Provided is a liquid-crystalline, polymerizable vinyl
ketone compound of formula (1): Preferably, R1 is
hydrogen,
halogen, —CN, —CF3, —CF2H, —CFH2, —OCF3, —OCF2H, or
alkyl, alkoxy, alkoxyalkyl or alkenyl having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms; R2, R3 and R5 are
hydrogen; A1 to A4 are independently 1,4-cyclohexylene, 1,4-cyclohexenylene or 1,4-
phenylene where any
hydrogen may be substituted with
halogen; Z1 to Z3 are independently a
single bond, —(CH2)2—, —CH═CH—, —CF═CF—, —OCF2— or —CF2O—; Z4 is a
single bond, —(CH2)3— or —(CH2)4—; m, n and q are independently 0, 1 or 2. The uppermost temperature of the
liquid crystalline phase of the compound is high, and the compound has good compatibility with other compounds and has the necessary characteristics such as
optical anisotropy. Also provided are a
polymer having many good characteristics of transparency,
mechanical strength, coatability,
solubility,
crystallinity, shrinkage, water permeability, water absorption,
melting point,
glass transition point, clearing point and
chemical resistance; an optically-anisotropic material of the
polymer; a liquid-
crystal display device that comprises the
polymer; and a method for producing the liquid-crystalline compound.