyl or a carbon or hydrocarbon group having 1 to 40 carbon atoms which is optionally substituted and optionally contains one or more heteroatoms, or represents P or P-Sp-, or is substituted by P or P-Sp-, wherein the compound comprises at least one R representing P or P-Sp- or substituted by P or P-Sp- 1-5 Group, P is a polymerizable group, Sp is a spacer group or a single bond.

2. The polymer film according to claim 1, wherein q is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7; and wherein -(A 1 -Z 1 ) m -U 1 -(Z 2 -A 2 ) n - and -(A 3 -Z 3 ) o -U 2 -(Z 4 -A 4 ) p - each contain no more than one aromatic group.

3. The polymer film according to claim 1, wherein at least one di- or poly-reactive mesogenic compound is selected from the group consisting of DRM of the formula, P 1 -Sp 1 -MG-Sp 2 -P 2 DRM in P 1 and P 2 independently of one another represent a polymerizable group, Sp 1 and Sp 2 are independently a spacer group or a single bond, and MG is a rod-shaped mesogenic group selected from the formula MG -(A 1 -Z 1 ) n -A 2 - MG in, A 1 and A 2 In the case of multiple occurrences, independently of one another, represents an aromatic or alicyclic radical, which optionally contains one or more heteroatoms selected from N, O and S and is optionally replaced by L. 1 Single or multiple substitution, L 1 P-Sp-, F, Cl, Br, I, -CN, -NO2, -NCO, -NCS, -OCN, -SCN, -C(=O)NR 00 R 000 , -C(=O)OR 00 , -C(=O)R 00 , -NR 00 R 000 , -OH, -SF5, optionally substituted silyl, aryl or heteroaryl having 1 to 12 C atoms, straight-chain or branched alkyl, alkoxy, alkylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyloxy or alkoxycarbonyloxy having 1 to 12 C atoms, wherein one or more H atoms are optionally replaced by F or Cl, P is a polymerizable group, Sp is a spacer group or a single bond, R 00 and R 000 independently of one another represent H or an alkyl radical having 1 to 12 C atoms, Z 1 In the case of multiple occurrences, -O-, -S-, -CO-, -COO-, -OCO-, -S-CO-, -CO-S-, -O-COO-, -CO-NR are independently 00 -,-NR 00 -CO-, -NR 00 -CO-NR 000 , -NR 00 -CO-O-, -O-CO-NR 00 -, -OCH2-, -CH2O-, -SCH2-, -CH2S-, -CF2O-, -OCF2-, -CF2S-, -SCF2-, -CH2CH2-, -(CH2) n1 , -CF2CH2-, -CH2CF2-, -CF2CF2-, -CH=N-, -N=CH-, -N=N-, -CH=CR 00 -,-CY 1 =CY 2 -, -C≡C-, -CH=CH-COO-, -OCO-CH=CH- or a single bond, Y 1 and Y 2 independently of one another represent H, F, Cl or CN, n is 1, 2, 3, or 4, and n1 is an integer from 1 to 10.

4. The polymer film according to claim 3, wherein at least one direactive mesogenic compound is selected from the following formula, in P 0 in the case of multiple occurrences is independently of one another acryloyl, methacryloyl, oxetanyl, epoxy, vinyl, heptadienyl, vinyloxy, propenyl ether or styryl, L has the same or different characteristics at each occurrence. 1 One of the meanings given, r is 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4, x and y are independently 0 or the same or different integers from 1 to 12, z is independently 0 or 1, and is 0 if the adjacent x or y is 0.

5. The polymer membrane according to claim 3, comprising at least one monoreactive mesogenic compound selected from the group consisting of the formula MRM, P 1 -Sp 1 -MG-R MRM Where P 1 , Sp 1 and MG has the meaning given in Formula DRM, R is F, Cl, Br, I, -CN, -NO2, -NCO, -NCS, -OCN, -SCN, -C(=O)NR x R y , -C(=O)X, -C(=O)OR x , -C(=O)R y , -NR x R y , -OH, -SF5, optionally substituted silyl, straight-chain or branched alkyl, alkoxy, alkylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyloxy or alkoxycarbonyloxy having 1 to 12 C atoms, wherein one or more H atoms are optionally replaced by F or Cl, X is a halogen, and R x and R y are independently H or alkyl having 1 to 12 C atoms. The polymer film according to claim 5 , wherein the halogen is F or Cl.

7. The polymer film according to claim 5, wherein at least one monoreactive mesogenic compound is selected from the following formula Where P 0 , L, r, x and z as defined in claim 4, R 0 is alkyl, alkoxy, thioalkyl, alkylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyloxy or alkoxycarbonyloxy having 1 to 15 C atoms, or represents Y 0 , Y 0 is F, Cl, CN, NO2, OCH3, OCN, SCN, SF5, or a mono- or poly-fluorinated alkyl or alkoxy radical having 1 to 4 C atoms, Z 0 is -COO-, -OCO-, -CH2CH2-, -CF2O-, -OCF2-, -CH=CH-, -OCO-CH=CH-, -CH=CH-COO- or a single bond, A 0 in the case of multiple occurrences independently of one another is 1,4-phenylene which is unsubstituted or substituted by 1, 2, 3 or 4 radicals L, or trans-1,4-cyclohexylene, u and v are independently 0, 1, or 2, w is 0 or 1, and The benzene ring and the naphthalene ring may additionally be substituted by one or more identical or different groups L.

8. The polymer film according to claim 1, wherein the proportion of the di- or poly-reactive polymerizable mesogen compound is in the range of 5 to 99% by weight.

9. The polymer film according to claim 5, wherein the proportion of the monoreactive polymerizable mesogen compound is in the range of 5 to 80% by weight.

10. The polymer film according to any one of claims 1 to 9, optionally comprising one or more additives selected from surfactants, other stabilizers, catalysts, sensitizers, inhibitors, chain transfer agents, co-reactive monomers, lubricants, wetting agents, dispersants, hydrophobic agents, adhesives, flow improvers, degassing agents or defoamers, scavengers, diluents, dyes and nanoparticles.

11. A polymer film according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the LC material is homogeneously aligned.

12. A method for preparing a polymer film by: - providing a layer of polymerisable LC material according to any of claims 1 to 11 on a substrate, - a photopolymerizable LC material, and - optionally removing the polymerized LC material from the substrate and / or optionally providing it on another substrate.

13. Use of a polymer film according to any one of claims 1 to 11 in optical, electro-optical, information storage, decorative and security applications.

14. Use according to claim 13, wherein the optical, electro-optical, information storage, decorative and security applications include liquid crystal displays, 3D displays, projection systems, polarizers, compensators, alignment layers, color filters, decorative images, liquid crystal pigments, reflective films with spatially varying reflected colors, multicolor images, unforgeable documents.

15. The use according to claim 14, wherein the unforgeable document comprises an identity card or a credit card or a banknote.

16. Optical components or devices comprising at least one polymer film according to any one of claims 1 to 11, polarizers, patterned retarders, compensators, alignment layers, color filters, decorative images, liquid crystal lenses, liquid crystal pigments, reflective films with spatially varying reflected color, multicolor images for information storage.

Images