Image recording material

1. A negative image recording material comprising an aluminum support and an image recording layer disposed on the support, the image recording layer comprising an amide-acid compound, the amide-acid compound containing a carboxyl group and an amide group,

wherein said amide-acid compound comprises a polymer having a unit represented by General Formula (4):

wherein L 41 , L 42 , L 43 and L 44 may be same or different and each independently represents a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group having 30 or fewer carbon atoms which may have a substituent or a covalent bond;

wherein A 41 represents a hydrocarbon group having 30 or fewer carbon atoms which may have a substituent or a covalent bond; and

A 42 represents a covalent bond, an ester bond, an amide bond, an ether bond or a hydrocarbon group having 30 or fewer carbon atoms;

wherein said amide-acid compound becomes insoluble by a thermal ring-closure reaction between said carboxyl group and said amide group;

and wherein the quantity of said amide-acid compound is in a range of from approximately 0.1% by mass to approximately 50% by mass, based on an entire solid content of a coating liquid for the image recording layer.

2. The negative image recording material as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the image recording layer further comprising a polymerization initiator and a polymerizable compound.

3. The negative image recording material as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the image recording layer further comprises a binder polymer.

4. The negative image recording material according to claim 1 , wherein said image recording layer further comprises a light absorbing agent.

5. The negative image recording material as set forth in claim 4 , wherein said light absorbing agent is an infrared ray absorbing agent.

6. The negative image recording material as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said polymerization initiator is an onium salt.

7. The negative image recording material as set forth in claim 6 , wherein said polymerization initiator is at least one onium salt selected from the group consisting of onium salts expressed by the following General Formulas (III) to (V):

wherein Ar 11 and Ar 12 each independently represents an aryl group having 20 or fewer carbon atoms which may have a substituent;

Ar 21 represents an aryl group having 20 or fewer carbon atoms which may have a substituent; and

R 31 , R 32 and R 33 may be the same or different from one another and each independently represents an aryl group having 20 or fewer carbon atoms which may have a substituent.

8. The negative image recording material as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the coating amount of said image recording layer is in a range of from approximately 0.1 g/m 2 to approximately 5.0 g/m 2 .

9. A negative image recording material comprising:

an aluminum support;

an image recording layer disposed on said support, the image recording layer containing a polymerization initiator and a polymerizable compound; and

an overcoat layer disposed on said image recording layer, the overcoat layer containing an amide-acid compound containing a carboxyl group and an amide group,

wherein said amide-acid compound comprises a polymer having a unit represented by General Formula (4):

wherein L 41 , L 42 , L 43 and L 44 may be same or different and each independently represents a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group having 30 or fewer carbon atoms which may have a substituent or a covalent bond;

wherein A 41 represents a hydrocarbon group having 30 or fewer carbon atoms which may have a substituent or a covalent bond; and

A 42 represents a covalent bond, an ester bond, an amide bond, an ether bond or a hydrocarbon group having 30 or fewer carbon atoms; and

wherein said amide-acid compound becomes insoluble by a thermal ring-closure reaction between said carboxyl group and said amide group.

10. The negative image recording material as set forth in claim 9 , wherein the overcoat layer further comprises a binder polymer.

11. The negative image recording material as set forth in claim 9 , wherein the image recording layer further comprises a binder polymer.

12. The negative image recording material according to claim 9 , wherein said image recording layer further comprises a light absorbing agent.

13. The negative image recording material as set forth in claim 9 , wherein said light absorbing agent is an infrared ray absorbing agent.

14. The negative image recording material as set forth in claim 9 , wherein said polymerization initiator is an onium salt.

15. The negative image recording material as set forth in claim 14 , wherein said polymerization initiator is at least one onium salt selected from the group consisting of onium salts expressed by the following General Formulas (Ill) to (V):

wherein Ar 11 and Ar 42 each independently represents an aryl group having 20 or fewer carbon atoms which may have a substituent;

Ar 21 represents an aryl group having 20 or fewer carbon atoms which may have a substituent; and

R 31 , R 32 and R 33 may be the same or different from one another and each independently represents an aryl group having 20 or fewer carbon atoms which may have a substituent.

16. The negative image recording material as set forth in claim 9 , wherein a quantity of said amide-acid compound is in a range of from approximately 0.1% by mass to approximately 50% by mass, based on an entire solid content of said overcoat layer.

17. The negative image recording material as set forth in claim 9 , wherein the coating amount of said overcoat layer is in a range of from approximately 0.1 g/m 2 to approximately 3.0 g/m 2 .

18. The negative image recording material as set forth in claim 1 , wherein n 21 represents 0 or 1.

19. The negative image recording material as set forth in claim 9 , wherein n 21 represents 0 or 1.