Electrostatic Image Developer Zinc Oxide Additives

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional electrostatic image developers face challenges in inhibiting fog in varying environments and maintaining consistent toner conveyance during continuous printing, especially in high-speed printing and low-temperature fixability.

Innovation Solution

The use of plate-shaped zinc oxide fine particles with specific dimensions, including an average longer length of 50 to 2,000 nm and a value of 0.0001 to 0.03 nm−1, as external additives in the electrostatic image developer, which are incorporated in a specific mass ratio with colored resin particles, enhances low-temperature fixability and maintains toner conveyance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional external additives are used, then the toner can achieve desired flowability and charging characteristics, but the toner cannot inhibit fog in both high temperature and high humidity environment and low temperature and low humidity environment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefog inhibitionVSAvoidenvironmental adaptability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the physical parameters of the zinc oxide particles by specifying precise dimensional ranges (average longer length of 50 to 2,000 nm and value S of 0.0001 to 0.03 nm−1) to optimize both fog inhibition across different humidity environments and toner conveyance stability during continuous printing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a composite structure by combining plate-shaped zinc oxide fine particles with colored resin particles in a specific mass ratio (0.05 to 1 part by mass per 100 parts by mass of colored resin particles), achieving enhanced performance in both fog inhibition and environmental adaptability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If conventional external additives are used, then the toner can achieve basic charging characteristics, but the toner cannot maintain toner conveyance amount close to the beginning of printing during continuous printing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetoner conveyance stabilityVSAvoidcontinuous printing duration

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent optimizes the dimensional parameters of zinc oxide particles (average longer length and value S within specific ranges) to maintain stable toner conveyance characteristics throughout continuous printing operations, preventing toner scattering and ensuring consistent performance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If conventional external additives are used, then the toner can achieve basic flowability, but the toner cannot maintain excellent low-temperature fixability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelow-temperature fixabilityVSAvoidfixing temperature requirement

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent specifies precise dimensional parameters for plate-shaped zinc oxide particles (value S of 0.0001 to 0.03 nm−1) to enhance low-temperature fixability while maintaining ease of manufacture through controlled particle synthesis

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS9651882B2Electrostatic image developer

Publication Date: 2017.05.16 ZEON CORP

AI summary

Disclosed is an electrostatic image developer containing colored resin particles containing a binder resin and a colorant, and an external additive, wherein, as the external additive, the electrostatic image developer contains plate-shaped zinc oxide fine particles having an average longer length of 50 to 2,000 nm and a value S of 0.0001 to 0.03 nm−1, which is a value obtained by dividing an average thickness d of the particles by an average base area A of the particles, and a content of the plate-shaped zinc oxide fine particles is in the range from 0.05 to 1 part by mass, with respect to 100 parts by mass of the colored resin particles.