Optical film

1. A liquid crystal display, comprising:

a liquid crystal panel having an upper polarizing plate and a lower polarizing plate which are attached to upper and lower portions of the liquid crystal panel, respectively; and

a light source formed at a lower portion of the lower polarizing plate of the liquid crystal panel,

wherein the lower polarizing plate is a reflective polarizing plate, comprising:

a polarizer having an optical transmission axis and an optical absorption axis perpendicular to the transmission axis; and

an optical film comprising an anisotropic layer that comprises a dichroic dye capable of forming a lyotropic liquid crystal phase,

wherein an absolute value of the difference between the refractive index with respect to light that has wavelength within the range of visible light and that has polarized axis in a direction parallel to an optical transition dipole moment of an anisotropically absorbing fragment of the dichroic dye and the refractive index with respect to light that has wavelength within the range of visible light and that has polarized axis in a direction perpendicular to an optical transition dipole moment of an anisotropically absorbing fragment of the dichroic dye is 0.2 or more;

wherein light having a polarized axis in a direction parallel to the optical transition dipole moment is reflected by the anisotropic layer, and light having polarized axis in a direction perpendicular to the optical transition dipole moment is transmitted through the anisotropic layer; and

wherein the optical transition dipole moment of the dichroic dye or a projection of the optical transition dipole moment on the anisotropic layer plane is parallel to the optical absorption axis of the polarizer.

2. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1 , wherein the optical transition dipole moment or a projection of the optical transition dipole moment on the anisotropic layer plane is parallel to the optical axis of the dichroic dye or the anisotropic layer.

3. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1 , wherein the optical transition dipole moment is parallel to the optical axis of the dichroic dye or the anisotropic layer.

4. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1 , wherein the dichroic dye has a maximum absorption wavelength within from 350 nm to 900 nm.

5. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1 , wherein the dichroic dye has a molecular weight of 300 g/mol to 900 g/mol.

6. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1 , wherein the dichroic dye is represented by the following Formula 1:

wherein Q is a dye chromophore system, A is a single bond, an alkylene group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, an alkylidene group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, —SO2NH-T-, —SO2-T-, —CONH-T-, —CO-T-, —O-T-, —S-T- or —NH-T-, where T is an alkylene or alkylidene group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, R is a moiety in the form of a salt, and n is a number ranging from 1 to 10, which represents the number of A-R groups bound to Q.

7. The optical film according to claim 6 , wherein the moiety in the form of a salt is —SO3-M+ or −COO-M+, where M+ represents an inorganic cation.

8. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1 , wherein the dichroic dye is represented by the following Formula 2:

wherein —U— is —N═N— or —O—(CH2)-(CHOH)—(CH2)-O—, X is independently an aryl group having 6 to 18 carbon atoms or a heteroaryl group having 6 to 18 ring-membered atoms, R is a moiety in the form of a salt, R1 represents a hydroxy group, an alkoxy group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, a halloalkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, an oxo group or —N═N-Ph, where Ph is a phenyl group unsubstituted or substituted with at least one alkoxy group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, 1 and m are each independently 1 or 2, which represent the number of R substituted with X, and p and q are each independently from 0 to 2, which represent the number of R1 substituted with X.

9. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1 , wherein the anisotropic layer comprises a first anisotropic layer comprising a first dichroic dye capable of forming a lyotropic liquid crystal phase and having a maximum absorption wavelength of 600 nm to 700 nm; and a second anisotropic layer comprising a second dichroic dye capable of forming a lyotropic liquid crystal phase and having a maximum absorption wavelength of 400 nm to 550 nm.

10. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1 , wherein the optical film further comprises a substrate and the anisotropic layer is formed on the substrate.

11. The liquid crystal display according to claim 10 , wherein the substrate has a refractive index of not less than 1.4 and less than 1.59 with respect to light having a wavelength of 550 nm.

12. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1 , further comprising a hard coating layer formed on the anisotropic layer.

13. The liquid crystal display according to claim 12 , wherein the hard coating layer has a refractive index of not less than 1.4 and less than 1.59 with respect to light having a wavelength of 550 nm.

14. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1 , wherein the anisotropic layer comprises a first anisotropic layer comprising a first dichroic dye capable of forming a lyotropic liquid crystal phase and having a maximum absorption wavelength of 600 nm to 700 nm; and a second anisotropic layer including a second dichroic dye capable of forming a lyotropic liquid crystal phase and having a maximum absorption wavelength of 400 nm to 550 nm, and the first anisotropic layer is disposed closer to the polarizer than the second anisotropic layer.

15. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1 , wherein the polarizing plate further comprises a protective film, and has a structure in which the polarizer, the protective film and the anisotropic layer are sequentially disposed.

16. The liquid crystal display according to claim 15 , further comprising a hard coating layer formed at a surface of the anisotropic layer opposite to a surface of the protective film.

17. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1 , wherein the polarizing plate further comprises a protective film, and has a structure in which the polarizer, the anisotropic layer and the protective film are sequentially disposed.