Hybrid chemically-produced toners
View Patent ↗Provided according to some embodiments of the present invention are hybrid chemically-produced toners produced by a method including forming a resin component including a) at least one of a water reducible acrylic resin and a water dispersible polyester resin; and b) an epoxy; subjecting the resin component to conditions sufficient to form a hybrid resin component; and dispersing the hybrid resin component into water.
1. A hybrid chemically-produced toner produced by a method comprising
forming a resin component comprising a) at least one of a water reducible acrylic resin and a water dispersible polyester resin; and b) an epoxy;
chemically integrating the at least one of a water reducible acrylic resin and a water dispersible polyester resin and the epoxy to form a hybrid resin component; and
dispersing the hybrid resin component into water to form a hybrid chemically-produced toner resin,
wherein the forming of the resin component and the chemically integrating the at least one of a water reducible acrylic resin and a water dispersible polyester resin and the epoxy are performed without the use of surfactants, emulsifiers, stabilizers or chain transfer agents.
2. The hybrid chemically-produced toner of claim 1 , wherein the resin component further comprises a pigment component and a wax component.
3. The hybrid chemically-produced toner of claim 1 , wherein the chemically integrating the at least one of a water reducible acrylic resin and a water dispersible polyester resin and the epoxy comprises heating the resin component at a temperature of in a range of about 88 to about 92° C. for a time in a range of about 4 to about 5 hours.
4. The hybrid chemically-produced toner of claim 3 , wherein the chemically integrating the at least one of a water reducible acrylic resin and a water dispersible polyester resin and the epoxy further comprises mixing the resin component at a high shear rate.
5. The hybrid chemically-produced toner of claim 1 having a particle size distribution of less than about 4.
6. The hybrid chemically-produced toner of claim 1 , wherein the epoxy is a solid epoxy resin and/or a glycidyl (meth)acrylate/acrylic acid copolymer (GMA acrylic).
7. The hybrid chemically-produced toner of claim 1 , wherein the water reducible acrylic resin, if present, is present as an aqueous solution; the polyester resin, if present, is present as an aqueous dispersion; and the epoxy is present as an alcoholic solution.
8. The hybrid chemically-produced toner of claim 7 , wherein the method further comprises heating the hybrid resin component dispersed in water in order to remove the alcohol.
9. The hybrid chemically-produced toner of claim 1 having a glass transition temperature in a range of about 45° C. to about 120° C. and a T 1/2 in a range of about 90° C. to about 190° C.