Anti-curling imaging recording material and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The present invention discloses an anti-curling image recording material and a preparation method thereof. The image recording material includes a support and an image recording layer provided on one side of the support. The image recording layer is obtained by drying a coating solution. Among them, based on the total mass of the coating solution, the coating solution includes: inorganic particles, and the content of the inorganic particles is 8-33 wt%; an aqueous binder, and the content of the aqueous binder is 1.5-7.5 wt%; a silane coupling agent, and the content of the silane coupling agent is 1-5 wt%; a crosslinking agent, and the content of the crosslinking agent is 0.01-0.1 wt%; an organic solvent, and the content of the organic solvent is 6-20 wt%; and deionized water, and the content of the deionized water is 54.49-83.49 wt%. Thus, the internal stress of coating shrinkage generated during the drying process can be significantly reduced, and the curling risk during the drying process can be effectively eliminated; the coating process of the curling control layer can also be omitted, while improving the anti-curling performance of the image recording material, the production cost can be significantly reduced, which is beneficial to the large-scale production of the image recording material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of imaging, and more particularly, to an anti-curling image recording material and a method for preparing the same. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous improvement of living standards, image recording has become an indispensable part of people's lives. Image recording faithfully records important moments in life, and each photo freezes beautiful moments into eternity. Photos are made by fixing and developing the image on an image recording material through specific technical processing methods.

[0003] Image recording materials include traditional silver salt light-sensitive recording materials, that is, a light-sensitive layer is coated on a support, and after exposure, photos are made through development, fixing and other processing methods. With the progress of technology, image recording materials also include inkjet recording materials, that is, an ink-absorbing functional layer (containing inkjet recording materials) is coated on a support to absorb and fix the ink ejected by an inkjet device. The surface layer of the inkjet recording material plays a role in ink absorption and ink fixation, adsorbing and fixing dyes on the coating surface to form an image, and then preparing a photo.

[0004] Currently, for the image recording layers of image recording materials, such as light-sensitive recording layers and ink-absorbing functional layers, water-based adhesives are usually used as film-forming materials, and are prepared into a water-based coating solution through processes such as dispersion, emulsification, and stirring with other functional raw materials. The coating solution is coated on a support by a coater and dried to form an image recording material. In order to improve the waterproof property of the image recording layer, a cross-linking agent is usually added to react with the water-based groups of the water-based adhesive. However, the inventor found that during the drying process, internal stress will be generated during the reaction between the adhesive and the cross-linking agent contained in the coating solution, resulting in shrinkage of the image recording layer during drying, and further causing the image recording material to curl towards the coating side. The curling of the image recording material will cause the following adverse effects: 1. After the coating solution is coated on the support and dried, it needs to be wound into a large-axis semi-finished product. Due to curling, it is easy to cause wrinkles during the winding process of the large-axis semi-finished product, thereby reducing the product quality; 2. The large-axis semi-finished product is made into a finished product through processes such as finishing, cutting, and packaging. During the cutting stage, the curling of the image recording material may cause uneven edges, affecting the quality of the finished product and further reducing the finished product rate; 3. After cutting, the finished product has curled edges. On the one hand, it will affect the normal paper feeding of photo preparation equipment (color enlarger or printer), may cause paper jamming problems, and reduce the printing efficiency. On the other hand, severe curling will also cause inaccurate reduction positions of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black in the image during printing, resulting in problems such as bleeding and color deviation, affecting the imaging effect of the finished product; 4. After the photo is prepared and curled, on the one hand, the curling will reduce the efficiency and finished product rate of album making, and on the other hand, it may also cause curling of the final album, resulting in serious photo quality problems.

[0005] In order to solve the curling problem of image recording materials, patent CN101641221B proposes a coated substrate for inkjet printing and a method for preparing a printing medium for inkjet printing. Among them, there is an ink receiving coating on the imaging surface, and on the opposite surface or back, the substrate may have two coatings, namely a curl control coating and a photo-sensitive coating for providing scratch resistance; the curl control coating is closest to the substrate, and the photo-sensitive coating is coated on the curl control coating. This solution can improve the anti-curling performance of image recording materials, but the setting of the curl control layer will increase more expenses in terms of materials, equipment, operators, etc., significantly increase the production cost, and in the coating process of the curl control layer, disadvantages will inevitably occur, which increases the difficulty of preparation and violates the original intention of improving production efficiency and reducing production costs.

[0006] Therefore, the current image recording materials and preparation methods thereof need to be further improved. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present invention aims to alleviate or solve at least one of the above-mentioned problems to at least some extent.

[0008] In one aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides an anti-curling image recording material, characterized in that it includes a support and an image recording layer arranged on one side of the support, and the image recording layer is obtained by drying a coating liquid, wherein, based on the total mass of the coating liquid, the coating liquid includes: inorganic particles, the content of the inorganic particles is 8-33wt%; aqueous adhesive, the content of the aqueous adhesive is 1.5-7.5wt%; silane coupling agent, the content of the silane coupling agent is 1-5wt%; crosslinking agent, the content of the crosslinking agent is 0.01-0.1wt%; organic solvent, the content of the organic solvent is 6-20wt%; and deionized water, the content of the deionized water is 54.49-83.49wt%. Thus, the alkoxy group at one end of the silane coupling agent reacts with the inorganic particles, while the organic functional group at the other end can replace part of the cross-linking agent to react with the adhesive, playing a bridging support role, thereby significantly reducing the internal stress of coating shrinkage generated during the drying process, and effectively eliminating the risk of curling during the drying process; it can also save the coating process of the curl control layer, while improving the anti-curling performance of the image recording layer, it can significantly reduce the production cost, and is conducive to the large-scale production of image recording materials; and the appropriate content of each component in the coating liquid is conducive to further improving the overall performance of the image recording material.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the silane coupling agent is at least one of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, N-n-butyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, N-n-butyl-3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-ureidopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-ureidopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-anilinopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(phenylamino)propyltriethoxysilane, 3-diethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane, N,N-dimethyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, phenyltrimethoxysilane, 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propyltriethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltris(2-methoxyethoxy)-silane, vinyltriisopropoxysilane.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the particle size of the inorganic particles is 0.1 - 5 microns.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the material of the inorganic particles includes at least one of zinc oxide, silver chloride, silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, silver iodide, calcium carbonate, silver bromide, kaolin, barium sulfate.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the aqueous binder includes at least one of a water-soluble polymer and an aqueous copolymer emulsion. Among them, the water-soluble polymer includes at least one of gelatin, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene oxide, polyvinylpyrrolidone, starch, cellulose, and the aqueous copolymer emulsion includes at least one of acrylic acid, acrylic acid derivatives, polyurethane, polyamide.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the crosslinking agent includes at least one of formaldehyde, glyoxal, boric acid, borax, polyisocyanate, aziridine, chrome alum, 1,3,5-triacryloyl-hexahydro-s-triazine, 2,3-dihydroxydioxane.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the organic solvent includes at least one of alcohols, ketones, esters, halogenated alkanes, and amides. Among them, the alcohols include at least one of methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, butanol, isobutanol, diacetone alcohol, and benzyl alcohol; the ketones include at least one of acetone, butanone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, methyl n-butyl ketone, N-methylpyrrolidone, cyclohexanone, and hexafluoroacetone; the esters include at least one of ethyl formate, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, butyl acetate, butyl glycolate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, isobutyl acetate, and trimethyl phosphate; the halogenated alkanes include at least one of dichloroethane, trichloroethane, and carbon tetrachloride; the amides include at least one of dimethylformamide, N,N-dimethylpropionamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, and N,N-dimethylformamide.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the support is one of base paper, coated paper, PET, TAC, PVC, PE, PC, and PNT; optionally, the thickness of the support is 50 μm - 400 μm.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the anti-curling image recording material is an inkjet recording material or a photosensitive recording material.

[0017] In another aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for preparing the anti-curling image recording material described above. The method includes: adding deionized water into a container, and sequentially adding inorganic particles, an aqueous solution of a water-based binder, a silane coupling agent, a crosslinking agent, and an organic solvent under stirring, with an addition time interval of 8 - 10 minutes for each material, and mixing evenly to obtain a coating solution, and controlling the temperature of the coating solution at 35 - 60°C; coating the coating solution on one surface of the support, and drying the coating solution to obtain the anti-curling image recording material; optionally, the temperature of the drying treatment is 40°C - 80°C, and the drying time is 5 - 10 minutes. Thus, the image recording material prepared by this method has all the characteristics and advantages of the image recording material described above, which will not be elaborated here. Generally speaking, the image recording material prepared by this method has excellent anti-curling performance, and moreover, a mature process method can be adopted to form the image recording material, which is beneficial to reducing the production cost of the image recording material. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and be readily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, where:

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of an anti-curling image recording material according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0020] Description of the reference numerals: 1 support; 2: image recording layer. Detailed implementation mode

[0021] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below. The examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below by referring to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to explain the present invention, but should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical terms used in the present invention have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs. The term "comprising" or "including" is an open expression, that is, it includes the content specified in the present invention, but does not exclude other aspects of the content.

[0022] In one aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides an anti-curling image recording material. Referring to Figure 1 , the anti-curling image recording material includes a support 1 and an image recording layer 2 provided on one side of the support 1. Among them, the image recording layer 2 is obtained by drying a coating liquid. The coating liquid includes inorganic particles, a water-based binder, a silane coupling agent, a crosslinking agent, an organic solvent, and deionized water. Among them, based on the total mass of the coating liquid, the content of the inorganic particles is 8-33 wt%, the content of the water-based binder is 1.5-7.5 wt%, the content of the silane coupling agent is 1-5 wt%, the content of the crosslinking agent is 0.01-0.1 wt%, the content of the organic solvent is 6-20 wt%, and the content of the deionized water is 54.49-83.49 wt%. The addition of the silane coupling agent can effectively reduce the internal stress during the drying process, thereby improving the anti-curling performance of the image recording material; the components in the above coating liquid have appropriate contents, which is beneficial to further improving the overall performance of the image recording material.

[0023] The principle of how the present invention can improve the anti-curling performance of the image recording material will be described in detail below:

[0024] In the existing coating solution, the crosslinking agent reacts with the binder. Since one crosslinking agent molecule reacts with multiple sites of the binder molecules, a three-dimensional structure will be formed. During the process of the coating solution drying and losing water, the three-dimensional structure formed by the crosslinking reaction will undergo obvious shrinkage, resulting in stress in the coating formed by the coating solution, and ultimately leading to the overall shrinkage of the coating, causing the image recording material to curl and affecting the flatness of the image recording material. The inventor found that after adding a silane coupling agent to the image recording layer, one end of the silane coupling agent has an organic functional group. In the coating solution system, the organic functional group can crosslink with active groups such as hydroxyl groups, carboxyl groups, and amino groups on the binder molecules, that is, the silane coupling agent can play a role in partially replacing the crosslinking agent. Since the silane coupling agent molecule is larger than the crosslinking agent molecule, the three-dimensional structure formed by the reaction of the silane coupling agent with the binder will be more elastic than the three-dimensional structure formed by the reaction of the crosslinking agent with the binder. As a result, the shrinkage force generated inside the coating during drying of the coating solution will be significantly reduced, and the image recording material obtained after drying the coating solution is not easily curled and has good overall flatness. In addition, the alkoxy group at the other end of the silane coupling agent can combine with inorganic particles, playing a certain role in fixing and bridging and supporting the silane coupling agent molecule itself and the binder molecule. Moreover, due to the large particle size and large steric hindrance of the inorganic particles, one end of the silane coupling agent is connected to the binder molecule and the other end is connected to the inorganic particles, and the inorganic particles can be used to fix the binder molecules, which is beneficial to reducing the stress generated during the shrinkage of the three-dimensional structure, and further beneficial to the overall flatness of the image recording material.

[0025] In the present invention, the partial replacement of the crosslinking agent is achieved by using a silane coupling agent. On the one hand, taking advantage of the characteristic that the silane coupling agent molecule has a longer chain length than the crosslinking agent molecule, a more elastic three-dimensional structure is generated, which can reduce the internal stress during the drying of the coating solution of the coating and significantly reduce the curling risk of the image recording material; on the other hand, one end of the silane coupling agent is connected to the binder molecule and the other end is connected to the inorganic particles, and the inorganic particles can be used to fix the binder molecules, further reducing the curling risk of the image recording material; on the other hand, only an image recording layer needs to be provided on one side of the support, the processing process of the curling control layer can be omitted, saving the costs of materials, equipment, personnel, etc. required for the preparation process of the curling control layer, avoiding the drawbacks generated during the coating process of the curling control layer, improving the production efficiency, and reducing the manufacturing cost.

[0026] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the silane coupling agent may be at least one of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, N-n-butyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, N-n-butyl-3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-ureidopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-ureidopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-anilinopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(phenylamino)propyltriethoxysilane, 3-diethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane, N,N-dimethyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, phenyltrimethoxysilane, 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propyltriethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltris(2-methoxyethoxy)-silane, vinyltriisopropoxysilane. Adding one or a combination of the above silane coupling agents to the coating solution is beneficial to improving the anti-curling performance of the imaging recording material.

[0027] Furthermore, based on the total mass of the coating solution, the content of the silane coupling agent may be 1-5 wt%, specifically, it may be 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt%, 4 wt%, 5 wt%, etc., the content of the aqueous binder is 1.5-7.5 wt%, for example, it may be 1.5 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt%, 5 wt%, 6 wt%, 7 wt%, 7.5 wt%, etc., and the content of the crosslinking agent is 0.01-0.1 wt%, for example, it may be 0.01 wt%, 0.02 wt%, 0.03 wt%, 0.05 wt%, 0.08 wt%, 0.1 wt%, etc. Thus, the overall performance of the imaging recording material can be further improved. Specifically: within the above dosage range, the dosage of the crosslinking agent is reduced (in the current prior art, the dosage of the crosslinking agent is greater than 0.1 wt%, and the dosage is about 3 wt%-5 wt%). The addition of the silane coupling agent can replace the function of the crosslinking agent, react with the aqueous binder at one end, play a good bridging and supporting role, significantly reduce the internal stress of coating shrinkage generated during the reaction of the binder and the crosslinking agent, eliminate the curling hidden danger during the drying process, and moreover, the dosage of the silane coupling agent is not large, so it will not increase the cost of the imaging recording material.

[0028] According to embodiments of the present invention, the material of the inorganic particles may include at least one of zinc oxide, silver chloride, silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, silver iodide, calcium carbonate, silver bromide, kaolin, barium sulfate, etc. Thus, it is beneficial to improve the performance of the imaging recording material. According to some specific embodiments of the present invention, the material of the inorganic particles may include at least one of silver chloride, silver bromide, silicon dioxide, and aluminum oxide. Among them, silver chloride and silver bromide have good photosensitive properties, while silicon dioxide and aluminum oxide are white, shiny, and have excellent ink absorption properties. Selecting the above inorganic particles can further improve the overall performance of the imaging recording material.

[0029] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the particle size of the inorganic particles may be 0.1 - 5 microns. Specifically, it may be 0.1 micron, 0.2 micron, 0.5 micron, 0.8 micron, 1 micron, 2 micron, 3 microns, 5 microns, etc. Thus, it is beneficial to further improve the overall performance of the imaging recording material. The inventors found that if the particle size of the inorganic particles is too large, for example, greater than 5 microns, it is easy to cause the photo quality of the prepared imaging recording material to be rough. When the image is a portrait, the face of the portrait will not be delicate enough, and the user experience effect is poor; if the particle size of the inorganic particles is too small, for example, less than 0.1 micron, it is easy to cause problems such as poor photosensitivity or insufficient ink absorption, thereby deteriorating the performance of the imaging recording material.

[0030] According to embodiments of the present invention, based on the total mass of the coating solution, the content of the inorganic particles in the coating solution may be 8 - 33 wt%, specifically, it may be 8 wt%, 10 wt%, 12 wt%, 15 wt%, 18 wt%, 20 wt%, 23 wt%, 25 wt%, 27 wt%, 29 wt%, 31 wt%, 33 wt%. Thus, it is beneficial to further improve the overall performance of the imaging recording material. The inventors found that if the content of the inorganic particles in the coating solution is less than 8 wt%, it is easy to cause the deterioration of the performance of the imaging recording material; if the content of the inorganic particles exceeds 33 wt%, the imaging recording layer is prone to cracking problems and even powder shedding problems.

[0031] According to embodiments of the present invention, the water-based binder may include at least one of a water-soluble polymer and a water-based copolymer emulsion. Among them, the water-soluble polymer includes at least one of gelatin, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene oxide, polyvinylpyrrolidone, starch, cellulose, etc., and the water-based copolymer emulsion includes at least one of acrylic acid, acrylic acid derivatives, polyurethane, polyamide, etc. The above water-based binder can improve the overall performance of the imaging recording material.

[0032] According to some specific embodiments of the present invention, the aqueous binder can be polyvinyl alcohol. Among them, the degree of polymerization of polyvinyl alcohol is 1700 - 4000, and the degree of hydrolysis is 60% - 99%. Thus, it is beneficial to further improve the overall performance of the image recording material. The inventor found that if the degree of polymerization of polyvinyl alcohol is lower than 1700, the ability of polyvinyl alcohol to bond inorganic particles is relatively poor, which easily leads to cracks in the image recording layer; if the degree of polymerization of polyvinyl alcohol is higher than 4000, it will increase the production cost and is also technically difficult to achieve. In addition, the inventor found that if the degree of hydrolysis of polyvinyl alcohol is lower than 60%, the image recording layer formed after drying is relatively soft and prone to scratching problems; if the degree of hydrolysis of polyvinyl alcohol is higher than 99%, it will significantly increase the production cost and is also difficult to achieve in the prior art.

[0033] According to some other specific embodiments of the present invention, the aqueous binder can be gelatin. Specifically, inert gelatin, active gelatin, modified gelatin, etc. can be used. Thus, the above-mentioned binder has good adhesion performance and can be well combined with inorganic particles. It should be noted that the modified gelatin can be obtained by modifying inert gelatin or active gelatin. The specific modification method is not particularly limited in the present invention, and those skilled in the art can select according to actual needs.

[0034] According to the embodiments of the present invention, the crosslinking agent can include at least one of formaldehyde, glyoxal, boric acid, borax, polyisocyanate, aziridine, chrome alum, 1,3,5 - triacryloyl - hexahydro - s - triazine, 2,3 - dihydroxydioxane, etc. Thus, it is beneficial to further improve the performance of the image recording material.

[0035] In the present invention, the coating liquid includes an organic solvent. During the evaporation process, the organic solvent helps to form micropores, thereby improving the performance of the imaging recording material, such as the development effect of developing processing, the fixing penetration performance, or the ink absorption property. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the organic solvent in the coating liquid may include at least one of organic solvents such as alcohols, ketones, esters, halogenated alkanes, amides, etc. Among them, the alcohols may include at least one of methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, butanol, isobutanol, diacetone alcohol, benzyl alcohol, etc.; the ketones may include at least one of acetone, butanone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, methyl n-butyl ketone, N-methylpyrrolidone, cyclohexanone, hexafluoroacetone, etc.; the esters may include at least one of ethyl formate, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, butyl acetate, butyl glycolate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, isobutyl acetate, trimethyl phosphate, etc.; the halogenated alkanes may include at least one of dichloroethane, trichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride, etc.; the amides may include at least one of dimethylformamide, N,N-dimethylpropionamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, N,N-dimethylformamide, etc. Using the above organic solvents is beneficial to improving the performance of the imaging recording material. According to some specific embodiments of the present invention, the organic solvent may include at least one of methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, and N,N-dimethylformamide. Thus, it is beneficial to further improve the performance of the imaging recording material.

[0036] According to an embodiment of the present invention, based on the total mass of the coating liquid, the content of the organic solvent may be 6-20 wt%, specifically, it may be 6 wt%, 8 wt%, 10 wt%, 12 wt%, 15 wt%, 18 wt%, 20 wt%, etc. Thus, the organic solvent can improve the compatibility between the components in the coating liquid, thereby being beneficial to further improving the performance of the imaging recording material. The inventors found that if the content of the organic solvent is less than 6%, phase separation is likely to occur, and if the content of the organic solvent is higher than 20%, problems of coating wetting will be brought, which is not conducive to the improvement of the performance of the imaging recording material.

[0037] Those skilled in the art should understand that during the production process, in addition to the components in the coating liquid mentioned above, appropriate leveling agents, defoaming agents, slip agents and other necessary additives can be selectively added to further improve the performance of the product.

[0038] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the support may be one of base paper, coated paper base, PET (polyethylene terephthalate), TAC (triacetate cellulose), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PE (polyethylene), PC (polycarbonate), PNT (p-nitrotoluene). Thus, the above materials have a wide source, which is beneficial to reducing the production cost and ensuring the excellent performance of the imaging recording material.

[0039] According to some specific embodiments of the present invention, the support can be a coated paper base. According to some other specific embodiments of the present invention, the thickness of the support can be 50 μm - 400 μm. Specifically, it can be 50 μm, 100 μm, 150 μm, 200 μm, 250 μm, 300 μm, 350 μm, 400 μm, etc. Thus, the overall performance of the image recording material can be further improved. The inventors found that if the thickness of the support is less than 50 μm, fragment breakage problems are likely to occur during the production process; if the thickness of the support is greater than 400 μm, the image recording material prepared using the support with this thickness is too thick, which is likely to cause problems such as poor passing through the machine or even paper jams during the photo preparation process.

[0040] According to some embodiments of the present invention, before coating the coating liquid on the support, the surface of the support can also be pretreated. For example, the surface of the support can be pretreated by corona treatment, plasma treatment, etc., which can further improve the surface performance of the support, facilitate the coating of the coating liquid thereon, and thus contribute to improving the performance of the image recording material.

[0041] According to the embodiments of the present invention, the anti - curling image recording material can be an ink - jet recording material or a photosensitive recording material. The anti - curling image recording material of the present invention has excellent performance and can be used as an ink - jet recording material or a photosensitive recording material. Specifically, when the inorganic particles are materials such as silica and alumina with good ink absorption performance, the anti - curling image recording material of the present application can be used as an ink - jet recording material; when the inorganic particles are materials such as silver chloride and silver bromide with good photosensitive performance, the anti - curling image recording material of the present application can be used as a photosensitive recording material.

[0042] On the other hand of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for preparing the anti - curling image recording material described above. The method includes:

[0043] S100: Add deionized water into a container, and sequentially add inorganic particles, an aqueous solution of a water - based binder, a silane coupling agent, a cross - linker, and an organic solvent under stirring, and mix evenly to obtain a coating liquid.

[0044] In this step, first add deionized water into the container, and sequentially add inorganic particles, an aqueous solution of a water - based binder, a silane coupling agent, a cross - linker, and an organic solvent under stirring. Among them, the addition time of each material can be spaced 8 - 10 minutes, and after mixing evenly, a coating liquid can be obtained.

[0045] According to an embodiment of the present invention, during stirring, the temperature of the mixture can be controlled at 35 - 60 °C. For example, the temperature can be controlled at 35 °C, 40 °C, 45 °C, 50 °C, 55 °C, 60 °C, etc. Thus, the sufficient reaction between the components in the mixture can be promoted. Moreover, the temperature of the obtained coating solution can also be controlled at 35 - 60 °C. Thus, the coating solution has an appropriate viscosity, which is conducive to the uniform coating of the coating solution on the support. Among them, in this application, the rotation speed and time of stirring are not particularly limited, and those skilled in the art can select and set according to actual needs as long as the above components can be mixed evenly. In addition, ultrasonic treatment methods and other methods can also be combined to process the mixed materials to make the mixed materials more uniform.

[0046] S200: Coat the coating solution on one surface of the support, and perform a drying treatment on the coating solution to obtain an anti-curling image recording material.

[0047] In this step, the previously obtained coating solution is coated on one surface of the support, and after performing a drying treatment on the coating solution, an anti-curling image recording material is obtained. In addition, the characteristics of the support such as the material and thickness have been described in detail above and will not be elaborated here.

[0048] Regarding the specific components of the coating solution, they have been described in detail above and will not be elaborated here.

[0049] In the present invention, the specific coating method is not particularly limited, and those skilled in the art can select any coating method known in the technical field to which the present invention belongs according to needs, such as screen printing, knife coating, roll coating, microgravure coating, slope flow extrusion coating, dip coating, spraying, curtain coating, etc., or a combination of the above methods.

[0050] According to some embodiments of the present invention, after coating the coating solution on one surface of the support, a drying treatment is performed on the coating solution. Among them, the temperature of the drying treatment can be 40 °C - 80 °C, specifically 40 °C, 50 °C, 60 °C, 70 °C, 80 °C, etc., and the drying time can be 5 - 10 min, specifically 5 min, 6 min, 7 min, 8 min, 9 min, 10 min, etc. According to some embodiments of the present invention, segmented drying can be used to perform a drying treatment on the coating solution on the surface of the support, such as drying for 1 minute at 40 °C, 50 °C, 60 °C, 70 °C, 80 °C respectively. Drying the coating solution under the above drying conditions is beneficial to further improving the overall performance of the image recording material.

[0051] The present invention will be described below through specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can understand that the following specific embodiments are only for the purpose of illustration and do not limit the scope of the present invention in any way. In addition, in the following embodiments, unless otherwise specified, the reagents and equipment used are commercially available. If the specific processing conditions and methods are not clearly described in the following embodiments, the conditions and methods known in the art can be used for processing.

[0052] Example 1

[0053] 40.99 g of deionized water was added to a container. Under high-speed stirring (10,000 rpm), 33 g of silica with a particle size of 5 μm, 15 g of a 10% aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA, polymerization degree of 4,000, hydrolysis degree of 88%), 5 g of N-butyl-3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, 0.01 g of boric acid, and 6 g of methanol were sequentially added. The addition time interval for each material was 10 minutes. After all the materials were added to the container, dispersion was continued for 1 hour, and ultrasonic defoaming was carried out for 30 minutes to prepare an ink-absorbing layer coating solution. The temperature of the coating solution was controlled at 35 °C.

[0054] The above ink-absorbing layer coating solution was coated on a 200-μm-thick plastic-coated paper base (support) using an RDS coating rod and dried at 80 °C for 6 - 7 minutes to obtain an image recording material with an image recording layer (ink-absorbing coating) thickness of 20 μm. This image recording material is an inkjet recording material.

[0055] It should be noted that in the aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol, the solute is polyvinyl alcohol and the solvent is deionized water. Therefore, 1.5 g of polyvinyl alcohol and 13.5 g of deionized water are contained in 15 g of a 10% aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol. The total mass of deionized water in this coating solution is 54.49 g.

[0056] Example 2

[0057] 55.9 g of deionized water was added to a container. Under high-speed stirring (10,000 rpm), 8 g of alumina with a particle size of 0.15 μm, 15 g of a 10% aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA, polymerization degree of 1,700, hydrolysis degree of 60%), 1 g of 3-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane, 0.1 g of boric acid, and 20 g of N,N-dimethylformamide were sequentially added. The addition time interval for each material was 10 minutes. After all the materials were added to the container, dispersion was continued for 1 hour, and ultrasonic defoaming was carried out for 30 minutes to prepare an ink-absorbing layer coating solution. The temperature of the coating solution was controlled at 40 °C.

[0058] Using an RDS coating rod, coat the above ink-absorbing layer coating solution on a 200-micron-thick PET (support), and dry it at 80 °C for 6 - 7 minutes to obtain an image recording material with an image recording layer (ink-absorbing coating) thickness of 30 microns. This image recording material is an inkjet recording material.

[0059] It should be noted that in the aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol, the solute is polyvinyl alcohol and the solvent is deionized water. Therefore, in 15 grams of 10% aqueous polyvinyl alcohol solution, there is 1.5 grams of polyvinyl alcohol and 13.5 grams of deionized water. The total mass of deionized water in this coating solution is 69.4 grams.

[0060] Example 3

[0061] Add 69.9 grams of deionized water to a container. Under high-speed stirring (10000 rpm), sequentially add 15 grams of calcium carbonate with a particle size of 1 micron, 6 grams of 50% aqueous gelatin solution, 3 grams of N,N-dimethyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 0.1 gram of aziridine, and 6 grams of isopropanol. The addition time interval for each material is 10 minutes. After adding all the materials to the container, continue to disperse for 1 hour and perform ultrasonic defoaming for 30 minutes to prepare an ink-absorbing layer coating solution, and control the temperature of the coating solution at 40 °C.

[0062] Using an RDS coating rod, coat the above ink-absorbing layer coating solution on a 200-micron-thick base paper substrate (support), and dry it at 80 °C for 6 - 7 minutes to obtain an image recording material with an image recording layer (ink-absorbing coating) thickness of 40 microns. This image recording material is an inkjet recording material.

[0063] It should be noted that in the aqueous gelatin solution, the solute is gelatin and the solvent is deionized water. Therefore, in 6 grams of 50% aqueous gelatin solution, there is 3 grams of gelatin and 3 grams of deionized water. The total mass of deionized water in this coating solution is 72.9 grams.

[0064] Example 4

[0065] Under light-shielded conditions, add 69.99 grams of deionized water to a container. Under high-speed stirring (10000 rpm), sequentially add 8 grams of silver bromide with a particle size of 0.1 micron, 15 grams of 10% aqueous gelatin solution, 1 gram of phenyltrimethoxysilane, 0.01 gram of chrome alum, and 6 grams of isopropanol. The addition time interval for each material is 10 minutes. After adding all the materials to the container, continue to disperse for 1 hour and perform ultrasonic defoaming for 30 minutes to prepare a photosensitive layer coating solution, and control the temperature of the coating solution at 45 °C.

[0066] Using an RDS coating rod, coat the above photosensitive layer coating solution on a 200-micron-thick plastic-coated paper base (support), and dry it at 40 °C for 6 - 7 minutes to obtain an image recording material with an image recording layer (photosensitive coating) thickness of 10 microns. This image recording material is a photosensitive recording material.

[0067] It should be noted that in the gelatin aqueous solution, the solute is gelatin and the solvent is deionized water. Therefore, in 15 grams of a 10% gelatin aqueous solution, there is 1.5 grams of gelatin and 13.5 grams of deionized water. The total mass of deionized water in this coating solution is 83.49 grams.

[0068] Example 5

[0069] Add 64.9 grams of deionized water to a container. Under high-speed stirring (10000 rpm), sequentially add 15 grams of calcium carbonate with a particle size of 1 micron, 10 grams of a 50% gelatin aqueous solution, 4 grams of N,N-dimethyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 0.5 gram of aziridine, and 6 grams of isopropanol. The addition time interval for each material is 8 minutes. After adding all the materials to the container, continue to disperse for 1 hour and defoam by ultrasonic wave for 30 minutes to prepare an ink absorption layer coating solution, and control the temperature of the coating solution at 50 °C.

[0070] Using an RDS coating rod, coat the above ink absorption layer coating solution on a 200-micron-thick base paper (support), and dry it at 80 °C for 6 - 7 minutes to obtain an image recording material with an image recording layer (ink absorption coating) thickness of 40 microns. This image recording material is an inkjet recording material.

[0071] It should be noted that in the gelatin aqueous solution, the solute is gelatin and the solvent is deionized water. Therefore, in 10 grams of a 50% gelatin aqueous solution, there is 5 grams of gelatin and 5 grams of deionized water. The total mass of deionized water in this coating solution is 69.9 grams.

[0072] Example 6

[0073] Add 58.9 grams of deionized water to a container. Under high-speed stirring (10000 rpm), sequentially add 15 grams of calcium carbonate with a particle size of 1 micron, 15 grams of a 50% gelatin aqueous solution, 5 grams of N,N-dimethyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 0.1 gram of aziridine, and 6 grams of isopropanol. The addition time interval for each material is 10 minutes. After adding all the materials to the container, continue to disperse for 1 hour and defoam by ultrasonic wave for 30 minutes to prepare an ink absorption layer coating solution, and control the temperature of the coating solution at 55 °C.

[0074] Using an RDS coating rod, coat the above ink absorption layer coating solution on a 200-micron-thick base paper (support), and dry it at 80 °C for 6 - 7 minutes to obtain an image recording material with an image recording layer (ink absorption coating) thickness of 40 microns. This image recording material is an inkjet recording material.

[0075] It should be noted that in the gelatin aqueous solution, the solute is gelatin and the solvent is deionized water. Therefore, in 15 grams of 50% gelatin aqueous solution, there are 7.5 grams of gelatin and 7.5 grams of deionized water, and the total mass of deionized water in this coating solution is 66.4 grams.

[0076] Example 7

[0077] Add 65.95 grams of deionized water into a container, and sequentially add 15 grams of calcium carbonate with a particle size of 1 micron, 9 grams of 50% gelatin aqueous solution, 4 grams of N,N-dimethyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 0.05 grams of aziridine, and 6 grams of isopropanol under high-speed stirring (10000 rpm). The addition time interval for each material is 10 minutes. After adding all the materials into the container, continue to disperse for 1 hour and defoam by ultrasonic for 30 minutes to prepare an ink-absorbing layer coating solution, and the temperature of the coating solution is controlled at 60°C.

[0078] Coat the above ink-absorbing layer coating solution on a 200-micron-thick base paper (support) with an RDS coating rod, and dry it at 80°C for 6 - 7 minutes to obtain an image recording material with an image recording layer (ink-absorbing coating) thickness of 40 microns. This image recording material is an inkjet recording material.

[0079] It should be noted that in the gelatin aqueous solution, the solute is gelatin and the solvent is deionized water. Therefore, in 9 grams of 50% gelatin aqueous solution, there are 4.5 grams of gelatin and 4.5 grams of deionized water, and the total mass of deionized water in this coating solution is 70.45 grams.

[0080] Comparative Example 1

[0081] Add 45.99 grams of deionized water into a container, and sequentially add 33 grams of silicon dioxide with a particle size of 5 microns, 15 grams of 10% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA, polymerization degree of 4000, hydrolysis degree of 88%) aqueous solution, 0.01 grams of boric acid, and 6 grams of methanol under high-speed stirring (10000 rpm). The addition time interval for each material is 10 minutes. After adding all the materials into the container, continue to disperse for 1 hour and defoam by ultrasonic for 30 minutes to prepare an ink-absorbing layer coating solution, and the temperature of the coating solution is controlled at 35°C.

[0082] Coat the above ink-absorbing layer coating solution on a 200-micron-thick plastic-coated paper base (support) with an RDS coating rod, and dry it at 80°C for 6 - 7 minutes to obtain an image recording material with an image recording layer (ink-absorbing coating) thickness of 20 microns. This image recording material is an inkjet recording material.

[0083] It should be noted that in the polyvinyl alcohol aqueous solution, the solute is polyvinyl alcohol and the solvent is deionized water. Therefore, in 15 grams of 10% polyvinyl alcohol aqueous solution, there are 1.5 grams of polyvinyl alcohol and 13.5 grams of deionized water. The total mass of deionized water in this coating solution is 59.49 grams.

[0084] Comparative Example 2

[0085] Add 69.8 grams of deionized water into a container. While stirring at high speed (10000 rpm), sequentially add 15 grams of calcium carbonate with a particle size of 1 micron, 6 grams of 50% gelatin aqueous solution, 3 grams of N,N-dimethyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 0.2 grams of aziridine, and 6 grams of isopropanol. The addition time interval for each material is 10 minutes. After adding all the materials into the container, continue to disperse for 1 hour and defoam by ultrasonic for 30 minutes to prepare an ink-absorbing layer coating solution, and control the temperature of the coating solution at 40°C.

[0086] Coat the above ink-absorbing layer coating solution on a 200-micron-thick base paper substrate (support) with an RDS coating rod, and dry it at 80°C for 6 - 7 minutes to obtain an image recording material with an image recording layer (ink-absorbing coating) thickness of 40 microns. This image recording material is an inkjet recording material.

[0087] It should be noted that in the gelatin aqueous solution, the solute is gelatin and the solvent is deionized water. Therefore, in 6 grams of 50% gelatin aqueous solution, there are 3 grams of gelatin and 3 grams of deionized water. The total mass of deionized water in this coating solution is 72.8 grams.

[0088] Comparative Example 3

[0089] Add 56.4 grams of deionized water into a container. While stirring at high speed (10000 rpm), sequentially add 8 grams of alumina with a particle size of 0.15 micron, 15 grams of 10% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA, polymerization degree of 1700, hydrolysis degree of 60%) aqueous solution, 0.5 grams of 3-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane, 0.1 grams of boric acid, and 20 grams of NN-dimethylformamide. The addition time interval for each material is 10 minutes. After adding all the materials into the container, continue to disperse for 1 hour and defoam by ultrasonic for 30 minutes to prepare an ink-absorbing layer coating solution, and control the temperature of the coating solution at 40°C.

[0090] Coat the above ink-absorbing layer coating solution on a 200-micron-thick PET (support) with an RDS coating rod, and dry it at 80°C for 6 - 7 minutes to obtain an image recording material with an image recording layer (ink-absorbing coating) thickness of 30 microns. This image recording material is an inkjet recording material.

[0091] It should be noted that in the polyvinyl alcohol aqueous solution, the solute is polyvinyl alcohol and the solvent is deionized water. Therefore, in 15 grams of 10% polyvinyl alcohol aqueous solution, there are 1.5 grams of polyvinyl alcohol and 13.5 grams of deionized water. The total mass of deionized water in this coating solution is 69.9 grams.

[0092] The imaging recording materials of the above-mentioned examples and comparative examples were tested, and the test methods are as follows:

[0093] Curl: Cut the above imaging recording materials into A4 size, randomly select 5 sheets from the loose sheets of the imaging recording materials, place them with the coated surface (the side of the imaging recording layer) facing up on a flat test bench, and use a steel ruler to vertically measure the highest point of the warping. The arithmetic mean of the highest points of warping measured by 5 sheets of printing paper is used as the positive bend curl value of the corresponding sample. Test with the coated surface (the side of the imaging recording layer) facing down, and use the maximum value of warping measured by 5 sheets of printing paper as the back bend curl value of the corresponding sample. It should be noted that for high-quality products, both the positive bend curl value and the back bend curl value should be less than 3.5 mm.

[0094] Number of paper jams during printing: Use an Epson L801 inkjet printer to test the number of paper jams. Frequently press the paper feed key of the printer to pass 100 pages of the imaging recording material in each example, and record the number of paper jams.

[0095] The test results are as follows:

[0096] Table 1 Test results of sample curl and paper jams during printing

[0097]

[0098]

[0099] As proven by the data in Table 1, for the imaging recording material provided by the present invention, a coating solution is coated on a support and the imaging recording material is obtained after drying. Among them, after adding a silane coupling agent, the curl values (including the positive curl value and the back curl value) of the imaging recording material are significantly lower than those of the imaging recording material in the comparative example, indicating that after adding the silane coupling agent to the coating solution, the anti-curl performance of the imaging recording material is significantly enhanced, effectively eliminating the internal stress during the drying of the coating solution (forming an imaging recording layer after drying). Moreover, the coating process of the curl control coating is saved, the process flow is simplified, the cost is reduced, and the yield is improved. In Comparative Example 1, since no silane coupling agent was added to the coating solution, the curl value of the imaging recording material obtained after drying the coating solution was relatively high, the anti-curl performance was poor, and paper jamming during feeding was serious, not meeting the usage requirements; compared with Example 3, in Comparative Example 2, too much cross-linking agent was added, resulting in poor anti-curl performance of the imaging recording material in Comparative Example 2 and serious paper jamming during feeding; compared with Example 2, in Comparative Example 3, the addition amount of the silane coupling agent was too small to significantly improve the anti-curl performance of the imaging recording material, and paper jamming during feeding was serious, not meeting the usage requirements.

[0100] In the description of this specification, the descriptions referring to terms such as "one embodiment", "another embodiment", "some embodiments", "other embodiments", "some specific embodiments", etc. mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0101] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it can be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An anti-curling imaging recording material, characterized in that, It includes a support and an image recording layer provided on one side of the support, and the image recording layer is obtained by drying a coating solution. Among them, based on the total mass of the coating solution, the coating solution includes: Inorganic particles, and the content of the inorganic particles is 8-33 wt%; An aqueous binder, and the content of the aqueous binder is 1.5-7.5 wt%; A silane coupling agent, and the content of the silane coupling agent is 1-5 wt%; A crosslinking agent, and the content of the crosslinking agent is 0.01-0.1 wt%; An organic solvent, and the content of the organic solvent is 6-20 wt%; and Deionized water, and the content of the deionized water is 54.49-83.49 wt%.

2. The anti-curling imaging recording material according to claim 1, characterized in that, The silane coupling agent is at least one of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, N-n-butyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, N-n-butyl-3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-ureidopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-ureidopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-anilinopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(phenylamino)propyltriethoxysilane, 3-diethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane, N,N-dimethyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, phenyltrimethoxysilane, 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propyltriethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltris(2-methoxyethoxy)-silane, vinyltriisopropoxysilane.

3. The anti-curling imaging recording material according to claim 1, characterized in that, The particle size of the inorganic particles is 0.1-5 microns.

4. The anti-curling imaging recording material according to claim 1, wherein The material of the inorganic particles includes at least one of zinc oxide, silver chloride, silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, silver iodide, calcium carbonate, silver bromide, kaolin, barium sulfate.

5. The anti-curling imaging recording material according to claim 1, wherein, The aqueous binder includes at least one of a water-soluble polymer and an aqueous copolymer emulsion. Among them, the water-soluble polymer includes at least one of gelatin, polyvinyl alcohol, poly(ethylene oxide), polyvinylpyrrolidone, starch, cellulose. The aqueous copolymer emulsion includes at least one of acrylic acid, acrylic acid derivatives, polyurethane, polyamide.

6. The anti-curling imaging recording material according to claim 1, characterized in that, The crosslinking agent includes at least one of formaldehyde, glyoxal, boric acid, borax, polyisocyanate, aziridine, chrome alum, 1,3,5-triacryloyl-hexahydro-s-triazine, 2,3-dihydroxydioxane.

7. The anti-curling imaging recording material according to claim 1, characterized in that, The organic solvent includes at least one of alcohols, ketones, esters, halogenated alkanes, amides. Among them, the alcohols include at least one of methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, butanol, isobutanol, diacetone alcohol, and benzyl alcohol; the ketones include at least one of acetone, butanone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, methyl n-butyl ketone, N-methylpyrrolidone, cyclohexanone, and hexafluoroacetone; the esters include at least one of ethyl formate, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, butyl acetate, butyl glycolate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, isobutyl acetate, and trimethyl phosphate; the halogenated alkanes include at least one of dichloroethane, trichloroethane, and carbon tetrachloride; the amides include at least one of dimethylformamide, N,N-dimethylpropanamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, and N,N-dimethylformamide.

8. The anti-curling imaging recording material according to claim 1, wherein The support is one of base paper, coated paper base, PET, TAC, PVC, PE, PC, and PNT; And / or, the thickness of the support is 50 μm - 400 μm.

9. The anti-curling imaging recording material according to claim 1, characterized in that, The anti-curling image recording material is an inkjet recording material or a photosensitive recording material.

10. A method for preparing the anti-curling imaging recording material according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, It includes: Adding deionized water into a container, and sequentially adding inorganic particles, an aqueous solution of an aqueous binder, a silane coupling agent, a crosslinking agent, and an organic solvent under stirring, with an 8 - 10 min time interval for adding each material, and mixing evenly to obtain a coating solution, and controlling the temperature of the coating solution at 35 - 60 °C; Coating the coating solution on one surface of the support, and drying the coating solution to obtain the anti-curling image recording material; The temperature of the drying treatment is 40 °C - 80 °C, and the drying time is 5 - 10 min.

Images