Toner with Strontium Titanate for Instant Solidification
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-speed printing systems experience paper ejection defects due to toner not solidifying instantly, causing paper sheets to stick together or become stained, as existing methods fail to balance low-temperature fixability and separability with rapid solidification.
Innovation Solution
A toner formulation incorporating strontium titanate fine particles with a perovskite crystal structure, which acts as crystal nuclei to promote the crystallization of wax, ensuring instant solidification and preventing paper ejection defects, while maintaining low-temperature fixability and separability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the printing speed is increased for high-speed printing, then productivity is improved, but paper ejection defects occur due to toner not solidifying instantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating strontium titanate fine particles with perovskite crystal structure into the toner formulation before printing. These particles serve as pre-prepared crystal nuclei that are already positioned within the toner, ready to immediately initiate crystallization when the toner melts during fixing, thereby ensuring instant solidification even at high printing speeds
Solution Approach 2:
The strontium titanate fine particles act as an intermediary substance that mediates the phase transition of the toner. These particles facilitate the crystallization process by providing a structural template that guides the molten toner to solidify rapidly, bridging the gap between the melted toner state and the solidified state needed for paper separation
2Ease of operation
If wax is dispersed to improve low-temperature fixability and separability, then ease of operation is improved, but paper ejection defects occur due to delayed solidification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials by combining wax, binder resin, and strontium titanate fine particles with perovskite crystal structure into a unified toner formulation. The wax provides low-temperature fixability and separability, while the strontium titanate particles with their specific crystal structure provide rapid solidification capability, creating a synergistic composite that achieves both objectives simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by carefully controlling the particle size of strontium titanate fine particles (10 nm to 80 nm number average diameter) and their concentration (0.1 to 5 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of toner). These parameter optimizations ensure that the crystal nuclei are sufficiently small and numerous to provide rapid solidification without compromising the low-temperature fixability provided by the wax distribution
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 toner formulation effectively prevents paper ejection defects by ensuring rapid solidification of the toner, while maintaining excellent low-temperature fixability and separability, even in high-speed printing systems.
Implementation Method 1
strontium titanate fine particles having a perovskite crystal structure... acts as crystal nuclei to promote the crystallization of wax
Data Source
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AI summary
A toner comprising a toner particle having a binder resin, a wax and a colorant, and metal titanate fine particles having a perovskite crystal structure, wherein in cross section observation of the toner using a transmission electron microscope, when a proportion of an area occupied by the wax in a surface layer region from the surface of the toner particle to a depth of 1.0 µm is denoted by As, the As is from 5.0% to 30.0%, and a number average particle diameter of primary particles of the metal titanate fine particles is from 10 nm to 80 nm.