Actinic ray curable composition, and actinic ray curable ink and image forming method by use thereof

• US 20050288386A1
• Filed: 06/17/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Wataru
• Granted Patent: US 7,473,718 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 522/168
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 61/122 derived from five- or six-membered heterocyclic compounds, other than imides
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 65/18 Oxetanes
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/101 Inks specially adapted for printing processes involving curing by wave energy or particle radiation, e.g. with UV-curing following the printing
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/30 Inkjet printing inks

Abstract

An actinic ray curable composition is disclosed, comprising and oxetane ring-containing compound and an epoxy compound, in which the oxetane ring-containing compound comprises a compound containing a single oxetane ring and a compound containing at least two oxetane rings, and the compound containing a single oxetane ring accounting for 1% to 20% by weight if the composition. There are also disclosed an ink for use in ink jet printing and an image forming method by use thereof.

Claims

1. An actinic ray curable composition comprising an oxetane ring-containing compound and an epoxy compound, the oxetane ring-containing compound comprising a compound (O-1) containing a single oxetane ring and a compound (O-2) containing at least two oxetane rings, and the compound (O-1) accounting for 1% to 20% by weight of the composition.

2. The actinic ray curable composition of claim 1, wherein the compound (O-1) accounts for from 1% to 10% by weight of the composition.

3. The actinic ray curable composition of claim 1, wherein the compound (O-1) and the compound (O-2) are represented by the following formulas (Ox-1) and (Ox-2), respectively:

4. The actinic ray curable composition of claim 3, wherein at least of the compound (O-1) and the compound (O-2) contains a substituent at 2-position of an oxetane ring.

5. The actinic ray curable composition of claim 1, wherein the epoxy compound is an alicyclic epoxy compound.

6. The actinic ray curable composition of claim 1, wherein the epoxy compound is an epoxidized fatty acid ester.

7. The actinic ray curable composition of claim 1, wherein the epoxy compound is an epoxidized fatty acid glyceride.

8. The actinic ray curable composition of claim 5, wherein the alicyclic epoxy compound is represented by the following formula (A):

9. The actinic ray curable composition of claim 8, wherein the alicyclic epoxy compound of formula (A) is at least one of compounds represented by the following formulas (I), (II), (III) and (IV):

10. The actinic ray curable composition of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises a photolytically acid-generating agent.

11. The actinic ray curable composition of claim 10, wherein the photolytically acid-generating agent is an onium salt

12. The actinic ray curable composition of claim 11, wherein the onium salt is an iodonium salt or a sulfonium salt.

13. The actinic ray curable composition of claim 12, wherein the sulfonium salt is at least one of sulfonium salts represented by the following formulas (1) to (4):

14. The actinic ray curable composition of claim 1, wherein the composition exhibits a viscosity of 7 to 40 mPa.s at 25°

C.

15. An actinic ray curable ink, wherein the ink comprises an actinic ray curable composition as claimed in claim 1 and the composition further comprises a pigment.

16. An image forming method comprising the steps of:

(a) ejecting droplets of an ink through a recording head with at least one nozzle and onto a surface of a recording material and

(b) exposing the recording material with the ink on the surface thereof to an actinic ray to cure the ink,

wherein the ink is an actinic ray curable ink, as claimed in claim 13.

17. The image forming method of claim 16, wherein in step (b), the recording material is exposed within 0.001 to 0.1 sec. after ejecting the droplets.

18. The image-forming method of claim 16, wherein in step (a), the ejected droplets each have a volume of 2 to 15 pl.

19. The image forming method of claim 16, wherein in step (a), the droplets are ejected after heating the ink and the recording head at a temperature of 35°

to 100°

C.

20. The image forming method of claim 16, wherein in step (a), the recording material is maintained at a temperature of 35°

to 60°

C.