Patent ID: 8048495

Claim:
A cholesteric liquid crystal composition containing at least one compound represented by the following general formula (1): R 1 -A 1 -B-A 2 -R 2 (1), wherein R 1 and R 2 each independently represent a group selected from the group consisting of a straight or branched alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, which may be unsubstituted or substituted with one or more halogen atoms; a straight or branched alkylene oxide group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, which may be unsubstituted or substituted with one or more halogen atoms; a hydrogen atom; a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group, a (meth)acryl group, an epoxy group, a mercapto group, an isocyanate group, an amino group and a cyano group, which may be bound to an alkyl or alkylene oxide group having 1 to 2 carbon atoms; A 1 and A 2 each independently represent a group selected from the group consisting of 1,4-phenylene group, 1,4-cyclohexylene group, 1,4-cyclohexenyl group, 4,4′-biphenylene group, 4,4′-bicyclohexylene group and 2,6-naphthylene group, which may be unsubstituted or substituted with one or more halogen atoms, hydroxyl groups, carboxyl groups, cyano groups, amino groups, and alkyl or halogenated alkyl groups having 1 to 10 carbon atoms; and B is selected from the group consisting of a single bond, —O—, —S—, —S—S—, —CO—, —CS—, —OCO—, —CH 2 —, —OCH 2 —, —CH═N—N═CH—, —NHCO—, —OCOO—, —CH 2 COO— and —CH 2 OCO—; wherein said compound represented by the general formula (1) has a molecular weight of less than 600, and at least one rod-shaped liquid crystal compound having an intrinsic birefringence Δn of 0.18 or more and at least two reactive groups per one molecule, and having a molecular weight of 600 or more, wherein a ratio of a total weight of said compound of the general formula (1) to a total weight of said rod-shaped liquid crystal compound [(total weight of said compound of the general formula (1))/(total weight of said rod-shaped liquid crystal compound)] is 0.05 to 1.