Core Shell Toner with Borax Coupling Agent
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Solution Overview
Problem
Chemically prepared toners struggle to fuse at low temperatures while maintaining stability during shipping and storage, leading to potential caking or blocking issues that result in print flaws.
Innovation Solution
A core shell toner composition is developed, featuring a core with a polymer binder and colorant, surrounded by a shell of styrene acrylate polyester copolymer with a glass transition temperature between 55° C. to 65° C. and a melt temperature between 100° C. to 130° C., along with a reversible borax coupling agent to enhance adhesion and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by stationary object
If the toner is formulated to fuse at low temperatures, then energy consumption is reduced, but the toner may melt during storage and shipping
Solution Approach 1:
The toner is divided into a core and shell structure with distinct functional roles. The core contains the low-melting-point binder for energy-efficient fusing, while the shell contains a high-melting-point binder that provides thermal stability during storage and shipping. This segmentation allows each region to optimize its properties without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the toner particle have different thermal properties tailored to specific functions. The core region has low melting point characteristics for easy fusing, while the shell region has high melting point characteristics for storage stability. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between low-energy fusing and storage reliability.
2Reliability
If a core shell structure with different polymer binders is used, then both low-temperature fusing and storage stability are achieved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
A coupling agent is introduced as an intermediary substance at the interface between the core and shell. This coupling agent facilitates strong adhesion between the two different polymer binder regions, ensuring that the core-shell structure remains intact during processing and application. The coupling agent simplifies the manufacturing by providing a clear chemical bridge between the two phases.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The toner achieves low-energy fusing while passing the ship/storage test, ensuring robustness and preventing caking, thus providing improved print quality and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a melt temperature (Tm) between 100° C. to 130° C.
Implementation Method 2
a reversible borax coupling agent added to the outer surface of the core during the process of making the toner
Data Source
AI summary
A chemically prepared toner composition according to one example embodiment includes a core including at least one polymer binder, a colorant and a release agent; a shell that is formed around the core and includes a third polymer binder; and a borax coupling agent between the core and the shell. The binder for the shell is a styrene acrylic polyester copolymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) between 55° C. to 65° C., a melt temperature (Tm) between 100° C. to 130° C., a peak molecular weight of about 12,000 and acid value from 10-28.