Toner Surface Reaction Product for Charge Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing toners face challenges in achieving rapid charge rise, environmental stability, and suppressing charge up, particularly in high-humidity environments due to the hygroscopicity of components like titanium oxide and calcium phosphate compounds, leading to trade-offs in performance.
Innovation Solution
A toner with a binder resin surface containing a reaction product of a polyhydric acid and a group 4 element compound, which promotes electron movement and water molecule blocking, enhancing charge rise performance, environmental stability, and suppressing charge up while preventing member contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If hydrophobically treated titanium oxide fine particles with water-soluble component are used to suppress charge up, then charge up is suppressed, but charge quantity declines in high-humidity environments due to moisture absorption by the water-soluble component
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the water-soluble component from the titanium oxide fine particles through hydrophobic treatment. This extraction eliminates the source of moisture absorption while preserving the charge up suppression function, as the hydrophobic treatment maintains the low resistance property without the harmful water-soluble component that causes charge quantity decline in humid environments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the surface property parameter of the titanium oxide fine particles by applying hydrophobic treatment. This parameter change transforms the surface from hydrophilic to hydrophobic, preventing moisture absorption while maintaining the electrical properties needed for charge up suppression and stable charge quantity in high-humidity environments
2Speed
If calcium phosphate-type compound particles are used to improve charging performance, then charge rise performance is improved, but charging performance declines in high-humidity environments due to hygroscopicity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the hygroscopic calcium phosphate-type compound particles from the toner composition. This extraction eliminates the source of moisture absorption that causes charging performance decline in humid environments, while the rapid charge rise performance is maintained through alternative charge control mechanisms using the hydrophobically treated titanium oxide and charge control resin
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite charge control system combining hydrophobically treated titanium oxide fine particles with a charge control resin containing sulfonate salt group-bearing monomer and electron-withdrawing group-bearing aromatic monomer. This composite material achieves rapid charge rise performance without the hygroscopicity problem of calcium phosphate compounds, as the hydrophobic treatment and resin combination provides stable charging performance across humidity conditions
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 achieves simultaneous improvements in charge rise performance, environmental stability, and charge up suppression, maintaining performance across varying humidity levels without the trade-offs seen in previous solutions.
Implementation Method 1
the surface of the toner particle has a reaction product of a polyhydric acid and a compound containing a group 4 element... which promotes electron movement
Implementation Method 2
which promotes electron movement and water molecule blocking... maintaining performance across varying humidity levels
Data Source
AI summary
A toner comprising a toner particle that contains a binder resin, wherein the surface of the toner particle has a reaction product of a polyhydric acid and a compound that contains a group 4 element.