Ink composition and ink jet recording method

• US 7,311,391 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2003
• Issued: 12/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tateishi, Keiichi, Ogawa, Manabu, Nishita, Nobuhiro, Yamanouchi, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah; Manish S.
• Application Number:
  US10/503,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20050081745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,786 Days
• Field of Search: 347/100, 347/95, 347/96, 347/101, 106/31.6, 106/31.27, 106/31.13, 523/160
• US Class Current: 347/100
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/30 Inkjet printing inks
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/32 characterised by colouring agents
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/40 Ink-sets specially adapted for multi-colour inkjet printing

Abstract

An ink composition comprising: at least one dye having an oxidation potential of more positive than 1.0 V dissolved or dispersed in an aqueous medium; and a surface active agent in an amount of from 0.05 to 50 g/l. The ink composition having the aforesaid constitution exhibits a high ejection stability and can provide an image having assured hue and an excellent weathering resistance and being free of defects in water resistance and image quality.

Claims

1. An ink composition comprising:

at least one dye having an oxidation potential of more positive than 1.0 V dissolved or dispersed in an aqueous medium; and

a surface active agent in an amount of from 0.05 to 50 g/l

wherein the surface active agent is a compound represented by the following general formula (I), (II) or (III);

2. The ink composition as described in claim 1, wherein the surface active agent is a nonionic surface active agent.

3. The ink composition as described in claim 1, wherein the surface active agent is a compound represented by the following general formula (I-1):

4. The ink composition as described claim 1, wherein the surface active agent is a compound represented by the following general formula (Il-1):

5. The ink composition as described claim 1, wherein the surface active agent is a compound represented by the following general formula (III-1):

6. The ink composition as described in claim 1, which additionally comprises a compound represented by the following general formula (IV):

R⁴¹O(R⁴²O)nH  

 

General formula (IV)

wherein R⁴¹ represents a C₁-C₄ alkyl group;

R₄₂ represents a C₂-C₃ alkyl group; and

n represents an integer of from 2 to 5.

7. The ink composition as described in claim 6, wherein the compound represented by the general formula (IV) is triethylene glycol monobutyl ether.

8. The ink composition as described in claim 1, wherein the dye remaining ratio (reflection density after storage/initial density×

100) measured after 24 hours of storage in 5 ppm ozone atmosphere is 60% or more at the site where printing has been made such that the reflection density is from 0.9 to 1.1 as measured through a status A filter.

9. The ink composition as described in claim 1, wherein, after a solid image printed with an ink containing a Cu phthalocyanine dye is stored for 24 hours in 5 ppm ozone atmosphere, the amount of Cu ions eluted in water from the solid image is 20% or less based on the total dye.

10. The ink composition as described in claim 1, wherein the dye is a phthalocyanine dye having an electron-withdrawing group in the β

-position on the benzene ring of phthalocyanine.

11. The ink composition as described in claim 1, wherein the dye is a phthalocyanine dye produced by a method which doesn'"'"'t proceed through a sulfonation of unsubstituted phthalocyanine.

12. The ink composition as described in claim 1, wherein the dye is a compound represented by the following general formula (C-I):

13. The ink composition as described in claim 12, wherein the dye represented by the general formula (C-I) is a compound represented by the following general formula (C-II):

14. The ink composition as described in claim 1, wherein the dye is an azo dye having a maximal absorption at from 500 nm to 580 nm in an aqueous medium.

15. The ink composition as described in claim 14, wherein the azo dye has a chromophore represented by (heterocyclic ring A)-N═

N-(heterocyclic ring B).

16. The ink composition as described in claim 14, wherein the azo dye has an aromatic nitrogen-containing 6-membered heterocyclic ring directly connected to at least one end of the azo group as a coupling component.

17. The ink composition as described in claim 14, wherein the azo dye has an aromatic cyclic amino group or heterocyclic amino group as an auxochrome.

18. The ink composition as described in claim 14, wherein the azo dye has a stereostructure.

19. The ink composition as described in claim 14, wherein the azo dye is a compound represented by the following general formula (M-I):

20. An ink jet recording method, which comprises using the ink composition as described in claim 1.

21. An ink jet recording method, which comprises ejecting an ink droplet onto an image-receiving material comprising an image-receiving layer containing a particulate white inorganic pigment provided on a support in accordance with recording signals to record an image on the image-receiving material, wherein the ink droplet comprises the ink composition as described in claim 1.