Hexagonal Boron Nitride Toner Particles for Adhesion Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current toners used in electrophotography face challenges in maintaining transferability and chargeability over long periods, particularly due to the separation of boron nitride particles from toner surfaces, leading to decreased image density and increased fogging in long-life printing machines.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating hexagonal inorganic fine particles, such as boron nitride, aluminum nitride, or gallium nitride, with a boric acid component in the toner, which enhances adhesion and maintains the lubricity of the toner, thereby improving transferability and chargeability by forming strong interactions with the borate ions present on the toner surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If boron nitride particles are externally added to toner to improve transferability, then lubricity is improved, but particles separate from toner surfaces over time
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses composite inorganic fine particles consisting of boron nitride combined with aluminum oxide or silicon oxide. This composite structure maintains the high lubricity of boron nitride while the aluminum oxide or silicon oxide component provides anchoring sites that prevent particle separation, thus resolving the contradiction between transferability and adhesion stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical and chemical parameters of the inorganic particles by controlling particle size (0.1-10 μm), shape (irregular or spherical), and surface properties through the composite structure. These parameter changes enable the particles to maintain both lubricity for transferability and surface anchoring for adhesion stability.
2Reliability
If metal ions are used to crosslink boron nitride particles to the binder resin, then adhesion is improved, but volume resistivity decreases and chargeability degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes metal ions from the system by using inorganic fine particles made of boron nitride combined with aluminum oxide or silicon oxide instead of metal ion crosslinking. This eliminates the harmful effect of metal ions on volume resistivity and chargeability while still achieving adhesion through the composite particle structure.
3Ease of operation
If boron nitride particles are used to maintain transferability, then lubricity is improved, but particles bury in or separate from toner particles
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure of boron nitride with aluminum oxide or silicon oxide creates a heterogeneous particle where the aluminum oxide or silicon oxide phase provides structural stability and prevents burying, while the boron nitride phase maintains lubricity. This resolves the contradiction between transferability and composition stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local quality by having different regions within the inorganic fine particles serve different functions: boron nitride regions provide lubricity for transferability, while aluminum oxide or silicon oxide regions provide structural stability and prevent particle burying or separation.
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 proposed solution ensures stable transferability and high charge quantity of the toner even after prolonged use, preventing separation of inorganic fine particles and maintaining image quality in long-life electrophotographic applications.
Implementation Method 1
enhances adhesion and maintains the lubricity of the toner, thereby improving transferability and chargeability by forming strong interactions with the borate ions present on the toner surfaces
Implementation Method 2
maintains the lubricity of the toner, thereby improving transferability and chargeability
Data Source
AI summary
A toner contains toner particles containing a binder resin, and inorganic fine particles is provided. The toner particles exhibit a peak derived from boric acid when subjected to ATR-IR spectroscopy using germanium as the ATR crystal. The inorganic fine particles include inorganic fine particles A made of a nitride of a group 13 element of the periodic table, and the inorganic fine particles A have a hexagonal crystal structure in X-ray diffraction analysis.