Ink Composition Acetylene Glycol Surfactant Bubble Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet recording technologies face challenges in removing air bubbles from ink compositions, particularly when using high-density recording heads with silicon or hydrophilic members, leading to unstable ink ejection and limited color options due to insufficient wettability and bubble retention.
Innovation Solution
An ink composition containing an acetylene glycol-based surfactant with an HLB value of 9 or less, combined with specific compounds, is used to enhance bubble removal, along with structural features like indentations and changing cross-sectional areas in the flow channel substrate, ensuring stable ink ejection even in recording heads prone to bubble retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional surfactants are used in ink compositions, then the ink can be formulated with standard ingredients, but air bubbles are not effectively removed and wettability to hydrophilic surfaces is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the surfactant by specifying particular structures: polyoxyethylene alkyl ether carboxylic acid salts with 8-18 carbon atoms in the alkyl group and 4-10 oxyethylene units, or sulfonated castor oil derivatives with specific hydroxyl values. These parameter specifications optimize both bubble removal efficiency and wettability to hydrophilic surfaces simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite surfactant systems by combining specific anionic surfactants (polyoxyethylene alkyl ether carboxylic acid salts) with other surfactant types or ink ingredients. This composite approach creates synergistic effects that enhance both air bubble removal and adhesion to hydrophilic recording heads without compromising other ink properties
2Reliability
If dyes are used as surfactants to enhance wettability, then some bubble removal effect is achieved, but the hue adjustment capability is limited and color ink composition flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the surfactant function from the dye component by introducing dedicated surfactant molecules (polyoxyethylene alkyl ether carboxylic acid salts and sulfonated castor oil derivatives). This separation allows dyes to focus on color provision while specialized surfactants handle bubble removal, restoring full hue adjustment capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates multi-functional ink formulations where dedicated surfactants perform bubble removal while separate dye components provide color. The surfactant system is designed to work universally with various dye types, enabling full color gamut and hue adjustment without compromising bubble removal performance
3Manufacturing precision
If recording heads are made with high-density silicon structures for high density recording, then manufacturing precision is improved, but air bubbles are more easily retained and wettability is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the surface interaction parameters by selecting surfactants with specific hydrophilic-lipophilic balance. The specified surfactant structures (with 4-10 oxyethylene units and specific alkyl chain lengths) are optimized to enhance wetting of hydrophilic silicon surfaces, preventing bubble retention in high-density microfabricated recording heads
Solution Approach 2:
The surfactant in the ink composition performs preliminary action by pre-wetting the hydrophilic silicon recording head surface before ink ejection. This preliminary wetting prevents air bubbles from adhering to the surface in the high-density flow channels, ensuring reliable operation of precision-microfabricated recording heads
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 ink composition effectively removes air bubbles, ensuring stable ink ejection and improved recording quality, including better color consistency and reduced ink missing, even in recording heads with structures that typically retain bubbles.
Implementation Method 1
an acetylene glycol-based surfactant having an HLB value of 9 or less
Implementation Method 2
the ink composition contains... an acetylene glycol-based surfactant... air bubbles formed therein can be easily removed
Data Source
AI summary
An ink composition is used in an ink jet recording apparatus including a recording head that includes a nozzle plate having a nozzle aperture through which the ink composition is ejected, and a flow channel substrate having a communication hole acting as a flow channel through which the ink composition flows. The nozzle plate and the flow channel substrate are bonded together with an adhesive such that the communication hole communicates with the nozzle aperture. The ink composition contains a coloring material, an acetylene glycol-based surfactant having an HLB value of 9 or less, and at least one of the compounds expressed by general formula (1): R1O—(CH2—CH2—O)n—R2 or general formula (2): (R3)p—N-{L-(COOM)q}r.