Nanocellulose Inkjet Primer Composition for Faster Drying Prints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printing on substrates like offset coated paper, corrugated paper, and plastic is challenging due to slow drying of aqueous inkjet inks, resulting in poor image quality and reduced durability, and existing primers are not printable via inkjet systems or contain components that cause ink agglomeration.
Innovation Solution
Inkjet primer compositions comprising water, a co-medium, and nanocellulose with resin particles, which form an ink-receiving layer that improves image quality and durability by using piezoelectric inkjet printing systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If aqueous inkjet ink is printed directly on substrates like offset coated paper, corrugated paper, or plastic, then the printing process is simple, but the ink dries slowly resulting in poor image quality and reduced durability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a primer composition as an intermediary layer between the substrate and the aqueous inkjet ink. This primer contains hydrophobic components that accelerate water evaporation and provide a surface more suitable for ink adhesion, thereby reducing drying time while improving image durability without requiring direct printing on the substrate
Solution Approach 2:
The primer composition modifies the surface properties of the substrate by introducing hydrophobic components and controlled porosity. This changes the surface energy and wettability parameters, enabling faster water evaporation and better ink fixation, thus resolving the contradiction between drying speed and image durability
2Reliability
If existing primers contain positively charged components to induce agglomeration of negatively charged ink components, then ink adhesion is improved, but the primer is not printable via inkjet printing systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the charge parameter of the primer components from positive to negative, matching the charge of the ink components. This prevents agglomeration while maintaining printability through inkjet systems, as the like-charged components remain dispersed in the aqueous medium
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the positively charged components from the primer formulation that cause printability issues. Instead, it uses negatively charged components that are compatible with inkjet printing while still providing adequate adhesion through other mechanisms such as hydrophobic interactions and porosity control
3Reliability
If existing primers include polymeric binders to seal off pores of substrates, then image durability is improved, but gloss differential increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a porous primer structure that allows controlled interaction between the ink and substrate. The porosity provides pathways for ink penetration and drying while maintaining surface openness that prevents excessive gloss differential, thus improving durability without sacrificing visual quality
Solution Approach 2:
The primer is formulated as a composite material containing cellulose derivatives, hydrophobic components, and optional inorganic particles. This composite structure provides both the durability needed for image fixation and the surface properties needed to control gloss, balancing protection with aesthetic quality
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-receiving layer significantly reduces gloss differential and enhances water fastness of subsequently printed aqueous inkjet inks, providing improved linewidth, mottle, and raggedness, with a gloss improvement factor of 9 and water fastness factor of 2.
Implementation Method 1
a piezeoelectric inkjet printing system configured to eject droplets of the inkjet primer composition onto an underlying substrate by oscillations of piezoelectric vibrating elements
Data Source
AI summary
Inkjet primer compositions are provided, including those comprising water, a co-medium, one or more types of nanocellulose, and resin particles, wherein the resin particles comprise a polymerization product of reactants comprising one or more types of monomers. Inkjet sets for inkjet printing systems are also provided, including those comprising such an inkjet primer composition; and an aqueous inkjet ink composition for printing on an ink-receiving layer, the ink-receiving layer comprising the resin particles of the inkjet primer composition, the aqueous inkjet ink composition comprising water, a colorant, and additional resin particles.