INK-JET INK AND INK-JET RECORDING METHOD

• US 20100098878A1
• Filed: 03/30/2009
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsubaki, Yoshinori
• Application Number:
  US12/414,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20100098878A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/552
• 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 11/38 characterised by non-macromolecular additives other than solvents, pigments or dyes

Abstract

An ink-jet ink is disclosed, comprising a colorant, water, a polymeric compound which is comprised of a hydrophilic backbone having plural side chains and is capable of curing via the side chains upon exposure to an actinic ray and a fluorine-containing surfactant having a specific structure. An ink-jet recording method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An ink-jet recording method comprising the steps of:

(a) ejecting droplets of an ink-jet ink from an ink-jet head to deposit the droplets onto a recording medium exhibiting a contact angle of 10 to 40 degrees with respect to water,

the ink-jet ink comprises a colorant, water, a polymeric compound and a fluorine-containing surfactant,

the polymeric compound having a hydrophilic backbone with a plurality of side chains, and capable of curing via the side chains upon exposure to an actinic ray,

the fluorine-containing surfactant represented by a formula selected from the group consisting of formula [1] to [3];

Rf-(L₁)_m-(Y₁)_n—

X  

 

formula [1]

wherein Rf is an aliphatic group containing at least one fluorine atom;

L₁ is a divalent linkage group;

Y₁ is an alkyleneoxy or alkylene group;

X is a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an anionic group or a cationic group;

m is an integer of 0 to 5 and n is an integer of 0 to 40,

Rf-(O-Rf′

)_n1-L₂-X′

_m1  

 

formula [2]

wherein Rf is an aliphatic group containing at least one fluorine atom;

Rf′

is an alkylene group containing at least one fluorine atom;

L₂ is a single bond or a linkage group;

X′

is a hydroxyl group, an anionic group or a cationic group;

n1 and m1 are each an integer of 1 or more,

[(Rf″

O)_n2-(PFC)-CO—

Y₂]_k-L₃-X″

_m2  

 

formula [3]

wherein Rf”

is a perfluoroalkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms;

(PFC) is a perfluorocycloalkylene group;

Y₂ is a linkage group containing an oxygen atom or a nitrogen atom;

L₃ is a single bond or a linkage group;

X″

is a water-solubilizing polar group containing an anionic group, a cationic group, a nonionic group or an amphoteric group;

n2 is an integer of 1 to 5, k is an integer of 1 to 3 and m2 is an integer of 1 to 5 5;

(b) exposing the recording medium to an actinic ray; and

(c) drying the exposed recording medium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording medium exhibits an absorption amount of water of 0.5 to 5 ml/m² at a contact time of 0.5 sec. in a Bristow method defined in J. TAPPI paper and pulp test method No. 51-87.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in the recording medium is exposed to the actinic ray within 0.001 to 1.0 sec. after depositing the droplets.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the actinic ray is an ultraviolet ray or an electron beam.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymeric compound is presented by the following formula (A):

Poly-{(X₁)_m—

[B—

(Y₁)_n]_p}

wherein Poly represents the backbone and {(X₁)_m—

[B—

(Y₁)_n]_p} represents the side chains, in which X₁ is a (p+1)-valent linkage group, p is an integer of 1 to 5, B is a curing group, Y₁ is a hydrogen atom or a substituent, m is 0 or 1 and n is 0 or 1.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein in the polymeric compound, the backbone is a saponified polyvinyl acetate exhibiting a saponification degree of 77% to 99%, a polymerization degree of 200 to 1700 and a modification ratio of the side chains to the backbone of not less than 0.5 mol % and not more than 4 mol %.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymeric compound is contained in an amount of 0.5% to 5.0% by weight of the ink.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the ink contains a water-soluble organic solvent in an amount of 7% to 55% by weight of the ink.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the water-soluble organic solvent is selected from the group consisting of alcohols, polyhdric alcohols, polyhydric alcohol ethers, amines, amides, heterocycles and sulfoxides.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein in the formula (A), B is an acryl group or a methacryl group.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein when p is 1, X₁ is at least one selected from the group consisting of an alkylene group, an arylene group, a heteroarylene group, an ether group, a thioether group, an imino group, an ester group, an amido group and a sulfonyl group, provided that these groups may be combined with each other to form a di- or more valent group;

when p is 2 or more, plural Bs or Y₁s may be the same or different; and

the substituent of Y₁ is one selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, an alkyl group, an aryl group, an acyl group, an alkoxy group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an acyloxy group, a carbamoyl group, a sulfamoyl group, an alkylthio group, an arylthio group, an alkylureido group, an arylureido group, an alkylsulfonamido group, an arylsulfoamido group, an alkylaminosulfonylamino group, an arylaminosulfonylamino group, a hydroxy group and a heterocyclic group.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein in step (b), the recording medium is exposed to an ultraviolet ray of which light source is at least one selected from the group consisting of low-pressure, medium-pressure and high-pressure mercury lamps having an operation pressure of 0.1 kPa to 1 MPa, a metal halide lamp, a xenon lamp, a cold cathode tube, a thermal cathode tube and an LED.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein in step (b), exposure comprises a first exposure of exposing the ink-deposited recording medium to the actinic ray within 0.001 to 2.0 sec. and a second exposure of exposing the ink-deposited recording medium after the first exposure.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording medium is non-absorptive plastics.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording medium exhibits a surface energy of 20 to 55 mN/m.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein in step (b), the recording medium is exposed to an ultraviolet ray of which light source is at least one selected from the group consisting of low-pressure, medium-pressure and high-pressure mercury lamps having an operation pressure of 0.1 kPa to 1MPa, a metal halide lamp, a xenon lamp exhibiting emission of an ultraviolet wavelength region, a cold cathode tube, a thermal cathode tube and an LED, wherein the recording medium is non-absorptive plastics.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein step (b) comprises a first exposure of exposing the ink-deposited recording medium to the actinic ray within 0.001 to 2.0 sec. and a second exposure of exposing the ink-deposited recording medium after the first exposure.