Crosslinked Polyester Toner with Block Copolymer for Fixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current toners face challenges in achieving high low temperature fixability, mechanical durability, and resistance to hot offset problems, with existing solutions failing to provide a sufficient balance between low temperature fixability and high temperature preservability while maintaining good abrasion resistance.
Innovation Solution
A toner formulation incorporating a crosslinked polyester resin and a block copolymer with a crystalline and non-crystalline segment, where the crosslinked polyester resin includes an aliphatic diol component and a crosslinked component with three or more valences, and the block copolymer has a specific glass transition temperature range, enabling improved fluidity and deformability during fixing while maintaining high temperature preservability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a crystalline resin is used as binder resin to achieve low temperature fixability, then fixing temperature is decreased, but the resin becomes soft and causes plastic deformation leading to poor mechanical durability
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite binder resin system comprising both a crystalline resin (providing low temperature fixability through sharp melting at 60-80°C) and a non-crystalline resin (providing mechanical strength and abrasion resistance). This composite approach allows the toner to benefit from both the low fixing temperature of crystalline resins and the mechanical durability of non-crystalline resins, resolving the contradiction between softness and mechanical strength.
2Ease of operation
If a crystalline resin with melting point for low temperature fixability is used, then low temperature fixability is improved, but the resin is soft and causes deformation and agglomeration
Solution Approach 1:
The composite binder resin system combines a crystalline resin (30-70 wt%) that provides low temperature fixability with a non-crystalline resin (30-70 wt%) that provides stability and prevents deformation. The non-crystalline resin maintains structural integrity during handling and storage, while the crystalline resin enables low temperature fixing, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and compositional stability.
3Manufacturing precision
If toner particle diameter is reduced to produce high quality images, then image quality is improved, but mechanical durability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The use of composite binder resin (crystalline + non-crystalline) provides enhanced mechanical strength that allows toner particles to be made smaller (d10: 3-8 μm, d50: 4-6 μm) while maintaining durability. The non-crystalline resin component specifically contributes to abrasion resistance, enabling small particle size for high image quality without sacrificing mechanical durability.
4Reliability
If a crystalline resin is used to achieve high temperature preservability, then preservability below melting point is improved, but the resin becomes soft above melting point causing hot offset problems
Solution Approach 1:
The composite binder resin system resolves the hot offset problem by combining a crystalline resin (providing high temperature preservability below its melting point of 60-80°C) with a non-crystalline resin (providing stability at higher temperatures). The non-crystalline resin prevents the toner from becoming too soft and causing hot offset, while the crystalline resin maintains preservability during storage and transport.
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 solution provides a toner with enhanced low temperature fixability, a wider fixable temperature range, and improved abrasion resistance, effectively addressing the limitations of existing toners by ensuring good mechanical durability and high temperature preservability.
Implementation Method 1
the crystalline polyester resin and the wax form a sea-island structure (i.e., a phase separation structure) to impart a high level of low temperature fixability to the toner
Implementation Method 2
a crystalline resin in a crystalline state sharply softens at a melting point thereof, it is possible for a toner using such a crystalline resin to have high temperature preservability at a temperature below the melting point thereof while having a significantly decreased fixing temperature
Implementation Method 3
a crosslinked component, which is at least one of a crosslinked component of an aliphatic alcohol having three or more valences and a crosslinked component of an aliphatic acid having three or more valences
Data Source
AI summary
A toner is provided. The toner includes a crosslinked polyester resin, and a block copolymer. The crosslinked polyester resin includes a diol component, which includes an aliphatic diol component having 3 to 10 carbon atoms in an amount of 50% by mole, and a crosslinked component, which is at least one of a crosslinked component of an aliphatic alcohol having three or more valences and a crosslinked component of an aliphatic acid having three or more valences, and the block copolymer includes a crystalline segment (a) and a non-crystalline segment (b). The toner has a first glass transition temperature (Tg1st) of from 20° C. to 50° C., which is determined by subjecting the toner to differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and measuring a glass transition temperature in a first temperature rising process in the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).