Ink composition and method for inkjet recording using the same

• US 6,554,891 B1
• Filed: 01/23/2001
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Ito, Hiroshi, Momose, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Bell, Mark L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Faison, Veronica F.
• Application Number:
  US09/744,344
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 106/31.86, 106/31.89, 106/472, 106/473, 106/474, 106/475, 106/476, 106/477, 106/478
• US Class Current: 106/31.86
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/322 Pigment inks
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/40 Ink-sets specially adapted for multi-colour inkjet printing

Abstract

An ink composition containing a surface-modified pigment is provided which can realize anti-clogging properties and images having high print density. The ink composition comprises at least a colorant, glycerin, a glycol compound, and water, the colorant being a surface-modified pigment dispersible and/or dissolvable in water without any dispersant, the glycerin being contained in an amount of 3 to 30% by weight based on the ink composition, the glycol compound being contained in an amount of 1 to 20% by weight based on the ink composition and having a molecular weight of 130 to 3,000.

Claims

1. An ink composition comprising a colorant, glycerin, a glycol compound, and water,

the colorant being a surface-modified pigment dispersible and/or dissolvable in water without any dispersant,

the glycerin being present in an amount of 3 to 30% by weight based on the ink composition,

the glycol compound being present in an amount of 1 to 20% by weight based on the ink composition and having a molecular weight of 170 to 2,500.

2. The ink composition according to claim 1, which contains 1 to 15% by weight, based on the ink composition, of the colorant.

3. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the colorant is a pigment obtained by modifying the surface to bond at least one hydrophilic functional group, selected from the group consisting of carboxyl, carbonyl, hydroxyl, sulfone, and phosphoric acid groups and quaternary ammonium, or a salt thereof, onto the surface of a pigment, whereby the pigment is dispersible and/or dissolvable in water without any dispersant.

4. The ink composition according to claim 3, wherein the surface modification has been carried out by bonding at least one hydrophilic functional group, selected from the group consisting of carboxyl, carbonyl, hydroxyl, sulfone, and phosphoric acid groups and quaternary ammonium, or a salt thereof, onto the surface of the pigment through at least one group selected from the group consisting of alkyl, alkyl ether, and aryl groups.

5. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein said colorant is a surface-modified pigment obtained by wet oxidation of a pigment on its surface with a hypohalous acid or a salt thereof to modify the surface of the pigment, whereby the pigment has been rendered dispersible and/or dissolvable in water without any dispersant.

6. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the pigment is carbon black.

7. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the content of the glycerin is 5 to 15% by weight based on the ink composition.

8. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the content of the glycol compound is 1 to 20% by weight based on the ink composition.

9. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the glycol compound is a polyalkylene glycol compound.

10. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the glycol compound is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, and oxyethylene-oxypropylene copolymer.

11. The ink composition according to claim 1, which contains an alkyl ether of a polyhydric alcohol.

12. The ink composition according to claim 11, wherein the alkyl group in the alkyl ether of the polyhydric alcohol has 1 to 6 carbon atoms.

13. The ink composition according to claim 1, which further contains a nonionic surfactant.

14. The ink composition according to claim 13, wherein the nonionic surfactant is an acetylene glycol surfactant.

15. The ink composition according to claim 1, which, when the coverage of the ink composition on a recording medium is 1 mg/cm², has a penetrability of less than 1 second in terms of the penetration time of the ink composition.

16. The ink composition according to claim 1, which, is used in an ink jet recording method.

17. A print produced by the recording method according to claim 16.

18. An ink jet recording apparatus for ejecting droplets of an ink composition and depositing the droplets onto a recording medium to perform recording, wherein at least the ink composition according to claim 1 is used as the ink composition.

19. A print produced by the recording apparatus according to claim 18.