Antibacterial and antiviral toner, developer, printed matter, toner storage unit, image forming apparatus, and image forming method

Abstract

To provide an antibacterial and antiviral toner that has antibacterial properties and antiviral properties, can stably form images, and makes discoloration inconspicuous over time.SOLUTION: An antibacterial and antiviral toner includes a silver antibacterial material and coloring matter. The coloring matter is at least one selected from a red coloring matter and yellow coloring matter. The antibacterial and antiviral toner contains the silver antibacterial material at a ratio of 3 mass% or more and less than 5 mass%. When a solid image is formed with the antibacterial and antiviral toner in an adhesion amount of 0.45 mg / cm2 on white paper with a chroma of less than 2 and a brightness of 96 or more, the solid image immediately after the formation has a chroma of 3.5 or more and less than 6, a hue angle of 65° or more and 88° or less, and a brightness of 91 or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an antibacterial and antiviral toner, a developer, a printed matter, a toner storage unit, an image forming apparatus, and an image forming method. [Background technology]

[0002] In image formation using electrophotography, electrostatic recording, and electrostatic printing, a latent image is formed by electrostatic charge on a photosensitive material such as a photoconductive material, and a visible image is formed by attaching charged toner to this latent image, which is then transferred to a recording medium such as paper and fixed to become the output image. Unlike printing machines, electrophotography does not require plates, so it is suitable for small-lot and high-mix reproduction, and is a method that can respond to requests immediately (on demand) compared to printing.

[0003] Meanwhile, in the field of toner, toners with various functions other than conventional monochrome toners and color toners have been put to practical use. One of these functions is antibacterial toner, and for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4 propose various antibacterial toners. By forming an image using antibacterial toner, the formed image has the advantage of having antibacterial properties. This is expected to reduce the possibility of bacteria or viruses being transmitted to others via the printed material, for example, when an unspecified number of people touch the printed material. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As the antibacterial and antiviral material for the toner, metal ion-based materials are preferred in terms of functionality and safety, but there is a problem of discoloration depending on the environment in which they are used. In particular, to obtain antiviral properties, it is necessary to include a relatively large amount of the antibacterial and antiviral material, and the discoloration over time is particularly noticeable in images printed on white substrates.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an antibacterial and antiviral toner that can stably form images having antibacterial and antiviral properties and that makes discoloration over time less noticeable. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above problem is solved by the following configuration 1). 1) An antibacterial and antiviral toner containing a silver-based antibacterial material and a pigment, the dye is at least one selected from red dyes and yellow dyes, The antibacterial and antiviral toner contains the silver-based antibacterial material in an amount of 3% by mass to 5% by mass. below Contains in a ratio of The antibacterial and antiviral toner adheres to white paper with a chroma of less than 2 and a brightness of 96 or more at a toner density of 0.45 mg / cm 2 When a solid image is formed, the image saturation immediately after the formation of the solid image is 3.5 or more and less than 6, the hue angle is 65° or more and 88° or less, and the brightness is 91 or more. An antibacterial and antiviral toner. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an antibacterial and antiviral toner that can stably form an image having antibacterial and antiviral properties and that makes discoloration over time less noticeable. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a schematic configuration of a developing device in the image forming apparatus. [Figure 5] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a collection conveyance path and a stirring conveyance path at a downstream portion of the collection conveyance path in the conveyance direction of an example of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 6] 2 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a supply conveyance path of an image forming apparatus at an upstream portion in the conveyance direction. [Figure 7] 2 is a cross-sectional view of a downstream portion of a supply conveyance path in a conveyance direction of an example of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of developer in a developing device of an example of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 9] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the supply transport path of the developing device at the most downstream portion in the transport direction. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a process cartridge. [Figure 11] 1 is an example of an SEM image of antibacterial agent A. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an evaluation image employed in the examples. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The antibacterial and antiviral toner (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as toner), developer, printed matter, toner storage unit, image forming apparatus, and image forming method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and other modifications, additions, corrections, deletions, and other changes may be made within the scope of those skilled in the art, and any embodiment is within the scope of the present invention as long as it achieves the functions and effects of the present invention.

[0010] (toner) The toner of the present invention contains a silver-based antibacterial material and a pigment, and satisfies the following conditions: (1) The pigment is a red pigment and / or a yellow pigment. (2) The toner contains the silver-based antibacterial material in an amount of 3% by mass or more and less than 5% by mass. (3) The toner has a toner adhesion amount of 0.45 mg / cm on white paper with a chroma of less than 2 and a brightness of 96 or more. 2 When a solid image is formed, the image saturation immediately after the formation of the solid image is 3.5 or more and less than 6, the hue angle is 65° or more and 88° or less, and the brightness is 91 or more. The toner of the present invention can stably form an image having antibacterial and antiviral properties, and can also make discoloration over time less noticeable. The toner of the present invention has antibacterial and / or antiviral properties.

[0011] The use of the toner of the present invention is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately. For example, a layer may be formed using the toner of the present invention alone, or a layer using the toner of the present invention may be formed on an image formed using another toner, etc. It is preferable to form a layer using the toner of the present invention on the entire surface of the substrate, in which case antibacterial and antiviral properties can be easily ensured. For example, it is preferable to form a layer using the toner of the present invention on a layer using another color toner. In this case, it is preferable that the layer using the toner of the present invention has low saturation, which can reduce the impact on the color toner image.

[0012] <Silver-based antibacterial material> The toner of the present invention contains a silver-based antibacterial material. The silver-based antibacterial material has, for example, one or more of the following properties (A) to (E), and is characterized by its excellent antibacterial and antiviral properties, stability, and safety, as well as being relatively inexpensive. (A) It has excellent heat resistance and is stable even at temperatures of 500 to 600°C, and does not substantially decompose thermally at temperatures around the toner manufacturing and use temperatures. (i) It is highly safe, with an extremely low oral acute toxicity LD50 of 2,000 mg / kg or more in mice, and its mutagenicity and skin irritation properties are either negative or extremely weak, making it lowly toxic. (c) The antibacterial effect is semi-permanent. (e) It has a wide antibacterial spectrum. (e) It has excellent properties, such as making it difficult for microorganisms to acquire resistance.

[0013] Antibacterial and antiviral metals include silver, which may be used in combination with two or more other metals. Examples of metals that can be used in combination with silver include copper, zinc, platinum, nickel, and titanium oxide, which has photocatalytic properties.

[0014] The silver in the silver-based antibacterial material of the present invention may be in the form of either metallic silver or silver ions, but in the present invention, a silver ion-based antibacterial material using silver ions is particularly preferred. The following description will be given taking a silver ion-based antibacterial material as an example. The silver ion-based antibacterial material is preferably supported on a support made of alumina, zeolite, silicon-based glass, or bentonite, and more preferably on a support made of zeolite or silicon-based glass. For example, it is preferable to support metal ions of the above metals on a support. From the viewpoint of the performance of the resulting developer, phosphate-based, silicate-based, soluble glass-based, etc., are used as such supports.

[0015] Examples of phosphate-based materials include zirconium phosphate-based materials, which are inorganic ion exchangers, such as zirconium phosphate ZrO(HPO4)2, which is used as a base material to bond silver or zinc through ion exchange. Other examples include calcium phosphate Ca3(PO4)2 and hydroxyapatite Ca 10 Examples include calcium phosphate systems in which silver is adsorbed and bonded to a (PO4)6(OH)2 base.

[0016] As an example of a silicate system, there is a zeolite system that utilizes the ion exchange ability of the crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite Na2O·Al2O3·2SiO2·4.5H2O, which safely supports silver, copper, zinc, etc. in an ionic state in the countless pores of the zeolite particles, and at the same time has a sustained release property, gradually releasing silver ions and other substances, giving it durability to maintain antibacterial and antiviral properties for a long period of time. Other examples include silica gel SiO2·nH2O (a porous structure with a microstructure of, for example, 1g contains 450ml of water). 2 Examples include silica gel systems that adsorb and bond or contain thiosulfite silver complexes onto a surface of a silica gel having a surface area of ​​100 or more.

[0017] Examples of soluble glass systems include silicate glass Na2O·SiO2·B2O3, which has a high solubility and a high B2O3 content, and supports silver or other metals on the carrier, controlling the gradual release of silver as the glass dissolves.

[0018] In the toner of the present invention, a silver content of about 1% by mass in the toner provides sufficient antibacterial properties, but in order to have stable antiviral properties, the silver content in the toner is preferably 3.5% by mass or more. However, since the discoloration of the silver ion-based antibacterial material over time becomes more noticeable the more the silver ion-based antibacterial material is added, the content of the silver ion-based antibacterial material is preferably 5% by mass or less.

[0019] The shape of the particles made of the silver ion-based antibacterial material is not limited, but is preferably roughly cubic or rectangular, which has the advantage that the silver ion-based antibacterial material is stably exposed on the surface of the image. The shape of particles made of silver ion-based antibacterial material is observed, for example, by SEM (scanning electron microscope).It is preferable that 40% or more of the number of particles observed are cubic or rectangular parallelepiped.

[0020] SEM images of the antibacterial agent used in the examples are shown in Figure 11, which will be described later. In the figure, (a) and (b) are images taken at the same scale, but are observations of different locations. (c) and (d) are images taken at the same scale, but are observations of different locations. In the example shown, the particles made of the silver ion-based antibacterial material have a cubic shape.

[0021] <Dye> Examples of the red colorant include naphthol-based, perylene-based, perinone-based, diketopyrrolopyrrole-based, anthraquinone-based, monoazo-based, disazo-based, carmine lake, alizarin lake, rhodamine lake pigments, and mixtures thereof, which may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Lake pigments, particularly carmine lake, are preferably used in the toner of the present invention. Carmine lake is inexpensive, has high coloring power, but is relatively poor in lightfastness. Its color fades with time as the silver ion antibacterial material discolors, making discoloration of the toner less noticeable. Examples of the yellow dye include monoazo, disazo, isoindoline, azomethine, anthraquinone, and xanthene pigments, and mixtures thereof. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Disazo pigments are preferably used in the toner of the present invention. These pigments have high coloring power but relatively poor light resistance, and they fade as the silver ion antibacterial material discolors over time, making discoloration of the toner less noticeable. The red and yellow pigments are preferably contained in the toner of the present invention in an amount of, for example, 0.005 to 0.5% by mass, more preferably 0.01 to 0.3% by mass, although the degree of coloring varies depending on the coloring power and dispersed particle size.

[0022] <Binder resin> The toner of the present invention may contain a binder resin. The binder resin is not particularly limited, and any conventionally known resin can be used. Examples of the binder resin include styrene-based resins such as styrene, α-methylstyrene, chlorostyrene, styrene-propylene copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, styrene-vinyl chloride copolymer, styrene-vinyl acetate copolymer, styrene-maleic acid copolymer, styrene-acrylic acid ester copolymer, styrene-methacrylic acid ester copolymer, and styrene-acrylonitrile-acrylic acid ester copolymer; polyester resins; vinyl chloride resins; rosin-modified maleic acid resins; phenolic resins; epoxy resins; polyethylene resins; polypropylene resins; ionomer resins; polyurethane resins; silicone resins; ketone resins; xylene resins; petroleum-based resins; and hydrogenated petroleum-based resins. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among these, styrene-based resins and polyester resins containing aromatic compounds as structural units are preferred, with polyester resins being more preferred.

[0023] The polyester resin can be obtained by a commonly known polycondensation reaction between an alcohol and an acid. Examples of the alcohol include diols such as polyethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol, 1,4-propylene glycol, neopentyl glycol, and 1,4-butenediol; etherified bisphenols such as 1,4-bis(hydroxymethyl)cyclohexane, bisphenol A, hydrogenated bisphenol A, polyoxyethylenated bisphenol A, and polyoxypropylenated bisphenol A; and saturated or unsaturated bisphenols having 3 to 22 carbon atoms. Examples of the alcohol monomer include dihydric alcohol units substituted with a hydrocarbon group such as 1, 2, 3, 6-hexanetetrol, 1,4-salbitan, pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol, tripentaerythritol, sucrose, 1,2,4-butanetriol, 1,2,5-pentanetriol, glycerol, 2-methylpropanetriol, 2-methyl-1,2,4-butanetriol, trimethylolethane, trimethylolpropane, and 1,3,5-trihydroxymethylbenzene. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0024] The acid is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, but is preferably a carboxylic acid. Examples of the carboxylic acid include monocarboxylic acids such as palmitic acid, stearic acid, and oleic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, mesaconic acid, citraconic acid, terephthalic acid, cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid, succinic acid, adipic acid, sebacic acid, and malonic acid, divalent organic acid monomers obtained by substituting these with saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon groups having 3 to 22 carbon atoms, anhydrides of these acids, dimers of lower alkyl esters and linoleic acid, 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic acid, and 1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid. , 2,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid, 2,5,7-naphthalenetricarboxylic acid, 1,2,4-naphthalenetricarboxylic acid, 1,2,4-butanetricarboxylic acid, 1,2,5-hexanetricarboxylic acid, 1,3-dicarboxyl-2-methyl-2-methylenecarboxypropane, tetra(methylenecarboxyl)methane, 1,2,7,8-octanetetracarboxylic acid, emboletrimeric acid, and trivalent or higher polycarboxylic acid monomers such as anhydrides of these acids. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0025] The binder resin may also contain a crystalline resin. The crystalline resin is not particularly limited as long as it has crystallinity and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples thereof include polyester resins, polyurethane resins, polyurea resins, polyamide resins, polyether resins, vinyl resins, and modified crystalline resins. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among these, polyester resins, polyurethane resins, polyurea resins, polyamide resins, and polyether resins are preferred, and resins having at least one of a urethane skeleton and a urea skeleton are preferred in order to provide moisture resistance and incompatibility with the amorphous resin described below.

[0026] From the viewpoint of fixability, the weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of the crystalline resin is preferably 2,000 to 100,000, more preferably 5,000 to 60,000, and particularly preferably 8,000 to 30,000. When the weight-average molecular weight is 2,000 or more, the problem of deterioration in hot offset resistance can be prevented, and when it is 100,000 or less, the problem of deterioration in low-temperature fixability can be prevented.

[0027] <Release agent> The release agent may be any of natural waxes and synthetic waxes, which may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Examples of the natural waxes include plant waxes such as carnauba wax, cotton wax, Japan wax, and rice wax; animal waxes such as beeswax and lanolin; mineral waxes such as ozokerite and cerusine; and petroleum waxes such as paraffin, microcrystalline, and petrolatum.

[0028] Examples of the synthetic wax include synthetic hydrocarbon waxes such as Fischer-Tropsch wax and polyethylene wax; synthetic waxes such as esters, ketones, and ethers; fatty acid amides such as 1,2-hydroxystearic acid amide, stearic acid amide, phthalimide anhydride, and chlorinated hydrocarbons; and crystalline polymers having long-chain alkyl groups in their side chains, such as low-molecular-weight crystalline polymers, such as polyacrylate homopolymers or copolymers (e.g., n-stearyl acrylate-ethyl methacrylate copolymers) of polyacrylates.

[0029] Among these, the release agent preferably contains a monoester wax, which has low compatibility with common binder resins and therefore easily oozes out to the surface during fixing, exhibiting high release properties and ensuring high gloss and high low-temperature fixability.

[0030] The monoester wax is preferably a synthetic ester wax. Examples of the synthetic ester wax include a monoester wax synthesized from a long-chain linear saturated fatty acid and a long-chain linear saturated alcohol. The long-chain linear saturated fatty acid is represented by the general formula C n H 2n+1 COOH, where n is about 5 to 28. The long-chain linear saturated alcohol is preferably C n H 2n+1 It is preferably represented by OH, and n=5 to 28 or so.

[0031] Specific examples of the long-chain saturated fatty acids include capric acid, undecylic acid, lauric acid, tridecylic acid, myristic acid, pentadecylic acid, palmitic acid, heptadecanoic acid, tetradecanoic acid, stearic acid, nonadecanoic acid, aramonic acid, behenic acid, lignoceric acid, cerotic acid, heptacosanoic acid, montanic acid, and melissic acid. Specific examples of the long-chain saturated alcohols include amyl alcohol, hexyl alcohol, heptyl alcohol, octyl alcohol, capryl alcohol, nonyl alcohol, decyl alcohol, undecyl alcohol, lauryl alcohol, tridecyl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, pentadecyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, heptadecyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, nonadecyl alcohol, eicosyl alcohol, ceryl alcohol, and heptadecannol, which may have a substituent such as a lower alkyl group, an amino group, or a halogen atom.

[0032] The melting point of the release agent is preferably 50°C to 120°C. When the melting point of the release agent is within this range, it can effectively act as a release agent between the interface between the fixing roller and the toner, thereby improving high-temperature offset resistance without applying a release agent such as oil to the fixing roller. Specifically, when the melting point is 50°C or higher, the problem of deterioration in the heat-resistant storage stability of the toner can be prevented, while when it is 120°C or lower, the release property at low temperatures is not exhibited, and problems such as deterioration in cold offset resistance and wrapping of paper around the fixing machine can be prevented.

[0033] The melting point of the release agent can be measured, for example, by measuring the maximum endothermic peak using a differential scanning calorimeter, TG-DSC System TAS-100 (manufactured by Rigaku Denki Co., Ltd.).

[0034] The content of the release agent is preferably 1% by mass to 20% by mass, more preferably 3% by mass to 10% by mass, relative to the binder resin. If the content is 1% by mass or more, the problem of insufficient offset prevention effect can be prevented, and if it is 20% by mass or less, the problem of reduced transferability and durability can be prevented.

[0035] The content of the monoester wax is preferably 4 to 8 parts by weight, more preferably 5 to 7 parts by weight, per 100 parts by weight of the toner. When the content is 4 parts by weight or more, it is possible to prevent problems such as insufficient exudation to the surface during fixing, poor release properties, and reduced gloss, low-temperature fixability, and high-temperature offset resistance. When the content is 8 parts by weight or less, it is possible to prevent problems such as an increased amount of release agent precipitating on the toner surface, reduced storage stability as a toner, and reduced filming on photoreceptors.

[0036] The toner of the present invention preferably contains a wax dispersant, and the dispersant is preferably a copolymer composition containing at least styrene, butyl acrylate, and acrylonitrile as monomers, or a polyethylene adduct of the copolymer composition.

[0037] The content of the wax dispersant is preferably 7 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of toner. The inclusion of the wax dispersant provides a wax dispersion effect, which is expected to stably improve storage stability regardless of the manufacturing method. Furthermore, the wax dispersion effect reduces the wax diameter, thereby suppressing filming on photoreceptors and the like. If the content is 7 parts by mass or less, the amount of incompatible components with the polyester resin increases, resulting in a decrease in gloss. Furthermore, the wax dispersibility becomes too high, which improves filming resistance but prevents poor exudation of the wax to the surface during fixing, resulting in a decrease in low-temperature fixability and hot offset resistance.

[0038] <Other ingredients> The other components are not particularly limited as long as they are normally contained in toner, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples of the other components include a charge control agent, an external additive, and a cleaning property improver.

[0039] <<Charge control agent>> The charge control agent can be any known agent, such as nigrosine dyes, triphenylmethane dyes, chromium-containing metal complex dyes, molybdic acid chelate pigments, rhodamine dyes, alkoxyamines, quaternary ammonium salts (including fluorine-modified quaternary ammonium salts), alkylamides, phosphorus simple substance or compounds, fluorine-based surfactants, salicylic acid metal salts, and salicylic acid derivative metal salts. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0040] The charge control agent may be a synthesized one or a commercially available product, such as Bontron 03, Bontron P-51, Bontron S-34, E-82, E-84, and E-89 (all manufactured by Orient Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), TP-302, TP-415, Copy Charge PSY VP2038, Copy Blue PR, Copy Charge NEG VP2036, and Copy Charge NX VP434 (all manufactured by Hoechst), LRA-901, and LR-147 (manufactured by Nippon Carlit Co., Ltd.).

[0041] The content of the charge control agent can be appropriately selected depending on the type of binder resin, the presence or absence of additives used as needed, and the toner production method, including the dispersion method, but is preferably 0.1 to 5 parts by mass, and more preferably 0.2 to 2 parts by mass, relative to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin. If the content is 5 parts by mass or less, the toner has too high a chargeability, which reduces the effect of the main charge control agent and increases the electrostatic attraction force with the developing roller, preventing problems such as reduced developer fluidity and reduced image density.

[0042] Furthermore, the thermal properties of the toner can be controlled by using a trivalent or higher metal salt among the charge control agents. By including the metal salt, a crosslinking reaction with the acidic group of the binder resin proceeds during fixing, forming a weak three-dimensional crosslink, thereby achieving high-temperature offset resistance while maintaining low-temperature fixability.

[0043] Examples of the metal salt include metal salts of salicylic acid derivatives and metal acetylacetonates. The metal is not particularly limited as long as it is a trivalent or higher polyvalent ionic metal and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples include iron, zirconium, aluminum, titanium, and nickel. Among these, trivalent or higher metal salicylate compounds are preferred.

[0044] The content of the metal salt is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, but for example, it is preferably 0.5 parts by mass to 2 parts by mass, more preferably 0.5 parts by mass to 1 part by mass, relative to 100 parts by mass of toner. When the content is 0.5 parts by mass or more, the problem of poor hot offset resistance can be prevented, and when the content is 2 parts by mass or less, the problem of poor gloss can be prevented.

[0045] <<External additives>> The external additive is contained to improve fluidity, developability, and chargeability. The external additive is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples of the external additive include inorganic fine particles and polymer fine particles.

[0046] Examples of the inorganic fine particles include silica, alumina, titanium oxide, barium titanate, magnesium titanate, calcium titanate, strontium titanate, zinc oxide, tin oxide, silica sand, clay, mica, wollastonite, diatomaceous earth, chromium oxide, cerium oxide, penguin, antimony trioxide, magnesium oxide, zirconium oxide, barium sulfate, barium carbonate, calcium carbonate, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0047] Examples of the polymeric fine particles include polymer particles made of polystyrene, methacrylate ester or acrylate ester copolymers, silicone, benzoguanamine, nylon, or the like obtained by soap-free emulsion polymerization, suspension polymerization, or dispersion polymerization, and polymer particles made of a polycondensation system or a thermosetting resin.

[0048] The external additives can be surface-treated with a surface treatment agent to increase their hydrophobicity, thereby preventing deterioration of flowability and charging properties even under high humidity conditions.

[0049] Examples of the surface treatment agent include silane coupling agents, silylating agents, silane coupling agents having a fluorinated alkyl group, organic titanate coupling agents, aluminum coupling agents, silicone oils, and modified silicone oils.

[0050] The primary particle diameter of the external additive is preferably 5 nm to 2 μm, more preferably 5 nm to 500 nm. The specific surface area of ​​the external additive measured by the BET method is 20 m 2 / g~500m 2 / g is preferred.

[0051] The content of the external additive is preferably 0.01% by mass to 5% by mass, and more preferably 0.01% by mass to 2.0% by mass, based on the toner.

[0052] <<Cleaning improver>>> The cleaning improver is contained to remove the developer remaining on the photoreceptor or primary transfer medium after transfer. Examples of the cleaning improver include fatty acid metal salts such as zinc stearate, calcium stearate, and stearic acid; and polymer fine particles produced by soap-free emulsion polymerization, such as polymethyl methacrylate fine particles and polystyrene fine particles. The polymer fine particles preferably have a relatively narrow particle size distribution and a volume average particle size of 0.01 to 1 μm.

[0053] <Toner set> The toner of the present invention may be used alone to form an image, or may be used in combination with other toners, for example, color toners, to form an image. By forming an image using the toner of the present invention, antibacterial and antiviral properties can be imparted to printed matter. As described above, it is preferable to form a layer of the toner of the present invention on a layer formed with other toners, for example, color toners, which makes it easier to ensure antibacterial and antiviral properties.

[0054] Hereinafter, a color toner will be described as an example of a product that can be used in combination with the toner of the present invention. To distinguish the toner from the color toner, the toner of the present invention may be referred to as an antibacterial and antiviral toner, etc.

[0055] <<Color toner>> The color toner contains a binder resin, a colorant, and, if necessary, other components, which may be the same as those described above.

[0056] The color toner is preferably selected from cyan toner, magenta toner, yellow toner and black toner, more preferably cyan toner, magenta toner, yellow toner and black toner. In addition, white toner and the like can be used.

[0057] -Binder resin- The binder resin contained in the color toner is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, but it preferably contains a gel, and the gel fraction is preferably 0.5% by mass to 10% by mass of the binder resin. Even if the color toner does not contain the gel, it is preferable that the binder resin used in the color toner contains a high molecular weight substance having a weight average molecular weight of 100,000 or more. By containing a gel or a high molecular weight substance having a weight average molecular weight of 100,000 or more, hot offset can be prevented.

[0058] The binder resin contained in the color toner may be the same as that contained in the antibacterial and antiviral toner.

[0059] -Coloring agent- Examples of the colorant include naphthol yellow S, Hansa yellow (10G, 5G, G), cadmium yellow, yellow iron oxide, yellow ochre, yellow lead, titanium yellow, polyazo yellow, oil yellow, Hansa yellow (GR, A, RN, R), pigment yellow L, benzidine yellow (G, GR), permanent yellow (NCG), Balkan fast yellow (5G, R), tartrazine lake, quinoline yellow lake, anthrazan yellow BGL, isoindolinone yellow, red iron oxide, red lead, vermilion, cadmium red, cadmium manganese Curie Red, Antimony Vermilion, Permanent Red 4R, Para Red, Faise Red, Parachlor Orthonitroaniline Red, Lithol Fast Scarlet G, Brilliant Fast Scarlet, Brilliant Carmine BS, Permanent Red (F2R, F4R, FRL, FRLL, F4RH), Fast Scarlet VD, Belcan Fast Rubin B, Brilliant Scarlet G, Lithol Rubin GX, Permanent Red F5R, Brilliant Carmine 6B, Pogment Scarlet 3B, Bordeaux 5B, Toluidine Rune, Permanent Bordeaux F2K, Helio Bordeaux BL, Bordeaux 10B, Bon Maroon Light, Bon Maroon Medium, Eosin Lake, Rhodamine Lake B, Rhodamine Lake Y, Alizarin Lake, Thioindigo Red B, Thioindigo Maroon, Oil Red, Quinacridone Red, Pyrazolone Red, Polyazo Red, Chrome Vermilion, Benzidine Orange, Perinone Orange, Oil Orange, Cobalt Blue, Cerulean Blue, Alkali Blue Lake, Peacock Blue Lake, Victoria Blue Lake, Metal-free Examples of pigments include phthalocyanine blue, phthalocyanine blue, fast sky blue, indanthrene blue (RS, BC), indigo, dioxane violet, anthraquinone violet, chrome green, zinc green, pyridian, emerald green, pigment green B, naphthol green B, green gold, acid green lake, malachite green lake, phthalocyanine green, anthraquinone green, titanium oxide, zinc white, lithopone, perylene black, perinone black, and mixtures thereof.These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0060] When used as a process color toner, the following colorants are preferred for each of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. Of the blacks, carbon black is preferred. For cyan, CI Pigment Blue 15:3 is preferred. For magenta, CI Pigment Red 122 and CI Pigment Red 269 are preferred. For yellow, CI Pigment Yellow 74, CI Pigment Yellow 155, CI Pigment Yellow 180, and CI Pigment Yellow 185 are preferred. These colorants may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The content of the colorant contained in the color toner can be selected appropriately.

[0061] <Toner particle size> The weight average particle diameter of the toner (antibacterial and antiviral toner) of the present invention is preferably 5 μm to 9 μm, and more preferably 6 μm to 8 μm. When the weight average particle diameter is 5 μm or more, the image formation processes such as development, transfer, and cleaning become favorable, and when the weight average particle diameter is 9 μm or less, when a solid image that covers the entire surface of a substrate (also referred to as a recording medium) is output, the amount of adhesion required to completely cover the substrate can be reduced.

[0062] The weight average particle diameter of the color toner is preferably 4 μm to 7 μm, more preferably 5 μm to 6 μm. When the weight average particle diameter of the color toner is within the above range, minute dots of 600 dpi or more can be reproduced, and high-quality images can be obtained. This is because the toner particles have a particle diameter sufficiently small for minute latent image dots, resulting in excellent dot reproducibility.

[0063] Furthermore, when the weight average particle diameter (D4) of the color toner is 4 μm or more, it is possible to prevent phenomena such as a decrease in transfer efficiency and a decrease in blade cleaning performance. When the weight average particle diameter (D4) of the color toner is 7 μm or less, it is possible to prevent the above-mentioned problems of image information being easily disturbed due to the intrusion of the color toner superimposed on the image before fixing, and of the difficulty in preventing scattering of characters and lines.

[0064] The ratio (D4 / D1) of the weight average particle diameter (D4) to the number average particle diameter (D1) is preferably 1.00 to 1.40, more preferably 1.05 to 1.30. The closer the ratio (D4 / D1) is to 1.00, the sharper the particle diameter distribution.

[0065] Such a toner with a small particle size and narrow particle size distribution has a uniform charge distribution, making it possible to obtain high-quality images with little background fogging, and also enabling a high transfer rate in electrostatic transfer systems.

[0066] In full-color image formation methods, which form multicolor images by superimposing toner images of different colors, a larger amount of toner is deposited on paper than in monochrome image formation methods, which form images using only one color, black toner, and do not require superimposing toner images of different colors. This means that the amount of toner developed, transferred, and fixed is greater, which can lead to problems that degrade image quality, such as the aforementioned reduced transfer efficiency, reduced blade cleaning performance, scattering of letters and lines, and background fogging. Therefore, it is important to control the weight-average particle size (D4) and the ratio (D4 / D1) of the weight-average particle size (D4) to the number-average particle size (D1).

[0067] The particle size distribution of toner particles can be measured using a device for measuring the particle size distribution of toner particles by the Coulter Counter method, such as a Coulter Counter TA-II or a Coulter Multisizer II (both manufactured by Coulter).

[0068] A specific measurement method is as follows, for example. First, 0.1 mL to 5 mL of a surfactant (such as alkylbenzene sulfonate) is added as a dispersant to 100 mL to 150 mL of an aqueous electrolytic solution. The aqueous electrolytic solution is prepared by using primary sodium chloride to prepare an approximately 1% NaCl aqueous solution, such as ISOTON-II (manufactured by Coulter). Next, 2 mg to 20 mg of the measurement sample is added. The electrolyte solution in which the sample is suspended is subjected to a dispersion process using an ultrasonic disperser for approximately 1 to 3 minutes, and the weight and number of toner particles or toner are measured using the measuring device with a 100 μm aperture, and the weight distribution and number distribution are calculated. From the obtained distribution, the weight average particle diameter (D4) and number average particle diameter (D1) of the toner can be determined.

[0069] Thirteen channels are used: 2.00 to less than 2.52 μm; 2.52 to less than 3.17 μm; 3.17 to less than 4.00 μm; 4.00 to less than 5.04 μm; 5.04 to less than 6.35 μm; 6.35 to less than 8.00 μm; 8.00 to less than 10.08 μm; 10.08 to less than 12.70 μm; 12.70 to less than 16.00 μm; 16.00 to less than 20.20 μm; 20.20 to less than 25.40 μm; 25.40 to less than 32.00 μm; and 32.00 to less than 40.30 μm, targeting particles with diameters of 2.00 μm or more and less than 40.30 μm.

[0070] <Toner manufacturing method> The toner of the present invention can be produced by a conventionally known method such as a melt-kneading-pulverization method or a polymerization method. The color toner and the antibacterial and antiviral toner can be produced by the same method or by different methods. For example, the color toner can be produced by a polymerization method, and the antibacterial and antiviral toner can be produced by a melt-kneading-pulverization method.

[0071] <<Melt kneading-pulverization method>> In the melt-kneading-pulverization method, the manufacturing process includes, for example, (1) A step of melting and kneading at least a binder resin, a silver ion-based antibacterial material or a colorant, and a release agent. (2) A step of pulverizing / classifying the melt-kneaded toner composition (3) Adding inorganic fine particles It is preferable from the viewpoint of cost to side-mix the fine powder produced in the pulverization / classification step (2) as the raw material for step (1).

[0072] The kneader used for kneading may be an internal kneader, a single-screw or twin-screw extruder, an open-roll kneader, etc. Examples of the kneader include a KRC kneader (manufactured by Kurimoto Iron Works), a Buss-Co kneader (manufactured by Buss), a TEM extruder (manufactured by Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd.), a TEX twin-screw kneader (manufactured by The Japan Steel Works, Ltd.), a PCM kneader (manufactured by Ikegai Iron Works, Ltd.), a three-roll mill, a mixing roll mill, a kneader (manufactured by Inoue Manufacturing Co., Ltd.), a Kneadex (manufactured by Mitsui Mining Co., Ltd.), an MS-type pressure kneader, a Niderruder (manufactured by Moriyama Manufacturing Co., Ltd.), and a Banbury mixer (manufactured by Kobe Steel, Ltd.).

[0073] Examples of pulverizers include counter jet mills, micron jet mills, inomizers (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation), IDS-type mills, PJM jet pulverizers (manufactured by Nippon Pneumatic Mfg. Co., Ltd.), cross jet mills (manufactured by Kurimoto Iron Works), Urmax (manufactured by Nisso Engineering Co., Ltd.), SK Jet-O-Mill (manufactured by Seishin Enterprise Co., Ltd.), Kryptron (manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.), Turbo Mill (manufactured by Turbo Industrial Co., Ltd.), and Super Rotor (manufactured by Nisshin Engineering Co., Ltd.).

[0074] Examples of classifiers include Cruseal, Micron Classifier, Spedic Classifier (manufactured by Seishin Enterprise Co., Ltd.), Turbo Classifier (manufactured by Nisshin Engineering Co., Ltd.), Micron Separator, Turboplex (ATP), TSP Separator (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation), Elbow Jet (manufactured by Nittetsu Mining Co., Ltd.), Dispersion Separator (manufactured by Nippon Pneumatic Industry Co., Ltd.), and YM Microcut (manufactured by Yaskawa Corporation).

[0075] Examples of sieving devices used to sift out coarse particles include Ultrasonic (manufactured by Koei Sangyo Co., Ltd.), Resonaseave, Gyrosifter (Tokuju Kogyo Co., Ltd.), Vibrasonic System (manufactured by Dalton Co., Ltd.), Soniclean (manufactured by Shinto Kogyo Co., Ltd.), Turboscreener (manufactured by Turbo Industry Co., Ltd.), Microsifter (manufactured by Makino Sangyo Co., Ltd.), and circular vibrating sieves.

[0076] <<Polymerization method>> The polymerization method can be a conventionally known method. For example, the polymerization method can be performed in the following manner. First, the colorant, binder resin, and release agent are dispersed in an organic solvent to prepare a toner liquid material (oil phase). It is preferable to add a polyester prepolymer (A) having an isocyanate group to the toner liquid material and react it during granulation to incorporate a urea-modified polyester resin into the toner.

[0077] Next, the toner material liquid is emulsified in an aqueous medium in the presence of a surfactant and resin particles. The aqueous medium may be water alone or may contain an organic solvent such as alcohol.

[0078] The amount of the aqueous solvent used per 100 parts by mass of the toner material liquid is usually preferably 50 parts by mass to 2,000 parts by mass, and more preferably 100 parts by mass to 1,000 parts by mass.

[0079] The resin particles are not particularly limited as long as they are resins capable of forming an aqueous dispersion, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples thereof include vinyl resins, polyurethane resins, epoxy resins, and polyester resins. After dispersion, the organic solvent is removed from the emulsified dispersion (reaction product), and the resulting mixture is washed and dried to obtain toner base particles.

[0080] (developer) The toner (antibacterial and antiviral toner) of the present invention may be used as a one-component developer or a two-component developer, and the same applies to color toners and the like.

[0081] When the toner of the present invention is used in a two-component developer, it may be mixed with a magnetic carrier, and the content ratio of the carrier to the toner in the developer is preferably 100 parts by weight of the carrier to 1 to 10 parts by weight of the toner.

[0082] As the magnetic carrier, conventionally known carriers can be used, and examples thereof include iron powder, ferrite powder, magnetite powder, and magnetic resin carriers having a particle size of about 20 μm to 200 μm.

[0083] The magnetic carrier may also be coated. Examples of coating materials for coating the magnetic carrier include amino resins such as urea-formaldehyde resin, melamine resin, benzoguanamine resin, urea resin, polyamide resin, and epoxy resin; polyvinylidene resins such as polyvinyl; polystyrene resins such as acrylic resin, polymethyl methacrylate resin, polyacrylonitrile resin, polyvinyl acetate resin, polyvinyl alcohol resin, polyvinyl butyral resin, polystyrene resin, and styrene-acrylic copolymer resin; and halogenated olefins such as polyvinyl chloride. Fin resins include polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate resin and polybutylene terephthalate resin; polycarbonate resins, polyethylene resins, polyvinyl fluoride resins, polyvinylidene fluoride resins, polytrifluoroethylene resins, polyhexafluoropropylene resins, copolymers of vinylidene fluoride and an acrylic monomer, copolymers of vinylidene fluoride and vinyl fluoride, fluoro terpolymers such as terpolymers of tetrafluoroethylene, vinylidene fluoride and a non-fluorinated monomer, and silicone resins.

[0084] Furthermore, if necessary, conductive powder or the like may be contained in the coating resin. Examples of conductive powder that can be used include metal powder, carbon black, titanium oxide, tin oxide, and zinc oxide. These conductive powders preferably have an average particle size of 1 μm or less. An average particle size of 1 μm or less can prevent the inconvenience of making it difficult to control the electrical resistance.

[0085] (Image forming apparatus and image forming method) The image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises an electrostatic latent image carrier, electrostatic latent image forming means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the electrostatic latent image carrier, developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image with toner to form a visible image, transfer means for transferring the visible image onto a recording medium, and fixing means for fixing the transferred image onto the recording medium, wherein the toner is the toner of the present invention. The image forming apparatus may also comprise other means as necessary.

[0086] The image forming method of the present invention comprises an electrostatic latent image forming step of forming an electrostatic latent image on an electrostatic latent image carrier, a developing step of developing the electrostatic latent image with a toner to form a visible image, a transferring step of transferring the visible image onto a recording medium, and a fixing step of fixing the transferred image onto the recording medium, wherein the toner is the toner of the present invention. The method may also comprise other steps as necessary.

[0087] The developing means and the developing step may use a toner other than the toner of the present invention (antibacterial and antiviral toner), for example, an antibacterial and antiviral toner and a color toner may be used. Note that a visible image formed by the antibacterial and antiviral toner may be referred to as an antibacterial and antiviral toner image, and a visible image formed by a color toner may be referred to as a color toner image.

[0088] In the image forming apparatus and the image forming method, the antibacterial and antiviral toner image is preferably a solid image formed on the outermost surface of the entire recording medium, regardless of whether a color image is formed or not. Surfaces on which the antibacterial and antiviral toner layer is not formed have no antibacterial and antiviral properties, and bacteria and viruses may grow on those surfaces.

[0089] It is preferable that the thickness Z [μm] of the toner layer after the fixing process is 2.0X≦Z≦2.5X [μm], where X is the number-average particle diameter of the silver ion-based antibacterial material. If the thickness Z is 2.0X [μm] or more, it is possible to prevent minute unattached areas from occurring in a solid image. If the thickness Z is 2.5X [μm] or less, the silver ion-based antibacterial material is more likely to be exposed on the layer surface, reducing variations in antibacterial and antiviral functions. The thickness Z [μm] of the toner layer after the fixing process can be set to 2.0X≦Z≦2.5X [μm] by adjusting the amount of antibacterial and antiviral toner attached by adjusting the development conditions, for example.

[0090] <Electrostatic latent image carrier> The electrostatic latent image carrier (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "electrophotographic photoreceptor," "photoreceptor," or "image carrier") is not particularly limited in terms of material, shape, structure, size, etc., and can be appropriately selected from known ones. Examples of the shape of the image carrier include a drum shape and a belt shape. Examples of the material of the image carrier include inorganic photoreceptors such as amorphous silicon and selenium, and organic photoreceptors (OPCs) such as polysilane and phthalopolymethine.

[0091] <Electrostatic latent image forming process and electrostatic latent image forming means> The electrostatic latent image forming step is a step of forming an electrostatic latent image on an electrostatic latent image bearing member. The electrostatic latent image can be formed by, for example, uniformly charging the surface of the electrostatic latent image bearing member and then exposing it to light in an imagewise manner, and can be formed by an electrostatic latent image forming unit. The electrostatic latent image forming means includes, for example, at least a charging means (charger) that uniformly charges the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier, and an exposure means (exposure device) that imagewise exposes the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier.

[0092] The charging can be carried out, for example, by applying a voltage to the surface of the electrostatic latent image bearing member using the charger.

[0093] The charger is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples thereof include known contact chargers equipped with a conductive or semiconductive roll, brush, film, rubber blade, etc., and non-contact chargers utilizing corona discharge such as corotrons and scorotrons.

[0094] The charger is preferably arranged in contact with or without contact with the electrostatic latent image bearing member, and charges the surface of the electrostatic latent image bearing member by applying DC and AC voltages in a superimposed manner. It is also preferred that the charger is a charging roller disposed close to the electrostatic latent image carrier without contacting the electrostatic latent image carrier via a gap tape, and that the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier is charged by applying a DC voltage and an AC voltage superimposed on the charging roller.

[0095] The exposure can be carried out, for example, by exposing the surface of the electrostatic latent image bearing member to light in an imagewise manner using the exposure unit. The exposure device is not particularly limited as long as it can expose the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier charged by the charger in the shape of an image to be formed, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples of the exposure device include various exposure devices such as a copying optical system, a rod lens array system, a laser optical system, and a liquid crystal shutter optical system. In the present invention, a backlight system may be employed in which exposure is performed imagewise from the back side of the electrostatic latent image bearing member.

[0096] <Developing step and developing means> The developing step is a step of developing the electrostatic latent image with toner to form a visible image (toner image). The developing means is a means for developing the electrostatic latent image with toner to form a visible image (toner image).

[0097] As described above, the developing unit and the developing step may form a toner image using, for example, an antibacterial and antiviral toner and a color toner. Furthermore, the color toner may be, for example, a plurality of color toners with different colorants, and a set of a plurality of color toners is also referred to as a color toner set. The toner image can be formed by, for example, developing the electrostatic latent image using the antibacterial and antiviral toner and the color toner set, and this can be performed by the developing unit.

[0098] The developing means (hereinafter also referred to as "developing and adhering means") preferably includes at least a developing device that contains the antibacterial and antiviral toner and each toner of the color toner set and can apply each toner to the electrostatic latent image in a contact or non-contact manner, and more preferably a developing device equipped with a toner container.

[0099] The developing device may be a single-color developing device or a multi-color developing device, and a suitable example is one having an agitator that charges each toner by friction agitation and a rotatable magnetic roller.

[0100] In the developing device, for example, the toner and the carrier are mixed and stirred, and the toner is charged by friction during this process and held in a standing state on the surface of a rotating magnet roller, forming a magnetic brush. Because the magnet roller is located near the electrostatic latent image carrier (photosensitive member), a portion of the toner constituting the magnetic brush formed on the surface of the magnet roller moves to the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier (photosensitive member) by electrical attraction. As a result, the electrostatic latent image is developed with the toner, and a toner image is formed on the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier (photosensitive member).

[0101] The toner images include, for example, an antibacterial and antiviral toner image formed with the antibacterial and antiviral toner and a color toner image formed with the color toner.

[0102] Examples of the colors constituting the color toner include a four-color set of black (Bk), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), a three-color set of cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), and monochrome black (Bk). Among these, a four-color set is preferred because it is a color toner set that can be installed in a general electrophotographic four-color image forming apparatus.

[0103] <Fixing process and fixing means> The fixing step is a step of fixing the transferred image transferred onto the recording medium, and may be performed for each color developer each time it is transferred onto the recording medium, or may be performed simultaneously for each color developer in a stacked state.

[0104] The fixing means is not particularly limited as long as it is a means for fixing the transferred image onto the recording medium, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, but known heating and pressurizing means are suitable. Examples of the heating and pressurizing means include a combination of a heating roller and a pressure roller, a combination of a heating roller, a pressure roller and an endless belt, etc.

[0105] The fixing means preferably has a heating element having a heat generating element, a film in contact with the heating element, and a pressure member in pressure contact with the heating element via the film, and is a means for heat-fixing by passing a recording medium on which an unfixed image has been formed between the film and the pressure member. Heating in the heating and pressure member is usually preferably at 80°C to 200°C. In the present invention, depending on the purpose, a known optical fixing device may be used in addition to or instead of the fixing step and fixing means.

[0106] <Other steps and other means> Examples of the other steps include a static elimination step, a cleaning step, a recycling step, and a control step.

[0107] The charge removal step is a step of removing electricity by applying a charge removal bias to the electrostatic latent image bearing member, and can be suitably performed by a charge removal unit. The discharging means is not particularly limited as long as it can apply a discharging bias to the electrostatic latent image bearing member, and can be appropriately selected from known discharging devices, and a suitable example is a discharging lamp.

[0108] The cleaning step is a step of removing the toner remaining on the electrostatic latent image bearing member, and can be suitably carried out by a cleaning means. The cleaning means is not particularly limited as long as it can remove the toner remaining on the electrostatic latent image carrier, and can be appropriately selected from known cleaners. Suitable examples include magnetic brush cleaners, electrostatic brush cleaners, magnetic roller cleaners, blade cleaners, brush cleaners, and web cleaners.

[0109] The recycling step is a step of recycling the toner removed in the cleaning step to the developing unit, and can be suitably performed by a recycling means. The recycling means is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include known transport means.

[0110] The control step is a step of controlling each of the steps, and each step can be suitably carried out by a control means. The control means is not particularly limited as long as it can control the movement of each of the means, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples of the control means include devices such as a sequencer and a computer.

[0111] Here, the image forming method and image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the entire image forming apparatus A. Image data sent to an image processing unit 14 (hereinafter referred to as "IPU") creates five types of image signals: Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), Bk (black), and Abv (antibacterial and antiviral).

[0112] Next, the image signals for Y, M, C, Bk, and Abv are transmitted from the image processing unit to the writing unit 15. The writing unit 15 modulates and scans five laser beams for Y, M, C, Bk, and Abv, respectively, and forms electrostatic latent images sequentially on the photosensitive drums 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 after charging the photosensitive drums with charging units 51, 52, 53, 54, and 55. In this example, for example, the first photosensitive drum 21 corresponds to Y, the second photosensitive drum 22 corresponds to M, the third photosensitive drum 23 corresponds to C, the fourth photosensitive drum 24 corresponds to Bk, and the fifth photosensitive drum 25 corresponds to Abv.

[0113] Next, developing units 31, 32, 33, 34, and 35 serving as developing and adhering means form toner images of each color on the photosensitive drums 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25. Transfer paper fed by paper feed section 16 is transported on transfer belt 70, and the toner images on the photosensitive drums 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 are transferred sequentially onto the transfer paper by transfer chargers 61, 62, 63, 64, and 65.

[0114] After the transfer process is completed, the transfer paper is transported to a fixing unit 80, where the transferred toner image is fixed onto the transfer paper. After the transfer process is completed, the toner remaining on the photosensitive drums 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 is removed by cleaning units 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45.

[0115] In the device of FIG. 2 and the image forming method using the same, the toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 are first transferred onto a transfer drum, as in FIG. 1, and then the toner images are transferred onto a transfer paper by secondary transfer means 66 and fixed by fixing unit 80.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 3, the antibacterial and antiviral toner can be placed on a separate transfer drum.

[0117] Next, the structure around the developing unit will be described. FIG. 4 is an enlarged structural diagram showing one of the five developing units 31, 32, 33, 34, and 35 as developing adhesion means and one of the photosensitive drums 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25. Since each unit has almost the same structure except for the different colors of toner they handle, they are shown as developing unit 4 and photosensitive drum 1 in the figure.

[0118] The developing unit 4 of this embodiment is equipped with a developing container 2 containing a two-component developer, and a developing sleeve 11 serving as a developer carrier is rotatably installed at the opening of the developing container 2 facing the photosensitive drum 1, with a predetermined gap between it and the photosensitive drum 1.

[0119] The developing sleeve 11 is cylindrical and made of a non-magnetic material, and rotates in a direction that moves the opposing portion in the same direction as the photosensitive member 1, which rotates in the direction of the arrow. A magnetic roller, which is a magnetic field generating means, is fixedly disposed inside the developing sleeve 11. The magnetic roller has five magnetic poles (N1, S1, N2, N3, S2). A regulating blade 10, which serves as a developer regulating member, is attached to the part of the developing container 2 above the developing sleeve 11, and this regulating blade 10 is disposed in a non-contact state with the developing sleeve 11, facing the vicinity of the magnetic pole (S2) located approximately at the highest point in the vertical direction of the magnetic roller.

[0120] The developing container 2 is provided with three developer transport paths: a supply transport path 2a, a recovery transport path 2b, and agitation transport path 2c, which respectively house a supply screw 5 serving as a first developer agitation transport means, a recovery screw 6 serving as a second developer agitation transport means, and agitation screw 7 serving as a third developer agitation transport means. The supply transport path 2a and the agitation transport path 2c are arranged diagonally in the vertical direction. The recovery transport path 2b is arranged downstream of the development area of ​​the developing sleeve 1) and on a substantially horizontal side of the agitation transport path 2c.

[0121] The two-component developer contained in the developing container 2 is circulated through the supply conveying path 2a, the recovery conveying path 2b, and the stirring conveying path 2c by the stirring and conveying of the supply screw 5, the recovery screw 6, and the stirring screw 7, and is supplied from the supply conveying path 2a to the developing sleeve 11. The developer supplied to the developing sleeve 11 is drawn up onto the developing sleeve 11 by the magnetic pole (N2) of the magnet roller.

[0122] As the developing sleeve 11 rotates, the developer is transported on the developing sleeve 11 from the magnetic pole (S2) to the magnetic pole (N1), and from the magnetic pole (N1) to the magnetic pole (S1), until it reaches the development area where the developing sleeve 11 faces the photosensitive member. During this transport, the developer layer thickness is magnetically regulated by the regulating blade 10 in cooperation with the magnetic pole (S2), and a thin layer of developer is formed on the developing sleeve 11.

[0123] The magnetic pole (S1) of the magnet roller positioned in the development area within the development sleeve 11 is the main development pole, and the developer transported to the development area is raised by the magnetic pole (S1) and comes into contact with the surface of the photosensitive member 1, developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive member 1.

[0124] The developer that has developed the latent image passes through the development area as the developing sleeve 11 rotates, is returned to the developing container 2 via the transport pole (N3), is detached from the developing sleeve 11 by the repulsive magnetic field of the magnetic poles (N2, N3), and is collected into the recovery transport path 2b) by the recovery screw 6.

[0125] The supply conveyance path 2a and the diagonally downward recovery conveyance path 2b are separated by a first partition member 3A. The recovery conveyance path 2b and the agitation conveyance path 2c disposed to the side are separated by a second partition member 3B, and a developer supply opening for supplying recovered developer to the agitation conveyance path 2c is provided downstream of the recovery conveyance path 2b in the conveyance direction by the recovery screw 6.

[0126] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the recovery conveyance path 2b and the agitation conveyance path 2c at the downstream side in the conveying direction by the recovery screw 6, and an opening 2d is provided that connects the recovery conveyance path 2b and the agitation conveyance path 2c.

[0127] In addition, the supply conveying path 2a and the stirring conveying path 2c arranged diagonally below are separated by a third partition member 3C, and developer supply openings for supplying developer are provided at the upstream and downstream parts of the supply conveying path 2a in the conveying direction by the supply screw 5.

[0128] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the developing unit 4 at the upstream side in the transport direction by the supply screw 5, and the third partition member 3C is provided with an opening 2e that connects the agitation transport path 2c and the supply transport path 2a.

[0129] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the developing unit 4 at the downstream side in the transport direction by the supply screw 5, and the third partition member 3C is provided with an opening 2f that connects the agitation transport path 2c and the supply transport path 2a.

[0130] Next, the circulation of the developer in the three developer transport paths will be described. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the flow of developer within the developing unit 4. The arrows in Figure 8 indicate the direction of developer movement. The supply transport path 2a receives developer from the agitating transport path 2c, and transports the developer downstream in the transport direction of the supply screw 5 while supplying the developer to the developing sleeve 11. Excess developer that is not supplied to the developing sleeve 11 and transported to the downstream part of the supply transport path 2a in the transport direction is supplied to the agitating transport path 2c through an opening 2f, which serves as a first developer supply opening and is provided in the third partition member 3C.

[0131] In addition, the recovered developer is recovered from the developing sleeve 11 to the recovery conveying path 2b by the recovery screw 6 and transported to the downstream part of the conveying direction in the same direction as the developer in the supply conveying path 2a, and is supplied to the stirring conveying path 2c through an opening 2d provided in the second partition member 3B as a second developer supply opening.

[0132] In the stirring conveying path 2c, the supplied excess developer and the recovered developer are stirred by the stirring screw 7 and conveyed in the opposite direction to the developer in the recovery conveying path 2b and the supply conveying path 2a. The developer conveyed to the downstream side of the stirring conveying path 2c in the conveying direction is then supplied to the upstream side of the supply conveying path 2a in the conveying direction through an opening 2e provided in the third partition member 3C as a third developer supply opening.

[0133] A toner concentration sensor is provided below the agitation transport path 2c, and the sensor output activates a toner replenishment control device (not shown) to replenish toner from a toner storage unit. In the agitation transport path 2c, the toner replenished from the toner replenishment port 3 is conveyed downstream in the transport direction by an agitation screw 7 as needed, while being mixed with recovered developer and excess developer. When replenishing toner, it is preferable to replenish it upstream of the agitation screw 7, as this allows for a longer mixing time from replenishment to development.

[0134] As described above, the developing unit 4 is provided with the supply conveying path 2a and the recovery conveying path 2b, and the supply and recovery of developer are performed through different developer conveying paths, so that developed developer does not get mixed into the supply conveying path 2a. This prevents the toner concentration of the developer supplied to the developing sleeve 11 from decreasing downstream in the conveying direction of the supply conveying path 2a. Furthermore, the developing unit 4 is provided with the recovery conveying path 2b and the stirring conveying path 2c, and the recovery and stirring of developer are performed through different developer conveying paths, so that developed developer does not fall off during stirring. Therefore, sufficiently stirred developer is supplied to the supply conveying path 2a, so that the developer supplied to the supply conveying path 2a is prevented from being insufficiently stirred.

[0135] In this way, it is possible to prevent the toner concentration of the developer in the supply conveying path 2a from decreasing and to prevent the developer in the supply conveying path 2a from becoming insufficiently stirred, thereby making it possible to maintain a constant image density during development.

[0136] 6, developer is supplied from the agitation conveyance path 2c arranged diagonally downward to the supply conveyance path 2a above. This developer transfer is achieved by forcing the developer with the rotation of the agitation screw 7, causing the developer to rise and overflow from the opening 2e, thereby supplying the developer to the supply conveyance path 2a. This movement of developer places stress on the developer, which is one of the causes of a shortened lifespan of the developer.

[0137] In the developing unit 4, the supply conveying path 2a is arranged diagonally above the agitating conveying path 2c, thereby reducing stress on the developer as it moves upward compared to a system in which the supply conveying path 2a is arranged vertically above the agitating conveying path 2c and the developer is lifted.

[0138] 7, an opening 2f is provided that connects the supply conveyance path 2a and the agitation conveyance path 2c in order to supply developer from the supply conveyance path 2a located above to the agitation conveyance path 2c located diagonally below. Here, a third partition member 3C that separates the agitation conveyance path 2c from the supply conveyance path 2a extends upward from the lowest point of the supply conveyance path 2a, and the opening 2f is provided at a position above the lowest point.

[0139] 9 is a cross-sectional view of the developing unit 4 at the most downstream portion in the conveying direction of the supply screw 5. As shown in FIG. 9, an opening 2g that connects the stirring conveying path 2c and the supply conveying path 2a is provided in the third partition member 3C downstream of the opening 2f in the conveying direction of the supply screw 5. The opening 2g is provided above the top of the opening 2f.

[0140] In the supply conveying path 2a having the openings 2f and 2g, of the developer that has been conveyed axially along the supply conveying path 2a to the opening 2f by the supply screw 5, the developer whose volume reaches the height of the lowest part of the opening 2f spills through the opening 2f into the stirring conveying path 2c below. On the other hand, the developer that does not reach the height of the lowest part of the opening 2f is supplied to the developing sleeve 11 while being conveyed further downstream by the supply screw 5.

[0141] Therefore, downstream of the opening 2f in the supply conveying path 2a, the volume of the developer gradually becomes lower than the bottom of the opening 2f. Because the bottommost part of the supply conveying path 2a is a dead end, the volume of the developer may become high at the bottommost part, but once it reaches a certain height, the developer is pushed back against the supply screw 5 and returns to the opening 2f, and any developer that reaches the height of the bottommost part of the opening 2f spills through the opening 2f into the stirring conveying path 2c below.

[0142] As a result, downstream of opening 2f of supply conveyance path 2a, the volume of developer does not continue to increase, and a state of equilibrium with a gradient is reached near the lowest part of opening 2f. By providing opening 2g at a position higher than the top of opening 2f, i.e., at a position higher than this equilibrium state, there is little risk that opening 2f will be blocked by developer, resulting in insufficient ventilation, and sufficient ventilation can be ensured between agitation conveyance path 2c and supply conveyance path 2a.

[0143] That is, opening 2g does not function as a developer supply opening between supply conveyance path 2a and agitation conveyance path 2c, but functions as a ventilation opening for ensuring sufficient ventilation between supply conveyance path 2a and agitation conveyance path 2c. By providing such ventilation opening 2g, even if the internal pressure rises in the agitation conveyance path 2c arranged below and recovery conveyance path 2b communicating with agitation conveyance path 2c, sufficient ventilation can be ensured with the upper supply conveyance path 2a, which is equipped with a filter that allows air to pass through, and an increase in the internal pressure of the entire developing unit 4 can be suppressed.

[0144] The toner of the present invention can be used in a process cartridge which integrally supports a photoreceptor and at least one means selected from electrostatic latent image forming means, developing means and cleaning means and is detachably mountable to the main body of an image forming apparatus.

[0145] An example of the schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus equipped with a process cartridge containing the developer of the present invention (also referred to as a developer for developing electrostatic latent images) is shown in Figure 10. In Figure 10, the process cartridge comprises a photoreceptor 20, electrostatic latent image forming means 32, developing means 40, and cleaning means 61.

[0146] In the present invention, a plurality of components, such as the photosensitive member 20, the electrostatic latent image forming means 32, the developing means 40, and the cleaning means 61, are combined together to form a process cartridge, and this process cartridge is configured to be detachably attached to the main body of an image forming apparatus such as a copier or a printer.

[0147] The operation of an image forming apparatus equipped with a process cartridge containing the developer of the present invention will be described below. The photoreceptor is rotated at a predetermined peripheral speed. As the photoreceptor rotates, its peripheral surface is uniformly charged to a predetermined positive or negative potential by an electrostatic latent image forming means. Next, the photoreceptor is exposed to image exposure light from an image exposure means such as a slit exposure or laser beam scanning exposure. In this way, electrostatic latent images are sequentially formed on the peripheral surface of the photoreceptor. The formed electrostatic latent images are then developed with toner by a developing means, and the developed toner images are sequentially transferred by the transfer means to a transfer material fed from a paper feed unit between the photoreceptor and the transfer means in synchronization with the rotation of the photoreceptor.

[0148] The transfer material to which the image has been transferred is separated from the photoreceptor surface and introduced into the image fixing means where the image is fixed, and is printed out as a duplicate (copy) outside the device. After the image has been transferred, the surface of the photoreceptor is cleaned by the cleaning means to remove any remaining toner, and then is neutralized before being used repeatedly for image formation.

[0149] (Toner storage unit) The toner storage unit in the present invention refers to a unit having a function of storing toner and storing the toner. Examples of the toner storage unit include a toner storage container, a developing unit, and a process cartridge. The toner storage container refers to a container that stores toner. The developing device has a means for storing toner and developing the toner. The process cartridge is a cartridge that integrates at least an image carrier and a developing unit, contains toner, and is detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus. The process cartridge may further include at least one selected from a charging unit, an exposure unit, and a cleaning unit.

[0150] By mounting the toner storage unit of the present invention on an image forming apparatus and forming an image, the image is formed using the toner of the present invention, and therefore an image having good charging properties as well as antibacterial and antiviral properties can be stably formed.

[0151] (Printed material) According to the present invention, a printed matter having an image made from the toner of the present invention can be obtained. The printed matter of the present invention has a recording medium (substrate) and an image made from the toner of the present invention formed on the recording medium. By using the toner of the present invention (antibacterial and antiviral toner), a printed matter having antibacterial and antiviral properties can be obtained. The printed matter of the present invention preferably has a layer of color toner formed on a recording medium and a layer of the toner of the present invention (antibacterial and antiviral layer) formed on the color toner layer.

[0152] The antibacterial and antiviral layer of the present invention has a toner adhesion amount of 0.45 mg / cm on white paper with a chroma of less than 2 and a brightness of 96 or more. 2 When a solid image is formed, the image saturation immediately after the formation of the solid image is 3.5 or more and less than 6, the hue angle is 65° or more and 88° or less, and the brightness is 91 or more. When the image saturation is 3.5 or higher, the coloring of the background is noticeable, but even if the silver ion antibacterial material discolors afterwards, the change is not noticeable because the material is already colored. Also, when the saturation is 8 or lower, the areas that should be expressed as white in an image designed with color toner tend to be perceived as white. Similarly, when the brightness is 91 or higher, areas that are intended to be white in an image designed with color toner tend to be perceived as white. Furthermore, discoloration of the image becomes less noticeable when the hue angle of the pre-colored antibacterial and antiviral layer is set to the same hue angle as the change in the silver ion antibacterial material.Since discoloration of silver ion antibacterial materials tends to occur at a hue angle of 65° to 88°, pre-coloring the antibacterial and antiviral layer to a color with the same hue angle makes the discoloration less noticeable than when the antibacterial and antiviral layer is colored from white.

[0153] In the present invention, the hue angle (H), lightness (*L), and chroma (*c) can be measured using an X-rite 938 (manufactured by X-rite) under the conditions of status A, M0, and d50. [Example]

[0154] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. Note that "parts" refers to "parts by mass" unless otherwise specified.

[0155] (Toner manufacturing) <Toner A-1 to A-16> The raw materials for the toner were as follows: Polyester resin 1 (RN-306SF, manufactured by Kao Corporation, weight average molecular weight Mw 7,700, acid value 4 mg KOH / g) 65 parts Polyester resin 2 (RN-290SF, manufactured by Kao Corporation, weight average molecular weight Mw 11,000, acid value 4 mg KOH / g) 25 parts Wax dispersant (EXD-001, manufactured by Sanyo Chemical Co., Ltd.) 5 parts Monoester wax 1 (melting point 70.5°C) 5 parts Salicylic acid derivative zirconium salt A 1 part For a total of 101 parts of toner standard composition, 3.5 parts of silver ion antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic) Pigment Red (PR) 57:1 (Dainichi Seika Chemicals ECR-103, Carmine Lake) 0.015 parts Pigment Yellow (PY) 180 (Clariant Chemicals Toner Yellow HG, disazo type) 0.085 parts The toner raw materials to which the above was added were premixed using a Henschel mixer (FM20B, manufactured by Nippon Coke & Engineering Co., Ltd.), and then melted and kneaded at a temperature of 100 to 130°C in a single-screw kneader (Ko-Kneader kneader, manufactured by Buss). The obtained kneaded product was cooled to room temperature and then coarsely pulverized to 200 μm to 300 μm using a Rotoplex. The coarsely pulverized particles were finely pulverized using a counter jet mill (100AFG, manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation) while appropriately adjusting the pulverization air pressure so that the weight average particle size would be 6.5±0.3 μm, and then classified using an air classifier (EJ-LABO, manufactured by Matsubo Corporation) while appropriately adjusting the louver opening so that the weight average particle size would be 6.8 μm and the ratio of weight average particle size / number average particle size would be 1.18 or less, thereby obtaining [toner base particles A-1].

[0156] For 101 parts of the toner standard composition, Silver ion antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic) 4.0 parts ·Pigment Red 57:1 (ECR-103 manufactured by Dainichiseika Chemical Co., Ltd.) 0.01 part Pigment Yellow 180 (Clariant Chemical Toner Yellow HG) 0.09 parts The toner raw material to which the above was added was processed in the same manner as in the case of the toner base particles A-1, to obtain the toner base particles A-2.

[0157] Similarly, for 101 parts of the toner standard composition, Silver ion antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic) 5.0 parts Pigment Red 269 (DIC TOKUSHIKI RED 1022, naphthol type) 0.01 parts Pigment Yellow 74 (FAST Yellow 7410, monoazo type, manufactured by Dainichi Seika Chemicals Co., Ltd.) 0.03 parts The toner raw material to which the above was added was processed in the same manner as in the case of the toner base particles A-1, to obtain the toner base particles A-3.

[0158] Similarly, for 101 parts of the toner standard composition, Silver ion antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic) 5.0 parts ·Pigment Red 57:1 (ECR-103 manufactured by Dainichiseika) 0.03 parts Pigment Yellow 180 (Clariant Chemical Toner Yellow HG) 0.17 parts The toner raw material to which the above was added was processed in the same manner as in the case of the toner base particles A-1, to obtain the toner base particles A-4.

[0159] Similarly, for 101 parts of the toner standard composition, 3.5 parts of silver ion antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic) ·Pigment Red 57:1 (ECR-103 manufactured by Dainichiseika Chemical Co., Ltd.) 0.02 parts Pigment Yellow 180 (Clariant Chemical Toner Yellow HG) 0.18 parts The toner raw material to which the above was added was processed in the same manner as in the case of the toner base particles A-1, to obtain the toner base particles A-5.

[0160] Similarly, for 101 parts of the toner standard composition, Silver ion antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic) 4.0 parts ·Pigment Red 269 (DIC TOKUSHIKI RED 1022) 0.02 parts Pigment Yellow 74 (Dainichi Seika Chemicals Co., Ltd. FAST Yellow 7410) 0.06 parts The toner raw material to which the above was added was processed in the same manner as in the case of the toner base particles A-1, to obtain the toner base particles A-6.

[0161] Similarly, for 101 parts of the toner standard composition, Silver ion antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic) 4.0 parts ·Pigment Red 57:1 (ECR-103 manufactured by Dainichiseika) 0.05 parts Pigment Yellow 180 (Clariant Chemical Toner Yellow HG) 0.28 parts The toner raw material to which the above was added was processed in the same manner as in the case of the toner base particles A-1, to obtain the toner base particles A-7.

[0162] Similarly, for 101 parts of the toner standard composition, Silver ion antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic) 5.0 parts ·Pigment Red 57:1 (ECR-103 manufactured by Dainichiseika Chemical Co., Ltd.) 0.024 parts Pigment Yellow 180 (Clariant Chemical Toner Yellow HG) 0.25 parts The toner raw material to which the above was added was processed in the same manner as in the case of the toner base particles A-1, to obtain the toner base particles A-8.

[0163] Similarly, for 101 parts of the toner standard composition, 3.5 parts of silver ion antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic) ·Pigment Red 269 (DIC TOKUSHIKI RED 1022) 0.025 parts Pigment Yellow 74 (Dainichi Seika Chemicals Co., Ltd. FAST Yellow 7410) 0.075 parts The toner raw material to which the above was added was processed in the same manner as in the case of the toner base particles A-1, to obtain the toner base particles A-9.

[0164] Similarly, for 101 parts of the toner standard composition, 3.5 parts of silver ion antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic) The toner raw material to which the above was added was processed in the same manner as in the case of the toner base particles A-1, to obtain the toner base particles A-10.

[0165] Similarly, for 101 parts of the toner standard composition, Silver ion antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic) 5.0 parts The toner raw material to which the above was added was processed in the same manner as in the case of the toner base particles A-1, to obtain the toner base particles A-11.

[0166] Similarly, for 101 parts of the toner standard composition, Silver ion antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic) 4.0 parts ·Pigment Red 269 (DIC TOKUSHIKI RED 1022) 0.04 parts Pigment Yellow 74 (Dainichi Seika Chemicals Co., Ltd. FAST Yellow 7410) 0.06 parts The toner raw material to which the above was added was processed in the same manner as in the case of the toner base particles A-1, to obtain the toner base particles A-12.

[0167] Similarly, for 101 parts of the toner standard composition, Silver ion antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic) 4.0 parts ·Pigment Red 57:1 (ECR-103 manufactured by Dainichiseika) 0.03 parts Pigment Yellow 180 (Clariant Chemical Toner Yellow HG) 0.15 parts The toner raw material to which the above was added was processed in the same manner as in the case of the toner base particles A-1, to obtain the toner base particles A-13.

[0168] Similarly, for 101 parts of the toner standard composition, Silver ion antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic) 4.0 parts ·Pigment Red 269 (DIC TOKUSHIKI RED 1022) 0.01 part Pigment Yellow 74 (Dainichi Seika Chemicals Co., Ltd. FAST Yellow 7410) 0.04 parts The toner raw material to which the above was added was processed in the same manner as in the case of the toner base particles A-1, to obtain the toner base particles A-14.

[0169] Similarly, for 101 parts of the toner standard composition, Silver ion antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic) 4.0 parts Pigment Brown 25 (PV FAST BROWN HFR manufactured by Clariant Chemical Co.) 0.02 parts The toner raw material to which the above was added was processed in the same manner as in the case of the toner base particles A-1, to obtain the toner base particles A-15.

[0170] Similarly, for 101 parts of the toner standard composition, Silver ion antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic) 4.0 parts ·Pigment Red 57:1 (ECR-103 manufactured by Dainichiseika) 0.05 parts The toner raw material to which the above was added was processed in the same manner as in the case of the toner base particles A-1, to obtain the toner base particles A-15.

[0171] Furthermore, toner base particles B-1 to B-15 were obtained in the same manner, except that the silver ion-based antibacterial material A (Zeomic AJ10N manufactured by Synanon Zeomic Co., Ltd.) of toner base particles A-1 to A-15 was replaced with silver ion-based antibacterial material B (Ion Pure ZAF HS manufactured by Ishizuka Glass Co., Ltd.).

[0172] Next, 1.0 part of fumed silica (ZD-30ST, manufactured by Tokuyama Corporation), 0.5 parts of fumed silica (UFP-35HH, manufactured by Denki Kagaku Co., Ltd.), and 0.5 parts of titanium dioxide (MT-150AFM, manufactured by Teika Corporation) were added to 100 parts of the toner base particles, and the mixture was stirred and mixed in a Henschel mixer.The mixture was then sieved through a 400 mesh screen to produce [Toner A-1] to [Toner A-15] and [Toner B-1] to [Toner B-15].The weight average particle diameter Y of the toner is 6.8 μm.

[0173] <Preparation of two-component developer> <<Creating a carrier>> The raw materials for the carrier were as follows: Silicone resin (organo straight silicone) 100 parts 100 parts toluene γ-(2-aminoethyl)aminopropyltrimethoxysilane 5 parts Carbon black 10 parts

[0174] The mixture of the above raw materials was dispersed in a homomixer for 20 minutes to prepare a coating layer forming solution. The coating layer forming solution and Mn ferrite particles with a weight-average particle size of 35 μm as the core material were used in a fluidized bed coating device, and the temperature in the fluidized bed was controlled at 70°C to coat and dry the core material to an average film thickness of 0.20 μm. The coating was then fired in an electric furnace at 180°C for 2 hours to obtain a [carrier].

[0175] <<Preparation of two-component developer>> Two-component developers were prepared using the above-produced [Toner A-1] to [Toner A-15] and [Toner B-1] to [Toner B-15] and the above-mentioned [Carrier]. To prepare the two-component developers, the toner and carrier were uniformly mixed for 5 minutes at 48 rpm using a Turbler mixer (manufactured by Willy & Bachofen (WAB)) and then charged to prepare each two-component developer. The toner and carrier mixing ratio was adjusted to match the toner concentration (5% by mass) of the initial developer for the evaluation machine.

[0176] (Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Examples 1 to 10) A production printer (RICOH Pro C7110, manufactured by Ricoh Co., Ltd.) equipped with five colors of toner, namely, yellow toner, magenta toner, cyan toner, black toner, and special color toner, was used. Toners A-1 to A-15 were sequentially inserted into the special color toner unit of the fifth station of the printer.

[0177] <Toner adhesion amount adjustment> The paper used was PPC paper TYPE 6000 (70W) manufactured by Ricoh Co., Ltd., and first, a 5 cm x 5 cm solid patch of each of the above color toners was printed. The output solid patch portion was cut out with scissors to prepare a cut-out piece. The mass of the cut-out piece was measured using a precision balance, and the toner in the solid patch portion (unfixed image) was blown off with an air gun, and the mass of the cut-out piece was measured again. The amount of toner adhesion was calculated using the following formula from the mass values ​​before and after blowing off the toner with the air gun. Toner adhesion amount (mg / cm 2 ) = ((mass of the cut piece with the solid patch) - (mass of the cut piece after blowing)) / 25 The adhesion amount of each of the color toners was 0.45 mg / cm 2 The development conditions were adjusted so that Similarly, 0.45 mg / cm of toners A-1 to A-15 2 We have identified the development conditions that result in this.

[0178] <Evaluation image output> The paper is COTED glossy paper (135g / m 2 The toner adhesion amount was adjusted to 0.45 mg / cm for each color by adjusting the toner adhesion amount as described above. 2 The sample color image shown in Fig. 12 and toners A-1 to A-15 were printed on the paper so as to fill the dotted frame in Fig. 12 with a solid color, thereby obtaining an evaluation image. The COTED glossy paper has a chroma of 1.6 and a brightness of 97.

[0179] <Evaluation> (Initial coloring) A sensory evaluation was conducted with 20 monitors randomly selected from men and women in their 20s to 50s, who were able to recognize the difference in color inside and outside the dotted frame in the sample image in Figure 12, and whether they could recognize the white parts of the image, such as the cup, plate, and beer foam, as white. Inside and outside the frame: The area within the dotted line was evaluated based on whether it was clearly recognized as colored. Even if it was recognized as colored, if it passed the evaluation of the white area described below, there would be no problem with use, so this was a reference evaluation. White areas: Evaluated whether they could be recognized as white in the image. Recognizable as white was a pass, while unrecognizable was a fail. Pass marks were given to 18 or more people, and X marks were given to 17 or fewer people. Immediately after the image was output, the hue angle (H), lightness (*L), and chroma (*c) were measured by the above-mentioned measuring methods.

[0180] (Discoloration evaluation) The evaluation image was stored for one month under irradiation with light of 5000 Lx, and then the same evaluation as for the initial coloring was carried out. Furthermore, the initial image was created again, and the degree of discoloration was compared with that of the image sample after storage. Comparison of initial and post-storage: If discoloration was not noticeable, it was passed, if it was noticeable, it was failed. If 18 or more people passed, it was marked O, and if 17 or less people passed, it was marked X.

[0181] Areas in the initial image that represented white, such as cups, plates, and beer foam, were recognized and evaluated as white, and areas in the image after storage that represented white were also recognized and evaluated as white.A comparison of the initial image and the image after storage resulted in a score of 0, giving the overall evaluation a pass.

[0182] Table 1 shows the details of the toners in Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Examples 1 to 10 and the evaluation results.

[0183] [Table 1]

[0184] (Examples 7 to 12 and Comparative Examples 11 to 20) A production printer (RICOH Pro C7110, manufactured by Ricoh Co., Ltd.) equipped with five colors of toner, namely, yellow toner, magenta toner, cyan toner, black toner, and special color toner, was used. Toners B-1 to B-15 were sequentially inserted into the special color toner unit of the fifth station of the printer.

[0185] <Toner adhesion amount adjustment> The paper used was PPC paper TYPE 6000 (70W) manufactured by Ricoh Co., Ltd., and first, a 5 cm x 5 cm solid patch of each of the above color toners was printed. The output solid patch portion was cut out with scissors to prepare a cut-out piece. The mass of the cut-out piece was measured using a precision balance, and the toner in the solid patch portion (unfixed image) was blown off with an air gun, and the mass of the cut-out piece was measured again. The amount of toner adhesion was calculated using the following formula from the mass values ​​before and after blowing off the toner with the air gun. Toner adhesion amount (mg / cm 2 ) = ((mass of the cut piece with the solid patch) - (mass of the cut piece after blowing)) / 25 The adhesion amount of each of the color toners was 0.45 mg / cm 2 The development conditions were adjusted so that Similarly, 0.45 mg / cm of toner B-1 to B-15 2 We have identified the development conditions that result in this.

[0186] <Evaluation image output> The paper is COTED glossy paper (135g / m 2 The toner adhesion amount was adjusted to 0.45 mg / cm for each color by adjusting the toner adhesion amount as described above. 2 The sample color image shown in Fig. 12 and toners B-1 to B-15 were printed on the paper so as to fill the dotted frame in Fig. 12 with a solid color, thereby obtaining an evaluation image. The COTED glossy paper has a chroma of 1.6 and a brightness of 97.

[0187] <Evaluation> (Initial coloring) A sensory evaluation was conducted with 20 monitors randomly selected from men and women in their 20s to 50s, who were able to recognize the difference in color inside and outside the dotted frame in the sample image in Figure 12, and whether they could recognize the white parts of the image, such as the cup, plate, and beer foam, as white. Inside and outside the frame: The area within the dotted line was evaluated based on whether it was clearly recognized as colored. Even if it was recognized as colored, if it passed the evaluation of the white area described below, there would be no problem with use, so this was a reference evaluation. White areas: Evaluated whether they could be recognized as white in the image. Recognizable as white was a pass, while unrecognizable was a fail. Pass marks were given to 18 or more people, and X marks were given to 17 or fewer people. Immediately after the image was output, the hue angle (H), lightness (*L), and chroma (*c) were measured by the above-mentioned measuring methods.

[0188] (Discoloration evaluation) The evaluation image was stored at 40° C. and 70% RH for 2 weeks, and then evaluated in the same manner as in the initial coloring. Furthermore, the initial image was created again, and the degree of discoloration was compared with that of the image sample after storage. Comparison of initial and post-storage: If discoloration was not noticeable, it was passed, if it was noticeable, it was failed. If 18 or more people passed, it was marked O, and if 17 or less people passed, it was marked X.

[0189] Areas in the initial image that represented white, such as cups, plates, and beer foam, were recognized and evaluated as white, and areas in the image after storage that represented white were also recognized and evaluated as white.A comparison of the initial image and the image after storage resulted in a score of 0, giving the overall evaluation a pass.

[0190] Table 2 shows the details and evaluation results of the toners of Examples 7 to 12 and Comparative Examples 11 to 20.

[0191] [Table 2]

[0192] As a result of the above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to stably form images having antibacterial and antiviral properties, and it is possible to provide a toner that makes discoloration over time less noticeable, thereby obtaining printed matter with inconspicuous discoloration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0193] 14 Image Processing Unit (IPU) 15 Writing section 16 Paper feed section 21 Black (Bk) toner, developer photoconductor drum 22 Yellow (Y) toner, developer photoconductor drum 23 Magenta (M) toner, developer photoconductor drum 24 Cyan (C) toner, developer photoconductor drum 25 Antibacterial and antiviral toner, photoconductor drum for developer [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0194] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-314179 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-241414 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-241423 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-093784

Claims

1. An antibacterial and antiviral toner comprising a silver-based antibacterial material and a pigment, the dye is at least one selected from red dyes and yellow dyes, the antibacterial and antiviral toner contains the silver-based antibacterial material in an amount of 3% by mass or more and 5% by mass or less, The antibacterial and antiviral toner adheres to white paper with a chroma of less than 2 and a brightness of 96 or more at a toner amount of 0.45 mg / cm ２ When a solid image is formed, the image saturation immediately after the formation of the solid image is 3.5 or more and less than 6, the hue angle is 65° or more and 88° or less, and the brightness is 91 or more. An antibacterial and antiviral toner.

2. 2. The antibacterial and antiviral toner according to claim 1, wherein the red colorant is a lake pigment.

3. 2. The antibacterial and antiviral toner according to claim 1, wherein the yellow colorant is a disazo pigment.

4. 4. The antibacterial and antiviral toner according to claim 1, wherein the silver-based antibacterial material is supported on a support made of zeolite or silicon-based glass.

5. 5. The antibacterial and antiviral toner according to claim 1, wherein the silver-based antibacterial material is in the form of a cube or a rectangular parallelepiped.

6. A developer comprising the antibacterial and antiviral toner according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A printed matter having an image made of the antibacterial and antiviral toner according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. A toner storage unit containing the antibacterial and antiviral toner according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

9. an electrostatic latent image carrier; an electrostatic latent image forming means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the electrostatic latent image carrier; a developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image with toner to form a visible image; a transfer means for transferring the visible image onto a recording medium; a fixing means for fixing the transferred image on the recording medium, 6. An image forming apparatus, wherein the toner is the antibacterial and antiviral toner according to claim 1.

10. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the developing means performs development using the antibacterial and antiviral toner according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and a color toner.

11. an electrostatic latent image forming step of forming an electrostatic latent image on an electrostatic latent image carrier; a developing step of developing the electrostatic latent image with toner to form a visible image; a transfer step of transferring the visible image onto a recording medium; a fixing step of fixing the transferred image on the recording medium, 6. An image forming method, wherein the toner is the antibacterial and antiviral toner according to claim 1.

12. 12. The image forming method according to claim 11, wherein the developing step uses the antibacterial and antiviral toner according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and a color toner.

Images