Full Color Toner Set Resin Composition Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current toners for electrophotographic image forming struggle to achieve a balance between low-temperature fixability, thermal resistance, document offset property, color gamut, and environmental charge stability, often requiring compromises in resin composition and acid value differences.
Innovation Solution
A full color toner set using a binder resin composed of an amorphous vinyl polymer, specifically a styrene-acrylic resin with an alkyl (meth)acrylate monomer, and a crystalline polyester resin, with an acid value difference within the range of 1 to 10 mg KOH/g, to enhance low-temperature fixability, thermal resistance, and environmental charge stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a crystalline polyester resin is added as a plasticizer to improve low-temperature fixability, then low-temperature fixability is improved, but thermal resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameters of the binder resin by incorporating specific functional groups (carboxyl, hydroxyl, or amine groups) into the polyester resin structure. This modifies the resin's thermal properties to achieve both low-temperature fixability and thermal resistance simultaneously, rather than treating them as opposing requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite binder resin system by combining polyester resin with specific functional groups and coordinating it with a crystalline resin in defined proportions (1-30 mass% crystalline resin, 70-98 mass% binder resin). This composite structure integrates the low-temperature fixability of crystalline resin with the thermal resistance provided by the functionalized polyester binder
2Temperature
If the acid value of toner is adjusted to achieve good balance between low-temperature fixability and thermal resistance, then fixability and thermal resistance are balanced, but document offset property and color gamut deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the acid value parameter to a specific range (3-20 mg KOH/g) and incorporates functional groups directly into the polyester resin structure. This precise parameter control ensures optimal balance between fixability/thermal resistance while maintaining document offset property and color gamut, avoiding the compromises required by conventional approaches
3Reliability
If conventional resin composition is used to achieve thermal resistance, then thermal resistance is maintained, but low-temperature fixability and environmental charge stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the resin composition parameters by incorporating functional groups (carboxyl, hydroxyl, or amine groups) into the polyester binder resin and controlling the crystalline resin content at 1-30 mass%. This compositional modification enables simultaneous achievement of thermal resistance, low-temperature fixability, and environmental charge stability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite toner structure with specific resin composition (70-98 mass% binder resin containing functionalized polyester, 1-30 mass% crystalline resin) that integrates multiple performance requirements. The functional groups in the polyester binder provide environmental stability while the crystalline resin phase provides low-temperature fixability, maintaining thermal resistance
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 excellent low-temperature fixability, thermal resistance, and environmental charge stability while maintaining document offset property and color gamut, by optimizing the resin composition and acid value range, leading to improved image forming performance.
Implementation Method 1
a toner enabling to improve low-temperature fixability by adding a crystalline resin such as a crystalline polyester resin as a plasticizer (fixing auxiliary agent)
Implementation Method 2
a method of forming an electrophotographic image using a plurality of color toners
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method of forming an electrophotographic image using a plurality of color toners, the method containing: a charging step; an exposing step; a developing step; and a transferring step, wherein the plurality of color toners each respectively contain toner particles including a binder resin, a coloring agent, a releasing agent, and a crystalline resin; the binder resin contains an amorphous vinyl polymer formed with a vinyl monomer; the toner particles contain the amorphous vinyl polymer in the range of 10 to 90 mass %; and a maximum value of an acid value difference of the color toners is in the range of 1 to 10 mg KOH/g.