Ink jet ink and ink set

• US 8,256,884 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2009
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Corteva, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wheeler, James Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Manish S
• Application Number:
  US12/416,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20100255201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 347/100, 347/95, 347/96, 347/101, 347/102, 106/31.6, 106/31.13, 106/31.27, 523/160, 523/161
• US Class Current: 347/100
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/38 characterised by non-macromolecular additives other than solvents, pigments or dyes
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/40 Ink-sets specially adapted for multi-colour inkjet printing

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an ink jet ink including a dye, a vehicle, and a surfactant combination having: (a) an acetylene alcohol having the generic structure:

• • wherein R and R₁ are C1-C10 linear or branched alkyl groups or hydrogen, and wherein only one hydrogen on either R or R₁ is replaced by a hydroxy group; and
  • (b) a siloxane surfactant having the generalized structure

• • wherein E is —CH₃ or —O—Si(CH₃)₃, provided that E is —CH₃ when x is greater than 0; EO is ethylene oxide, PO is propylene oxide, G=-CH₂—, or —CH₂—CH₂—CH₂—, x, y, and z are independently about 0 to about 40, and wherein the acetylene alcohol is present in the amount of at least about 0.3%, and the siloxane surfactant is present in the amount of at least about 0.03 to about 0.5 percent, based on the weight of the ink composition. The inks provide good color on a range of media and can be loaded into used inkjet pens without volume reduction.

Claims

1. An ink jet ink comprising a dye, an aqueous vehicle, and a surfactant combination comprising:

(a) an acetylene alcohol comprising at least one compound having the generic structure;

2. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein x, y, and z are independently about 0 to about 20.

3. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein x, y, and z are independently about 1 to about 10.

4. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein x, y, and z are independently about 3 to about 8.

5. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein the linear alkyl group is selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, and nonyl.

6. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein the branched alkyl group is selected from the group consisting of isopropyl, isobutyl, isopentyl, and other branched structures such that the total molecular weight does not exceed about 182.

7. The ink jet ink of claim 6 wherein the acetylene alcohol has a molecular weight of about 56 to about 182.

8. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein the acetylene alcohol has a molecular weight of about 84 to about 140.

9. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein the acetylene alcohol has the following structure:

10. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein the acetylene alcohol has the following structure:

11. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein the acetylene alcohol has the following structure:

12. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein the acetylene alcohol has the following structure:

13. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein the acetylene alcohol is selected from the group consisting of 3,4-diethyl-1-hexyn-3-ol, 3-nonyl-1-ol, 3,5,5-trimethyl-1-hexyn-3-ol, 3,4,4-trimethyl-1-hexyn-3-ol, 3,5-dimethyl-2-heptyn-4-ol, 4,6-dimethyl-2-heptyn-4-ol, 1-octyn-3-ol, 3-octyn-1-ol, 2-octyn-1-ol, 3-ethyl-1-hexyn-3-ol, 3,4-dimethyl-1-hexyn-3-ol, 3methyl-4-heptyn-3-ol, 2-methyl-3-hexyn-2-ol, 5-methyl-1-hexyn-3-ol,] 3 -methyl-1 -pentyn-3-ol, 2-methyl-3-pentyn-2-ol, 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol, 2-pentyn-1-ol, and 1-pentyn-3-ol.

14. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein the acetylene alcohol is present in the amount of at least about 0.3 to about 1.5%.

15. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein the siloxane surfactants is Ethanol, 2-[[1,3,3,3-tetramethyl-1-[(trimethylsilyl)oxy]disiloxanyl]methoxy]-ethanol and ethoxylated derivatives thereof with a molecular weight of about 500 having the structure:

16. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein the siloxane surfactants is [3-[1,3 ,3,3-tetramethyl-1-[(trimethylsilyl)oxy]-1disiloxanyl]propyl] ether and polyethers with propylene glycol to give a molecular weight of about 400 having the structure:

17. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein the siloxane surfactants is

18. The ink jet ink of claim 17 wherein the siloxane surfactant further comprises polyethers with ethylene glycol wherein x and the amount of ethylene glycol may be adjusted to give a molecular weight of about 1,700 to about 2,000.

19. The ink jet ink of claim 17 wherein the siloxane surfactant further comprises polyethers with propylene oxide and x adjusted to give a molecular weight of about 2,800.

20. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein the siloxane surfactant is present in the amount of at least about 0.05 to about 0.3 percent, based on the weight of the ink composition.

21. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein the vehicle comprises water or a mixture of water and at least one water-soluble organic solvent (co-solvent) or humectant.

22. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein the dye is selected from the group consisting of acid, direct, reactive and food dyes.

23. The ink jet ink of claim 1 further comprising a metal salt.

24. The ink jet ink of claim 1 wherein the dye is present in the amount of about 0.1 wt % to about 10 wt %.

25. An ink set wherein at least one ink in the ink set comprises a dye, an aqueous vehicle, and a surfactant combination comprising:

(a) an acetylene alcohol comprising at least one compound having the generic structure;