Aqueous ink, ink cartridge using the same, inkjet printing method and recorded matter

• US 20050204955A1
• Filed: 06/01/2005
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nagashima, Akira, Hakamada, Shinichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,740,697 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 106/31.590
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/38 characterised by non-macromolecular additives other than solvents, pigments or dyes

Abstract

The invention provides an ink which has a higher fixation of a recorded matter, is more excellent in stability and reliability of the ink, and allows a recorded matter of high image quality to be obtained stably, a recorded image, an inkjet recording method, and devices using such an ink. The invention provides an aqueous ink including micromicelles which are dispersed in a transparent single phase in water, characterized in that the micromicelles are comprised of a combination of two or more surfactants which exhibit an opaque or translucent dispersed state in water and a compound having an alkyl group and having only a hydroxyl group as a water-soluble group, and an inkjet recording method, devices and a recorded image, using the aqueous ink.

Claims

1. An aqueous ink characterized by comprising micromicelles comprised of:

at least two or more surfactants forming micelles in an opaque or translucent dispersed state in water when used in conjunction; and

a compound having an alkyl group less hydrophobic than each of said surfactants, and having only a hydroxyl group as a water-soluble group.

2. The aqueous ink according to claim 1, characterized in that said two or more surfactants comprise a first surfactant having an HLB equal to or greater than 6 and less than 10 and a second surfactant having an HLB of 10 to 15, wherein said first and second surfactants have the structurally same hydrophobic group unit.

3. The aqueous ink according to claim 1, characterized in that said two or more surfactants each have as a water-soluble group ethylene oxide having a hydroxyl group at the terminal.

9. The aqueous ink according to claim 3, characterized in that the first surfactant insoluble in water has a solubility or dispersibility of 0.1% by weight based on the weight of the water.

10. The aqueous ink according to claim 1, characterized in that the surfactants are liquid.

13. An inkjet recording method in which the aqueous ink according to any of claims 1 to 12 is ejected through orifices as ink droplet in response to a recording signal to carry out recording on a recording medium to obtain a recorded matter.

14. The inkjet recording method according to claim 13, wherein heat energy is applied to eject ink droplets for formation of said ink droplets.

15. An ink cartridge comprising an ink-containing section containing the aqueous ink according to any of claims 1 to 12.

16. A recorded matter characterized in that the recorded matter is formed by providing the aqueous ink according to any of claims 1 to 12 onto a recording medium.

4. An aqueous ink having a coloring material, characterized by comprising micromicelles comprised of:

at least two or more surfactants forming micelles in an opaque or translucent dispersed state in water when used in conjunction; and

a compound having an alkyl group less hydrophobic than each of said surfactants, and having only a hydroxyl group as a water-soluble group.

5. The aqueous ink according to claim 4, characterized in that said coloring material is a water-disperse coloring material.

6. The aqueous ink according to claim 4, characterized in that said coloring material has as a water-soluble group a carboxyl group in its free acid state.

7. The aqueous ink according to claim 4, characterized in that said two or more surfactants each have as a water-soluble group ethylene oxide having a hydroxyl group at the terminal.

8. The aqueous ink according to claim 7, characterized in that said surfactants are nonionic.

11. The aqueous ink according to claim 4, characterized in that said compound is a sugar alcohol having an alkyl group.

12. The aqueous ink according to claim 4, characterized in that said compound is solid at ordinary temperatures.

17. An aqueous ink characterized by comprising:

a first surfactant having an HLB equal to or greater than 6 and less than 10 and a second surfactant having an HLB of 10 to 15, wherein said first and second surfactants have the structurally same hydrophobic group unit; and

a compound having a hydrophobic group different from said hydrophobic group unit and less hydrophobic than said unit and a hydrophilic portion composed of only a hydroxyl group, and

comprising micromicelles comprising said first and second surfactants and said compound.