Magnetic recording medium having narrow pulse width characteristics

1. A dual-layer magnetic recording medium comprising a non-magnetic substrate having a front side and a back side, a lower support layer formed over the front side and a magnetic upper recording layer formed over said lower layer, comprising a volume concentration of at least about 35% of a primary magnetic metallic particulate pigment having a coercivity of at least about 2000 Oe, said magnetic pigment particles having an average particle length of no more than about 100 nm, and a binder for the pigment, wherein said medium has a remanence-thickness product, Mr*t, of less than about 5.0 memu/cm 2 , an orientation ratio greater than about 2.0, and a PW50 of less than about 500 nm.

2. A dual-layer magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 wherein said magnetic recording medium has a remanence-thickness product of less than 4.0 memu/cm 2.

3. A dual-layer magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 wherein said upper magnetic layer comprises said magnetic metallic particulate pigment in a volume concentration of at least about 40%.

4. A dual-layer magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 , having an orientation ratio greater than about 2.2.

5. A dual-layer magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 wherein the magnetic recording medium has a PW50 of less than about 450 nm.

6. A dual-layer magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 wherein said magnetic pigment has a coercivity of at least about 2300 Oe, and the magnetic pigment particles have an average length no greater than about 80 nm.

7. A dual-layer magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 wherein said binder system comprises a hard resin component and a soft resin component.

8. A dual-layer magnetic recording medium according to claim 7 wherein said soft resin component is a polyurethane resin.

9. A dual-layer magnetic recording medium according to claim 7 wherein said hard resin component is a vinyl chloride resin.

10. A dual-layer magnetic recording medium according to claim 7 wherein said hard resin component is a nonhalogenated vinyl resin.

11. A dual-layer magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 wherein said magnetic recording layer further comprises a large carbon particle material having a particle size of from about 50 to about 500 nm.

12. A dual layer magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 wherein the upper layer comprises a primary ferromagnetic pigment, aluminum oxide, a spherical large particle carbon material having a particle size of from about 50 to about 500 nm, a polyurethane binder, a vinyl chloride binder, a hardener, a fatty acid ester lubricant, and a fatty acid lubricant.

13. A dual-layer magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 wherein said lower layer comprises:

a pigment powder that is essentially nonmagnetic or a soft magnetic powder having a coercivity of less than about 300 Oe, and a resin binder system therefor.

14. A dual-layer magnetic recording medium according to claim 13 wherein said lower layer further includes a fatty acid ester lubricant, a fatty acid lubricant dispersed in said binder.

15. A dual-layer magnetic recording medium according to claim 13 wherein said conductive carbon black comprises less than about 5 weight percent of said lower layer.

16. A dual-layer magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 further comprising a back coat coated on said back side of said substrate.

17. A dual-layer magnetic recording medium according to claim 16 , wherein the back coat includes a carbon black pigment, a urethane binder, and at least one compound selected from phenoxy resin and nitrocellulose.

18. A magnetic recording medium according to claim 16 wherein the back coat further comprises carbon black, and a metal oxide selected from titanium dioxide, aluminum oxide, and a mixture thereof.