Photothermographic materials containing 4-substituted urazoles

1. A black-and-white aqueous-based photothermographic material comprising a support and having thereon at least one photothermographic imaging layer comprising a hydrophilic polymer binder or a water-dispersible polymer latex binder, and comprising, in reactive association:

a. a photosensitive silver halide,

b. a non-photosensitive source of reducible silver ions other than a silver salt of a urazole,

c. a reducing agent for said reducible silver ions, and

d. at least 0.00005 mol/m 2 of a 4-substituted urazole.

2. The material of claim 1 wherein said 4-substituted urazole has an alkyl, aryl, or cycloalkyl group in the 4-position.

3. The material of claim 1 wherein said 4-substituted urazole is represented by the following Structure (I):

wherein R is an alkyl, aryl, or cycloalkyl group.

4. The material of claim 3 wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl or naphthyl group or an unsubstituted alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms.

5. The material of claim 1 wherein said 4-substituted urazole includes one or more of the following compounds UR-1 through UR-13:

.

6. The material of claim 5 wherein said 4-substituted urazole is one or more of Compounds UR-1, UR-2, UR-3, UR-4, UR-5, and UR-6.

7. The material of claim 1 wherein said 4-substituted urazole is present in an amount of from about 0.0001 to about 0.01 mol/m 2 .

8. The material of claim 1 wherein said 4-substituted urazole is present in said at least one photothermographic imaging layer.

9. The material of claim 1 wherein said non-photosensitive source of reducible silver ions is a silver salt of a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound containing an imino group, said reducing agent is an ascorbic acid or a reductone, and said photosensitive silver halide is present predominantly as tabular silver halide grains.

10. The material of claim 1 wherein said non-photosensitive source of reducible silver ions comprises a silver benzotriazole, said reducing agent is a fatty acid ester of ascorbic acid, and said hydrophilic binder is gelatin, a gelatin derivative, or a cellulosic material, and said material further comprising a protective overcoat disposed over said one or more photothermographic imaging layers, and said protective overcoat comprises gelatin or a gelatin derivative as the binder.

11. A black-and-white photothermographic material comprising a support having on a frontside thereof,

a) one or more frontside photothermographic imaging layers comprising a hydrophilic polymer binder or a water-dispersible polymer latex binder, and in said one or more frontside photothermographic imaging layers, in reactive association, a photosensitive silver halide, a non-photosensitive source of reducible silver ions, and a reducing agent for said non-photosensitive source reducible silver ions,

b) said material comprising on the backside of said support, one or more backside photothermographic imaging layers having the same or different composition as said frontside photothermographic imaging layers, and

c) optionally, an outermost protective layer disposed over said one or more photothermographic imaging layers on either or both sides of said support,

wherein said material further comprises, on one or both sides of said support, at least 0.00001 mol/m 2 of a 4-substituted urazole.

12. The material of claim 11 wherein said photosensitive silver halide is sensitive to electromagnetic radiation of from about 300 to about 450 nm.

13. The material of claim 11 wherein said photothermographic imaging layers on both sides of said support are essentially the same, said non-photosensitive source of reducible silver ions is a silver benzotriazole, said reducing agent is a fatty acid ester of ascorbic acid, said photosensitive silver halide is present predominantly as tabular grains of silver bromide or silver iodobromide, and said 4-substituted urazole on both sides of said support is the same compound represented by the following Structure (I):

wherein R is an alkyl, aryl, or cycloalkyl amino group.

14. The material of claim 11 wherein said photothermographic imaging layers on both sides of said support have been coated as an aqueous formulation comprising an aqueous solvent, and said outermost protective overcoat layer comprises gelatin or a gelatin derivative as the binder.

15. A method of forming a visible image comprising:

(A) imagewise exposing the photothermographic material of claim 1 to form a latent image,

(B) simultaneously or sequentially, heating said exposed photothermographic material to develop said latent image into a visible image.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said photothermographic material is arranged in association with one or more phosphor intensifying screens during imaging.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising using said exposed photothermographic material for medical diagnosis.

18. An imaging assembly comprising the photothermographic material of claim 1 that is arranged in association with one or more phosphor intensifying screens.

19. The imaging assembly of claim 18 wherein said photothermographic material comprises a photosensitive silver halide that is spectrally sensitive to a wavelength of from about 300 to about 450 nm, and said phosphor intensifying screens are capable of emitting radiation in the range of from about 300 to about 450 nm.