Bimesogenic compounds of formula I wherein R 11 and R 12 are each independently H, F, Cl, CN, NCS or a straight-chain or branched alkyl group with 1 to 25 C atoms which may be unsubstituted, mono- or polysubstituted by halogen or CN, it being also possible for one or more non-adjacent CH 2 groups to be replaced, in each occurrence independently from one another, by -O-, -S-, -NH-, -N(CH 3)-, -CO-, -COO-, -OCO-, -O-CO-O-, -S-CO-, -CO-S-, -CH=CH-, -CH=CF-, -CF=CF- or -C≡C- in such a manner that oxygen atoms are not linked directly to one another, preferably a polar group, more preferably F, Cl, CN, OCF 3, CF 3, MG 11 and MG 12 are each independently a mesogenic group and at least one of MG 11 and MG 12 each comprises one, two or more 6-atomic rings, and Sp 1 is a spacer group comprising 1, 3 or 5 to 40 C atoms, wherein one or more non-adjacent groups may also be replaced by -O-, -S-, -NH-, -N(CH 3)-, -CO-, -O-CO-, -CO-O-, -S-CO-, -O-CO-O-, -CO-S-, -S-CO-, -CH(halogen)-, -CH -, -CH=CH- or -C≡C-, however in such a way that no two O-atoms are adjacent to one another, no two -CH=CH- groups are adjacent to each other and no two groups selected from -O-CO-, -CO-O-, -S-CO-, -O-CO-O-, -CO-S-, -S-CO-,-O-CO-, and -CH=CH- are adjacent to each other, X 11 and X 12 are each independently of one another a group selected from -CH=CH-, -C≡C-, -O-, -CO-O-, -O-CO-, -O-CO-O-, -S-, -S-CS-, -CS-S-, -CO-S-, -S-CO-, -S-CS-, -S-CO-S- and -S-CS-S- or a single bond, however under the condition that in -X 11 -Sp 1 -X 12 - no two O atoms are adjacent to one another, no two -CH=CH- groups are adjacent to each other and no two groups selected from -O-CO-, -S-CO-, -O-COO-, -CO-S-, -CO-O- and -CH=CH- are adjacent to each other, characterized in that at least one of MG 11 and MG 12 is 1,4-phenylene, which is substituted by at least one alkyl group having 1 to 5 C atoms or by at least one alkoxy group with 1 to 4 C atoms, or comprises a 1,4-phenylene, which is substituted by at least one alkyl group having 1 to 5 C atoms and/or by at least one alkoxy group with 1 to 4 C atoms. R 11 and R 12 are each independently H, F, Cl, CN, NCS or a straight-chain or branched alkyl group with 1 to 25 C atoms which may be unsubstituted, mono- or polysubstituted by halogen or CN, it being also possible for one or more non-adjacent CH 2 groups to be replaced, in each occurrence independently from one another, by -O-, -S-, -NH-, -N(CH 3)-, -CO-, -COO-, -OCO-, -O-CO-O-, -S-CO-, -CO-S-, -CH=CH-, -CH=CF-, -CF=CF- or -C≡C- in such a manner that oxygen atoms are not linked directly to one another, preferably a polar group, more preferably F, Cl, CN, OCF 3, CF 3, MG 11 and MG 12 are each independently a mesogenic group and MG 11 and MG 12 each comprises one, two or more 6-atomic rings, and Sp 1 is a spacer group comprising 1, 3 or 5 to 40 C atoms, wherein one or more non-adjacent groups may also be replaced by -O-, -S-, -NH-, -N(CH 3)-, -CO-, -O-CO-, -CO-O-, -S-CO-, -O-CO-O-, -CO-S-, -S-CO-, -CH(halogen)-, -CH -, -CH=CH- or -C≡C-, however in such a way that no two O-atoms are adjacent to one another, no two -CH=CH- groups are adjacent to each other and no two groups selected from -O-CO-, -CO-O-, -S-CO-, -O-CO-O-, -CO-S-, -S-CO-,-O-CO-, and -CH=CH- are adjacent to each other, X 11 and X 12 are each independently of one another a group selected from -CH=CH-, -C≡C-, -O-, -CO-O-, -O-CO-, -O-CO-O-, -S-, -S-CS-, -CS-S-, -CO-S-, -S-CO-, -S-CS-, -S-CO-S- and -S-CS-S- or a single bond, MG 11 and MG 12 is 1,4-phenylene, which is substituted by at least one alkyl group having 1 to 5 C atoms or by at least one alkoxy group with 1 to 4 C atoms, or comprises a 1,4-phenylene, which is substituted by at least one alkyl group having 1 to 5 C atoms and/or by at least one alkoxy group with 1 to 4 C atoms.