JP2003019859A - Ink-jet recording element - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink-jet recording element having high speed drying time and good image quality. SOLUTION: In the ink-jet recording element including a support having a porous image receiving layer containing at least 90 mass% of particles and under 10 mass% of a binder on it, the image receiving layer additionally contains a nonionic surfactant having an HLB value under 10 in an amount to substantially prevent the formation of the bubbles of an application composition used for applying the image receiving layer on the support.

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording element, particularly to a porous ink jet recording element, and to a printing method using the element. [0002] In a typical ink jet recording element or printing system, ink droplets are ejected from nozzles at a high speed toward a recording element or recording medium to produce an image on the medium. Ink droplets, or recording liquids, generally include a recording agent, such as a dye or pigment, and a large amount of solvent. The solvent, or carrier liquid, is generally made from water and an organic material, such as a monohydric alcohol, a polyhydric alcohol, or a mixture thereof. [0003] Ink jet recording elements typically include a support having on at least one surface thereof an ink or image receiving layer, such elements for viewing by reflection. And those having an opaque support and those having a transparent support for viewing by transmitted light. [0004] An important characteristic of an ink jet recording element is:
That is, they need to dry quickly after printing. To this end, porous recording elements have been developed that provide near-instantaneous drying, as long as they have sufficient thickness and porosity to effectively contain the liquid ink. For example, a porous recording element can be made by cast coating in which a particulate-containing coating is applied to a support and dried in contact with a polished smooth surface. [0005] US Pat. No. 5,932,355 discloses that an ink receiver composition contains a nonionic silicone surfactant, about 14 to 94% by weight of a polymer, and a small amount of particulate matter such that the coating is transparent. Regarding the recording sheet. However, there is a problem with this element in that the drying time is long because it is not porous. US Pat. No. 5,919,559 discloses a water-soluble or water-dispersible resin having a dominant quantitative value and an HLB number of 11 or less.
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording sheet having an ink absorbing layer containing a nonionic surfactant. However, there is a problem with this element in that the drying time is long because it is not porous. [0007] It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording element that is porous.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording element having a fast drying time and good image quality. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a printing method using the above elements. [0008] An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording element comprising a support having thereon a porous image receiving layer comprising at least 90% by weight of particles and less than 10% by weight of a binder. Wherein the image receiving layer further comprises a nonionic surfactant having an HLB value of less than 10 to substantially prevent foaming of the coating composition used to apply the image receiving layer to the support. This is achieved according to the amount of ink jet recording element contained. By using the present invention, a porous ink jet recording element having fast drying time and good image quality can be obtained. Another aspect of the present invention is: A) providing an inkjet printer that responds to a digital data signal; B) mounting the inkjet recording element described above on the printer; C) loading inkjet ink on the printer.
And D) a step of printing on the porous image receiving layer using the inkjet ink in response to the digital data signal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The presence of a binder in an image receiving layer coating solution increases its tendency to bubble formation. Coating solutions generally require large amounts of agitation to minimize component concentration gradients and thereby reduce variability.
However, this agitation generally leads to the ingestion of air and the generation of excessive bubbles. According to the present invention, certain nonionic surfactants have been found to be defoamers. Furthermore, these materials do not bubble themselves at low concentrations. As mentioned above, the nonionic surfactant used in the present invention has an HLB number of less than 10. The HLB number of a surfactant is used to describe the nature of the oil / water dispersion formed in the presence of the surfactant.
If the HLB number is less than 7, the dispersed (ie, droplet) layer becomes water. When the HLB number exceeds 12, the dispersed layer becomes oil. It has been found that this HLB number can also be used to predict the ability of a nonionic surfactant to remove air bubbles in a coating solution. H having a surfactant of 10 or more
Having an LB value, the surfactant can increase the stability of the bubbles instead of removing the bubbles. [0014] The HLB value of a surfactant can be measured or calculated. There are several methods for measuring HLB, some of which are described in Noni
onicSurfactants ", edited by M. Scihck," Surfactant Scien
ce Series ”Volume 1 (MarcelDeker Inc., New York, 196
7). There are several types of nonionic surfactants that can be used in the present invention. For example, the formula: R-
O (CH ₂ CH ₂ O) _n H ( _where R represents a carbon number of 2 to 30)
Which can be alkyl, aryl or aralkyl, and n can be from 2 to 20). The HLB value of an ethoxylated alcohol is related to the ratio of the number of ethylene oxide groups to the number of carbons in the R group. Preferred ethoxylated alcohols useful in the present invention include those in which all or some of the hydrogen atoms of the R group have been replaced with fluorine atoms. Another class of nonionic surfactants useful in the present invention are block copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide. Examples of these are the triblock copolymers Pluronics ™ (poloxamer)
And Tetronics ™ (poloxamine), a tetrafunctional block copolymer derived from the sequential addition of propylene oxide and ethylene oxide to ethylenediamine. The ratio of the amount of propylene oxide to ethylene oxide is directly related to the HLB value of the surfactant. Another class of nonionic surfactants useful in the present invention are alkoxylated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) or polyalkylene modified PDMS materials, including those containing ethylene oxide, and ethylene oxide and propylene. And those containing an oxide,
It has the HLB number described above. Another class of nonionic surfactants useful in the present invention are based on derivatives of mono- and disaccharides, such as sorbitol esters such as Spans ™, and alkyl glucosides and sucrose distearate. And hydrophobic sucrose. Commercially available surfactants described above useful in the present invention include: S-1: Silwet (trademark) L7220 (Witco Corp.) S-2: Silwet (trademark) L7210 (Witco Corp.) S-3: Silwet (trademark) L7602 (Witco Corp.) S-4: Pluronic (trademark) L61 (BASF Corp.) S-5: Tetronic (trademark) 90R4 (BASF Corp.) S-6: Tetronic (trademark) 701 (BASF Corp.) S-7: Tetronic (trademark) 150R1 (BASF Corp.) S- 8: Fluorad ™ FC171 (3M Corp.) S-9: Brij ™ 30 (ICI Chemicals) S-10: Brij ™ 93 (ICI Chemicals) The surfactants used in the present invention are relative It is a small amount. Based on their HLB number, these surfactants limit their solubility in coating solutions. These surfactants have a cloud point (ie, the highest temperature at which the surfactant becomes soluble in water). Coating operation is generally 25
It is carried out between 30 ° C and 30 ° C. Accordingly, these surfactants are commonly used at operating temperatures at levels below their solubility limits. In general, these surfactants can be used in an amount of at least 0.05% by weight of the coating solution, preferably from 0.05% to 1.0% by weight. Examples of particles useful in the present invention include alumina,
Boehmite, clay, calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide,
Includes calcined clay, aluminosilicate, silica, barium sulfate, or polymer beads. These particles may be porous or non-porous. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the particles are alumina, silica, fumed alumina or fumed silica. Such is because they have a positively charged surface, which can bind anionic inkjet printing dyes, and make the printed images resistant to dye transfer by water and high humidity conditions. Particles are preferred for ink jet recording elements. As mentioned above, the porous image-receiving layer contains at least 90% by weight of particles. This amount of particles ensures that the layer is porous. That is, the layer has interconnected voids and allows the solvent of the ink to migrate through the layer to the support or base layer (if present). In a preferred embodiment, the porous image receiving layer contains at least 90 to 95% by weight of the particles. In general, any binder can be used in the present invention. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
The binder is a hydrophilic polymer such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, gelatin, cellulose ether, polyoxazoline, polyvinyl acetamide, partially hydrolyzed poly (vinyl acetate /
Vinyl alcohol), polyacrylic acid, polyacrylamide, polyalkylene oxide, sulfonated or phosphorylated polyester and polystyrene, casein, zein,
Albumin, chitin, chitosan, dextran, pectin, collagen derivatives, collodion, agar, arrowroot, guar gum, carrageenan, tragacanth, xanthan, rhamsan, and the like. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hydrophilic polymer is polyvinyl alcohol, hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, gelatin or polyalkylene oxide. In yet another preferred embodiment, the hydrophilic binder is polyvinyl alcohol. The polymer binder should be selected to be compatible with the particles described above. The amount of binder used in the present invention should be sufficient to provide cohesion to the ink jet recording element, but the interconnected pore structure formed by the aggregates will not be blocked by the binder. Should be such a minimal amount. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
The amount of the binder based on the total amount of the particles is less than 10% by mass,
Preferably, it is 5 to 10% by mass. [0026] The thickness of the image receiving layer can range from 5 to 40 µm, preferably from 10 to 20 µm. The required coating thickness is determined by the need for the coating to act as a reservoir for absorbing the ink solvent and for the need to retain the ink near the coating surface. The coating can be applied in a single layer or in multiple layers, and the function of each applied layer can be specified. For example, a two-layer structure can be created, with the base layer functioning as a reservoir for absorbing the ink solvent and the top layer holding the ink. In this case, a nonionic surfactant and particles are used in both layers. That is, the base layer contains at least 90% by weight of particles and less than 10% by weight of a binder, and the base layer substantially prevents foaming of the coating composition used to apply the base layer to the support. HLB value is 10
It also contains less than a nonionic surfactant. After application, the ink jet recording element is subjected to calendaring or supercalendering to increase the surface smoothness. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inkjet recording element is operated at a temperature of 65 ° C. and
Subject to hot soft nip calendering at a speed of 0.15 m / s to 0.3 m / s at a pressure of g / m. The support of the ink jet recording element used in the present invention may be any of those conventionally used for ink jet receivers, such as resin coated paper, paper, polyester, or Teslin ™ (PPG Industries, Inc., Pittsburgh, USA). Tyvek ™ synthetic paper (DuPont Cor), a polyethylene polymer-containing material sold in Pennsylvania)
p.) and Oppalyte ™ film (Mobil Chemical
Co.) as well as other composite films and the like as described in US Pat. No. 5,244,861. Opaque supports include plain paper, coated paper, synthetic paper, photographic paper support, melt extrusion coated paper, and laminated paper (eg, biaxially oriented support laminates).
Biaxially stretched support laminates are disclosed in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 5,866,282, 5,874,205, 5,888,643, 5,888,681, 5,888,683, and 5,888,714. These biaxially oriented supports include a paper base and a biaxially oriented polyolefin sheet (typically polypropylene) laminated to one or both sides of the paper base. On the transparent support, glass, cellulose derivatives (for example, cellulose ester, cellulose triacetate,
Cellulose diacetate, cellulose acetate propionate, cellulose acetate butyrate), polyesters (eg, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, poly 1,4-cyclohexane dimethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, and copolymers thereof), polyimide, polyamide, polycarbonate , Polystyrenes, polyolefins (eg, polyethylene or polypropylene), polysulfones, polyacrylates, polyetherimides, and mixtures thereof. The above-mentioned papers include a wide variety of papers from high-end paper (for example, photographic paper) to low-end paper (for example, newsprint). The support used in the present invention has a thickness of 50 to 500 μm.
m, preferably 75 to 300 μm. If necessary, antioxidants, antistatics, plasticizers and other known additives may be incorporated into the support. The coating composition used in the present invention can be prepared by a number of well-known methods such as dip coating, wound wire rod coating, doctor blade coating, gravure coating and reverse roll coating, slide coating, bead coating, extrusion coating, curtain coating and the like. It can be applied by techniques. Known coating and drying methods are described in Research Disclosure, No.
308119, published December 1989, pages 1007-1008. Slide coating is preferred, and the base layer and overcoat may be applied simultaneously. After coating, this layer is generally dried by simple evaporation,
This can be facilitated by known techniques such as convection heating. In order to impart mechanical durability to the ink jet recording element, a small amount of a crosslinking agent acting on the above binder may be added. Such additives improve the cohesion of the layer. Crosslinking agents such as carbodiimides, polyfunctional aziridines, aldehydes, isocyanates, epoxides and polyvalent metal cations can all be used. To improve colorant fade, UV absorbers, radical quenchers or antioxidants may be added to the image receiving layer, as is known in the art. Other additives include adhesion promoters, rheology improvers, biocides, lubricants, dyes, optical brighteners, matting agents, antistatic agents and the like. The coating composition is selected so that the total solids content yields a useful film thickness. In particulate coating formulations, the solids content is typically 10-60%. [0035] Ink jet inks used to image the recording elements of the present invention are well known in the art. Generally, the ink composition used in inkjet printing is a liquid composition comprising a solvent or carrier liquid, a dye or pigment, a wetting agent, an organic solvent, a detergent, a thickener, a preservative, and the like. The solvent or carrier liquid can be pure water or can be water mixed with other water-miscible solvents such as polyhydric alcohols.
Further, an ink in which an organic material such as a polyhydric alcohol is a main carrier or a solvent liquid may be used. Particularly useful is a mixed solvent of water and a polyhydric alcohol. Dyes used in such compositions are generally
It is a water-soluble direct dye or an acid dye. Such liquid compositions are described, for example, in U.S. Pat.Nos. 4,381,946, 4,239,
Nos. 543 and 4,781,758, which are extensively described in the prior art, including the respective specifications. The present invention will be described more specifically with reference to the following examples. Example 1 Dispal ™ 14N4-80 alumina (C) with 100 g (dry) of surfactant in image receiving layer coating solution
ondea Vista Co.) (as a 20% solution), 4 g (dry) of polyvinyl alcohol GH-17 ™ (Nippon Go
hsei Co. Ltd) (as a 10% solution) and 0.1 g
The coating solution 1 was prepared by mixing (dry amount) 2,3-dihydroxy-1,4-dioxane (Clariant Corp.). The solid content of this coating solution is added to water to 20
%. The above nonionic surfactants S-1 to S-
10 was compared to the following control activators C-1 to C-4 (HLB values outside the scope of the invention). All surfactants were added to the coating solution at a level of 0.5% by weight. C-1: Silwet ™ L7500 (Witco Corp.) C-2: Pluronic ™ F108 (BASF Corp.) C-3: Tetronic ™ 904 (BASF Corp.) C-4: Triton ™ X-45 (Union Carbide Corp.) All HLB values of the surfactants used are based on the values provided by the respective manufacturers, unless otherwise stated. Approximately 20 mL of the coating solution was placed in a 1 mL diameter graduated 50 mL cylinder. It was shaken by hand until the foam height was kept constant. After stopping shaking, the initial foam volume (total volume of the coating solution and the accompanying foam)
I wrote down. The foam volume was again noted after 30 minutes. If the foam height has been reduced to about 20 mL, the surfactant is considered effective. If the foam height remains the same after 30 minutes, the surfactant is considered ineffective. The results are shown in Table I. [Table 1] The above results show that the nonionic surfactants of the present invention were effective in reducing foam as compared to surfactants having HLB values greater than those described in the present invention. ing. Example 2: 100 g (dry) of surfactant in base layer coating solution Albagloss-s ™ precipitated calcium carbonate (Specialty Minerals Inc.) (as a 70% solution), 5 g (dry) polyvinyl Alcohol GH-17 ™ (as a 10% solution) and 0.1 g (dry) of 2,3-dihydroxy-1,4-dioxane (Clariant)
Corp.) was prepared to prepare a coating solution 2. The solid content of this coating solution was adjusted to 35% by adding water. The same surfactant was added to the base coating composition and tested as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table II. [Table 2] The above results indicate that the nonionic surfactants of the present invention were effective in reducing foam as compared to surfactants having HLB values greater than those described in the present invention. ing. Example 3: Printing on a recording element The base layer coating solution of Example 2 was bead-coated at 25 ° C on a base paper and dried at 60 ° C by forced air. The base paper used was Nekoosa Solutions Smooth ™ (Georgia Pac
ific Co.), Grade 5128 (Carrara White ™, Colo
r 9220, basis weight 150 g / m ² ). The image receiving layer coating solution of Example 1 was applied to the top of the base paper. And
The recording element was forced air dried at 60 ° C., the thickness of the bottom and top layer, respectively, to produce a two-layer recording element is a 25μm (27g / m ²⁾ and 8μm (8.6g / m ^2). Test images of the cyan, magenta, yellow, red, green and blue patches were tested at 100% laydown using Epson
Catalog number S02019 using Stylus ™ Color740
The recording element was printed with one ink. Immediately after ejection from the printer, the bond paper was placed on the printed image and a smooth heavy weight was rolled. Then, the bond paper was separated from the printed image. If the recording element was not dry, the ink was transferred to the bond paper. The length of the transferred image on the bond paper was measured. It is proportional to the drying time. Drying times corresponding to lengths of about 40 cm or less are acceptable. After drying at ambient temperature and humidity for 24 hours, the status A and Dmax concentrations were measured using an X-Rite ™ 820 densitometer as follows. For red, green and blue densities, two component color densities were measured and averaged. The results are shown in Table III. [Table 3] The above results show that the ink jet recording element of the present invention has good image optical density and apparent flash drying time (no ink is transferred to the bond paper immediately after printing).

   ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page    (72) Inventor Lloyd Anthony Robo             United States of America, New York 14580,             Webster, Apian Drive 1160 (72) Inventor John Marion Beir             United States of America, New York 14450,             Fairport, Foreign Brook Low             C 11 F-term (reference) 2C056 EA04 FC06                 2H086 BA15 BA31 BA34

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. An ink jet recording element comprising a support having thereon a porous image receiving layer comprising at least 90% by weight of particles and less than 10% by weight of a binder, wherein the image comprises: The receiving layer further comprises a nonionic surfactant having an HLB value of less than 10 in an amount that substantially prevents foaming of the coating composition used to apply the image receiving layer to the support. Inkjet recording element.