Release agent donor member having fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer overcoat

• US 6,721,529 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2001
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: NEXPRESS SOLUTIONS LLC
• Inventors: Chen, Jiann Hsing, Pavlisko, Joseph A., Lancaster, Robert Arthur, Hewitt, Charles Eugene, Boulatnikov, Nataly
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelly, Cynthia H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferguson, Lawrence D
• Application Number:
  US09/960,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20030096091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 428/212, 428/375, 428/421, 399/333, 399/313, 399/176, 399/320
• US Class Current: 399/313
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/2025 with special means for lubricating and/or cleaning the fixing unit, e.g. applying offset preventing fluid
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/3154 Of fluorinated addition polymer from unsaturated monomers

Abstract

An improved donor member for applying a toner release agent to a toned receiver comprises a support an intermediate layer disposed on the support, and an outermost layer formed from a cured composition comprising a fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer, a curing agent, a particulate filler containing zinc oxide, and a curable aminosiloxane, wherein the fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer has subunits of:

—(CH₂CF₂)x—, —(CF₂CF(CF₃)y—, and —(CF₂CF₂)z—,

and x is from 1 to 40 or 60 to 80 mole percent, y is from 10 to 90 mole percent, z is from 10 to 90 mole percent, and x+y+z equals 100 mole percent. A fuser apparatus for electrostatographic printing comprises a fuser roll and a pressure roll forming a nip, a supply of offset preventing oil contained in a reservoir, and a donor roll for delivering the offset preventing oil to a receiver bearing a toner image, wherein the donor roll has an outermost layer formed from the described cured composition comprising a fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer, a curing agent, particulate zinc oxide, and a curable aminosiloxane.

Claims

1. A donor member for applying a toner release agent to a toned receiver, said donor member comprising:

a support, an intermediate layer disposed on the support, and an outermost layer formed from a cured composition comprising a fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer, a curing agent, a particulate filler containing zinc oxide, and a curable aminosiloxane, said fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer having subunits of;

2. The donor member of claim 1 wherein the curable aminosiloxane is an amino-functional polydimethylsiloxane copolymer.

3. The donor member of claim 2 wherein the amino-functional polydimethylsiloxane copolymer comprises amino functional units selected from the group consisting of (aminoethylaminopropyl)methyl, (aminopropyl)methyl, and (aminopropyl)dimethyl.

4. The donor member of claim 1 wherein the curable aminosiloxane has a total concentration in the layer of from about 1 to about 20 parts by weight per 100 parts of the fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer.

5. The donor member of claim 4 wherein the curable aminosiloxane has a total concentration in the layer of from about 5 to about 15 parts by weight per 100 parts of the fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer.

6. The donor member of claim 1 wherein the zinc oxide has a total concentration in the layer of from about 1 to about 20 parts by weight per 100 parts of the fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer.

7. The donor member of claim 6 wherein zinc oxide has a total concentration in the layer of from 3 to 15 parts by weight per 100 parts of the fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer.

8. The donor member of claim 1 wherein said curing agent comprises bisphenol residues.

9. The donor member of claim 1 wherein the fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer is nucleophilic addition cured.

10. The donor member of claim 1 wherein x is from 60 to 80 mole percent, y is from 10 to 90 mole percent, and z is from 10 to 90 mole percent.

11. The donor member of claim 10 wherein x is from 60 to 75 mole percent and y is from 14 to 58 mole percent.

12. The donor member of claim 1 wherein z is greater than 40 mole percent.

13. The donor member of claim 1 wherein the fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer further comprises a fluorinated resin.

14. The donor member of claim 13 wherein the fluorinated resin has a number average molecular weight between 50,000 and 50,000,000.

15. The donor member of claim 13 wherein the ratio of fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer to fluorinated resin is between 1:

1 and 50;

1.

16. The donor member of claim 13 wherein the fluorinated resin is polytetrafluoroethylene or fluoroethylenepropylene.

17. The donor member of claim 1 wherein the outermost layer has a kinetic coefficient of friction value of less than about 0.6, as determined at room temperature.

18. The donor member of claim 1 wherein the outermost layer has a static coefficient of friction value of less than about 0.8, as determined at room temperature.

19. The donor member of claim 1 wherein the intermediate layer comprises a composition of:

(a) a crosslinkable poly(dialkylsiloxane) incorporating an oxide, wherein the poly(dialkylsiloxane) has a weight-average molecular weight before crosslinking of about 1,000 to about 90,000;

(b) optionally, one or more crosslinkable polysiloxanes selected from the group consisting of a poly(diarylsiloxane), a poly(arylalkylsiloxane), and mixtures thereof;

(c) about 1 to about 5 parts by weight per hundred parts of polysiloxane of finely divided filler; and

(d) a crosslinking catalyst.

20. The donor member of claim 1 wherein the intermediate layer comprises the crosslinked product of a mixture of at least one polyorganosiloxane having the formula

21. The donor member of claim 1 wherein the intermediate layer has a Shore A hardness of about 30 to about 70.

22. The donor member of claim 21 wherein the intermediate layer has a Shore A hardness of about 30 to about 40.

23. The donor member of claim 1 wherein the support is cylindrically shaped.

24. A fuser apparatus for electrostatographic printing comprising a fuser roll and a pressure roll forming a nip, a supply of offset preventing oil contained in a reservoir, and a donor roll for delivering the offset preventing oil to a receiver bearing a toner image, said donor roll comprising:

a support, an intermediate layer disposed on the support, and an outermost layer formed from a cured composition comprising a fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer, a curing agent, a particulate filler containing zinc oxide, and a curable aminosiloxane, said fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer having subunits of;

25. The fuser apparatus of claim 24 wherein the curable aminosiloxane is an amino-functional polydimethylsiloxane copolymer.

26. The fuser apparatus of claim 25 wherein the amino-functional polydimethylsiloxane copolymer comprises amino functional units selected from the group consisting of (aminoethylaminopropyl)methyl, (aminopropyl)methyl, and (aminopropyl)dimethyl.

27. The fuser apparatus of claim 24 wherein the curable aminosiloxane has a total concentration in the layer of from about 1 to about 20 parts by weight per 100 parts of the fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer.

28. The fuser apparatus of claim 24 wherein the zinc oxide has a total concentration in the layer of from about 1 to about 20 parts by weight per 100 parts of the fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer.

29. The fuser apparatus of claim 24 wherein x is from 60 to 80 mole percent, y is from 10 to 90 mole percent, and z is from 10 to 90 mole percent.

30. The fuser apparatus of claim 24 wherein z is greater than 40 mole percent.

31. The fuser apparatus of claim 24 wherein the fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer further comprises a fluorinated resin.

32. The fuser apparatus of claim 24 wherein said fuser roll comprises:

a support, an intermediate layer disposed on the support, and an outermost layer formed from a cured composition comprising a fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer, a curing agent, a particulate filler containing zinc oxide, and a curable aminosiloxane, said fluorocarbon thermoplastic random copolymer having subunits of;

33. The fuser apparatus of claim 24 further comprising a metering roll disposed between said oil reservoir and said donor roll.