Fibril-Shaped Core Toner for Low-Temperature Fixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional toner preparation methods face challenges in achieving high fixing ability and storage stability due to excessive wax content, which leads to toner blocking and offset phenomena, and poor image quality in electrophotographic processes.
Innovation Solution
A toner with a fibril-shaped core containing a binder resin, wax, and a colorant, where the core is extruded and extended to form a fiber phase, and coated with an external additive layer, enhancing compatibility and mechanical properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the content of wax is increased to prevent offset phenomenon or improve fixing ability, then fixing ability is improved, but durability and storage stability are impaired and toner blocking occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The toner is divided into a core portion containing wax and a shell portion coating the core. This segmentation allows the wax to be contained within the core where it can exert its fixing ability, while the shell portion protects the exterior from excessive wax exposure that causes blocking and storage instability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the toner are given different properties: the core contains the wax for fixing ability, while the shell has controlled wax content or different composition to prevent blocking. This local differentiation allows simultaneous optimization of fixing ability and storage stability.
2Reliability
If the content of wax is increased to improve fixing ability, then fixing ability is improved, but toner blocking occurs resulting in poor image quality
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the toner into core and shell portions with different wax distributions, the harmful blocking effect is reduced while maintaining the beneficial fixing ability from the core wax content.
Solution Approach 2:
The shell portion acts as an intermediary layer between the wax-rich core and the external environment, mediating the release and distribution of wax to prevent blocking while allowing sufficient wax transfer for fixing.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a thick shell is formed to create a core-shell structure and improve storability, then storage stability is improved, but the structure becomes more complex and manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The core-shell structure is formed during the polymerization process itself through preliminary action, where the shell forms around the core as polymerization progresses. This integrated formation approach simplifies manufacturing compared to post-processing shell addition.
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 fibril-shaped core toner improves fixing ability, reduces toner blocking and offset, and maintains high-quality image formation with low-temperature fixing, enhancing durability and storage stability.
Implementation Method 1
the core is extruded and extended to have a fiber phase
Implementation Method 2
the core is extruded and extended to have a fiber phase
Implementation Method 3
an external additive layer to coat the core
Data Source
AI summary
A toner includes a core containing a binder resin, wax, and a colorant, and an external additive layer coating the core, wherein the core is prepared such that it is extruded and extended to have a fiber phase, and is pulverized. The toner has an improved fixing ability to allow an electrostatic image to be fixed at a low temperature while having an excellent durability and an improved storage stability, while exhibiting reduced toner blocking and offset phenomena.