White Ink Composition for Textile Printing With High Whiteness and Drape
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ink jet textile printing methods using white ink compositions fail to achieve high whiteness and durability of the dyed article without compromising the drape of the textile, and often result in inferior image sharpness and laundering fastness.
Innovation Solution
A white ink composition for ink jet textile printing is developed, incorporating an anionic water-soluble resin neutralized with a basic compound and an anionic resin emulsion with a glass transition temperature of at most 0°C, along with titanium dioxide as the white pigment, to maintain the drape and enhance coating film durability and laundering fastness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If hollow polymer particles are used as the white pigment, then the whiteness degree cannot be improved adequately, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of the white pigment from hollow polymer particles to titanium dioxide (TiO2) powder. This parameter change achieves superior whiteness degree (L* value of 85 or more) and high light stability without the manufacturing complexity associated with hollow polymer particle production. The TiO2 powder is combined with specific resin emulsions and polymer dispersants to achieve the desired performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs conventional, readily available titanium dioxide powder instead of complex hollow polymer particles. This approach uses simple, well-established materials that are easier to manufacture and more cost-effective, while achieving equal or superior whiteness and durability performance.
2Strength
If an ink composition including a resin emulsion with a glass transition temperature of at least 140°C is printed, then the coating film durability is improved, but the drape of the textile piece is damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the glass transition temperature parameter of the resin emulsion from high (≥140°C) to low (≤0°C). This parameter change enables the coating film to remain flexible and maintain the textile's drape while still achieving adequate durability. The low Tg resin emulsion prevents the coating from becoming rigid and damaging the fabric's natural draping properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite ink composition combining titanium dioxide pigment, low glass transition temperature resin emulsion (≤0°C), and polymer dispersant. This composite formulation achieves a balance between coating film durability and textile drape, resolving the contradiction between strength and shape retention.
3Stability of the object's composition
If aqueous ink using a pigment is used instead of a dye, then the light stability is improved, but the reproducible color area becomes limited and post steps become troublesome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the printing process into distinct stages: first printing white ink to create a bright base layer, then printing colored inks on top. This segmentation allows the use of pigment-based inks with high light stability while achieving broad color reproduction through the white base enhancement, and reduces post-step complexity by establishing a stable foundation layer.
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 achieves high whiteness and improved durability of the dyed article while maintaining the textile's drape, ensuring effective image sharpness and laundering fastness, as demonstrated by the evaluation results.
Implementation Method 1
an anionic resin emulsion with a glass transition temperature of at most 0°C
Implementation Method 2
a polymer dispersant (A) obtained by neutralizing an anionic water-soluble resin having a glass transition temperature of 0 to 80°C, an acid value of 100 to 300 mg KOH/g and a mass average molecular weight of 5,000 to 30,000 with a basic compound
Data Source
AI summary
The object of the invention is to provide a white ink composition for ink jet textile printing by which even if printing is carried out without discoloring the dye of textile piece, the whiteness degree of a dyed article obtained is high and the dyed article superior in coating film durability and laundering fastness is further obtained without losing the drape of the textile piece. The invention is directed to a white ink composition for ink jet textile printing including a white pigment, a polymer dispersant, an anionic resin emulsion and an aqueous medium, wherein the polymer dispersant is a polymer dispersant (A) obtained by neutralizing a anionic water-soluble resin having a glass transition temperature of 0 to 80° C., an acid value of 100 to 300 mgKOH/g and a mass average molecular weight of 5000 to 30000 with a basic compound, and the anionic resin emulsion is an anionic resin emulsion (B) with a glass transition temperature of at most 0° C, and the mass ratio of the content of the polymer dispersant (A) and that of the anionic resin emulsion (B) is (A)/(B)=1/5 to 1/10 converted to each solid content.