Low melt toners and processes thereof

• US 20060063086A1
• Filed: 09/23/2004
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sacripante, Guerino G., Chen, Allan K., Zwartz, Edward G., Nosella, Kimberly D., Farrugia, Valerie M., Patel, Raj D., Mayer, Fatima M., Ng, T. Hwee, Maric, Milan
• Granted Patent: US 7,402,371 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 430/109.400
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/0804 whereby the components are brought together in a liquid dispersing medium
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/0819 characterised by the dimensions of the particles
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/0821 characterised by physical parameters magnetic parameters G03G9/083
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/08755 Polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/08791 characterised by the presence of specified groups or side chains
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/08793 Crosslinked polymers
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/08795 characterised by their chemical properties, e.g. acidity, molecular weight, sensitivity to reactants
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/08797 characterised by their physical properties, e.g. viscosity, solubility, melting temperature, softening temperature, glass transition temperature

Abstract

A process for preparing toner particles and compositions adapted for use in preparing toners that comprise a blend of a first polyester resin with a second sharp melting polyester resin. The process includes forming an emulsion resin comprising a branched polyester resin, a crystalline polyester resin, a colorant, and optionally a wax. The resin mixture is aggregated using an aggregating agent, such as a zinc acetate solution, to form an aggregate mixture. The aggregate mixture is then coalesced at a temperature of from about 5 to about 20° C. above the T_g of the emulsion resin to produce the resultant toner particles.

Claims

1. A process for preparing a low-melt toner, the process comprising:

forming a pre-toner mixture comprising a first alkali sulfonated polyester resin, a second alkali sulfonated polyester resin and a colorant;

adding an aggregating agent to the pre-toner mixture and aggregating the mixture to form an aggregate mix comprising a plurality of aggregate toner particles;

coalescing the aggregate mix at a temperature of from about 5 to about 20°

C. above the glass transition temperature (T_g) of one of the first or second alkali sulfonated polyester resins to form a mixture of coalesced toner particles; and

cooling the mixture of coalesced toner particles.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the first alkali sulfonated polyester resin is a branched polyester resin and the second alkali sulfonated polyester is a crystalline polyester resin.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the first and second alkali sulfonated polyester resins each comprise an alkali metal independently selected from the group consisting of lithium, sodium, potassium, and combinations thereof.

4. The process according to claim 3, wherein the alkali metal is lithium.

5. The process according to claim 2, wherein the first and second polyester resin each comprises an alkali metal independently selected from the group consisting of lithium, sodium, potassium and combinations thereof.

6. The process according to claim 5, wherein the alkali metal is lithium.

7. The process according to claim 1 further comprising adjusting the pH of the pre-toner mixture to between about 4 and about 5.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein the pH of the pre-toner mixture is adjusted using an acid or a base.

9. The process according to claim 1, further comprising homogenizing the pre-toner mixture.

10. The process according to claim 1, further comprising adding a wax to the mixture of the polyester resin blend and the colorant.

11. The process according to claim 1, further comprising adjusting the pH of the aggregate mixture to between about 5 and about 7.

12. The process according to claim 11, wherein the pH of the aggregate mixture particles is adjusted by adding a base selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, and mixtures thereof to the mixture of coalesced toner particles.

13. The process according to claim 1, wherein the aggregating agent is an aqueous solution of a metal salt selected from the group consisting of zinc acetate, zinc dehydrate, zinc chloride, zinc bromide, magnesium acetate, magnesium bromide, aluminum chloride, poly-aluminum chloride, calcium chloride, calcium acetate, copper chloride, copper sulfate, and mixtures thereof.

14. A method for forming low melt polyester based toner, the method comprising:

forming an emulsion resin comprising an amorphous polyester resin component and a crystalline polyester resin component;

forming a pre-toner mixture by adding a colorant and optionally a wax to the emulsion resin;

homogenizing the pre-toner mixture;

aggregating the pre-toner mixture by adding an aggregating agent, thereby forming an aggregate mixture comprising a plurality of aggregate toner particles;

coalescing the aggregate mixture by heating the aggregate mixture to a temperature from about 5 to about 20°

C. above the glass transition temperature of the branched amorphous polyester resin component, thereby generating a mixture of coalesced toner particles; and

cooling the toner particles to room temperature.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein each of the branched polyester resin and the crystalline polyester resin are an alkali sulfonated polyester resin comprising an alkali metal independently selected from the group consisting of lithium, sodium, potassium, and combinations thereof.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the alkali metal is lithium.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein homogenization is maintained during the addition of the aggregating agent to the pre-toner mixture.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the aggregating agent comprises an aqueous solution of a metal salt selected from the group consisting of zinc acetate, zinc acetate dehydrate, zinc chloride, zinc bromide, magnesium acetate, magnesium bromide, aluminum chloride, poly-aluminum chloride, calcium chloride, calcium acetate, copper chloride, copper sulfate, and mixtures thereof.

19. The method according to claim 14, further comprising adjusting the particle size of the toner particles by adjusting the pH of the aggregate mixture to between about 5 to about 7.

20. The method according to claim 14, further comprising adjusting the pH of the pre-toner mixture to between about 4 to about 5 prior to homogenizing the pre-toner mixture.

21. A method for forming a low melt toner, the method comprising:

forming a pre-toner mixture comprising (i) an emulsion resin comprising a first alkali sulfonated polyester resin and a second alkali sulfonated polyester resin, (ii) a colorant, and (iii) optionally a wax;

adjusting the pH of the pre-toner mixture to between about 4 to about 5;

homogenizing the pre-toner mixture;

forming an aggregate mixture of aggregate toner particle by adding an aggregating agent over a period of about 10 to about 60 minutes;

adjusting the pH of the aggregate mixture of between about 5 and about 7;

heating the aggregate mixture to a temperature of from about 50 to about 80°

C. thereby forming a mixture coalesced toner particles;

Controlling toner particle size by adjusting the pH of the mixture of coalesced toner particles to between about 5 and about 7; and

cooling the mixture of coalesced toner particles to room temperature.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the aggregating agent comprises an aqueous solution of a metal salt selected from the group consisting of zinc acetate, zinc acetate dehydrate, zinc chloride, zinc bromide, magnesium-acetate, magnesium bromide, aluminum chloride, poly-aluminum chloride, calcium chloride, calcium acetate, copper chloride, copper sulfate, and mixtures thereof.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the first and second alkali sulfonated polyester resins each comprise an alkali metal independently selected from the group consisting of lithium, sodium, potassium and mixtures thereof.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the alkali metal is lithium.

25. The method according to claim 21, wherein homogenization of the pre-toner mixture continued during addition of the aggregation agent.

26. The method according to claim 21, wherein the first alkali sulfonated polyester resin is an amorphous alkali sulfonated polyester resin and the second alkali sulfonated polyester resin is a crystalline alkali sulfonated polyester resin.

27. The method according to claim 26 wherein the alkali is an alkali metal independently selected from the group consisting of lithium, sodium, potassium and combinations thereof.

28. The method according to 26, wherein the alkali is lithium.

29. A toner comprising a lithio-sulfonated branched amorphous polyester resin, a lithio-sulfonated crystalline polyester resin, a colorant and optionally a wax, wherein the ratio of the lithio-sulfonated branched amorphous polyester resin to the lithio-sulfonated crystalline polyester resin is from about 65/35 to about 80/20.

30. The toner according to claim 29, wherein the toner exhibits a minimum fixing temperature of from about 90 to about 120°

C.

31. The toner according to claim 29, wherein the toner comprises particles with a particle size of about 3 to about 12 microns.

32. The toner according to claim 29 with a gloss of from about 10 to about 90 gloss units.

33. The toner according to claim 29 with a fusing latitude of from about 15 to about 90°

C.

34. The toner according to claim 29, wherein the ratio of the lithio-sulfonated branched amorphous polyester resin to the lithio-sulfonated crystalline polyester resin is about 75/25.

35. The toner according to claim 29, wherein the toner comprises toner particles with a particles size of from about 5 to about 8.5 microns.

36. The toner according to claim 29, wherein the toner comprises toner particles with a particle size of about 6 microns.