Toner Viscoelastic Control for Rough Paper Gloss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing toners face challenges in achieving high gloss and gloss uniformity while maintaining low-temperature fixability and heat-resistant storability, especially when fixed to rough paper, due to uneven heating and rapid changes in elastic to viscous properties.
Innovation Solution
A toner with a specific viscoelastic property profile, where T1, T2, T3, tan δ(T2), and tan δ(T2−10) satisfy certain expressions, ensuring a controlled storage elastic modulus and loss elastic modulus, allowing for sharp melt properties and controlled deformability, thereby achieving both low-temperature fixability and heat-resistant storability with high gloss and uniformity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a crystalline resin is used as binder resin to achieve low-temperature fixability, then the melting rate improves, but gloss uniformity deteriorates on rough paper
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by carefully controlling the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the binder resin within 40-60°C and the melting point of crystalline resin within 50-70°C. By adjusting these thermal parameters and the molecular weight distribution of the resin, the toner achieves both low-temperature fixability and gloss uniformity on rough paper surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining amorphous binder resin with crystalline resin components. This composite structure allows the toner to exhibit both the low-temperature flow characteristics of amorphous resin and the sharp melting properties of crystalline resin, resolving the contradiction between fixability and gloss uniformity.
2Ease of operation
If the toner undergoes rapid change from elastic to viscous properties around melting temperature, then low-temperature fixability improves, but deformation control worsens on protruded portions of rough paper
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by creating a gradual transition zone in the viscoelastic properties of the toner. The binder resin is designed to exhibit elastic behavior at room temperature for heat-resistant storability, then gradually transition to viscous behavior during heating, allowing controlled deformation on rough paper surfaces without excessive pooling or irregularity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls the deformation behavior by adjusting the glass transition temperature and molecular weight distribution of the binder resin. These parameter changes ensure that the toner maintains appropriate viscosity during the fixing process, enabling it to flow into depressed portions of rough paper while limiting excessive deformation on protruded portions.
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 exhibits excellent low-temperature fixability and heat-resistant storability, along with high gloss and uniformity on rough paper, by precisely controlling its viscoelastic properties to manage deformability and melting characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
crystals of crystalline resins rapidly melt when the temperature exceeds the melting point, and the viscosity rapidly decreases as the crystals melt
Implementation Method 2
T1, T2, T3, tan δ(T2), and tan δ(T2−10) satisfy expressions (1) to (4)... T2 (° C.) represents a temperature at which the storage elastic modulus G′ is 1.0×10^7 Pa
Implementation Method 3
measurement of viscoelasticity of the toner, T1 (° C.) represents a temperature at which a storage elastic modulus G′ is 3.0×10^7 Pa... tan δ(T2) represents a ratio (tan δ) of a loss elastic modulus G″ to the storage elastic modulus G′ at the temperature T2 (° C.)
Data Source
AI summary
A toner comprising a toner particle, the toner particle comprising a binder resin, wherein T1, T2, T3, tan δ(T2), and tan δ(T2−10) satisfy expressions (1) to (4):T3−T1≤10 (1)50≤T2≤70 (2)0.30≤tan δ(T2)≤1.00 (3)1.00≤tan δ(T2)/tan δ(T2−10)≤1.90 (4).Where, in measurement of viscoelasticity of the toner, T1(° C.) represents a temperature at which a storage elastic modulus G′ is 3.0×107 Pa, T2(° C.) represents a temperature at which the storage elastic modulus G′ is 1.0×107 Pa, T3(° C.) represents a temperature at which the storage elastic modulus G′ is 3.0×106 Pa, tan δ(T2) represents a ratio (tan δ) of a loss elastic modulus G″ to the storage elastic modulus G′ at the temperature T2(° C.), and tan δ(T2−10) represents the ratio (tan δ) at a temperature: T2−10(° C.).