Heat transfer materials and methods of making and using the same
View Patent ↗Method of making a heat transfer materials are generally provided, along with the materials and the methods of using the materials. A splittable layer can be formed to overlie a base sheet, and an image-receptive coating can be formed to overlie the splittable layer. The image-receptive coating can include thermoplastic microparticles, a thermoplastic binder, and a humectant. The thermoplastic microparticles can be styrene particles having an average particle size of from about 5 microns to about 80 microns and melt at temperatures between about 90° C. and about 115° C. A second thermoplastic microparticle can also be included in the image-receptive coating. Alternatively, a combination of thermoplastic polyester microparticles and thermoplastic polyamide microparticles can be included in the image-receptive coating. The heat transfer material can then be dried. The humectant is configured to draw moisture back into the heat transfer sheet after drying.
1. A heat transfer material configured for hot peel heat transfer of an image to a substrate, the heat transfer material comprising:
a base sheet;
a splittable layer overlying the base sheet; and
an image-receptive coating overlying the splittable layer; wherein the image-receptive coating comprises thermoplastic polystyrene microparticles, a thermoplastic binder, and a humectant, wherein the thermoplastic polystyrene microparticles have an average particle size of from about 5 microns to about 80 microns and melt at temperatures between about 90° C. and about 115° C., and wherein the humectant is configured to draw moisture back into the heat transfer material after drying.
2. The heat transfer material as in claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic polystyrene microparticles melt at temperatures between about 95° C. and about 105° C.
3. The heat transfer material as in claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic polystyrene microparticles have a substantially spherical shape.
4. The heat transfer material as in claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic polystyrene microparticles have an average particle size of from about 38 microns to about 42 microns.
5. The heat transfer material as in claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic polystyrene microparticles have an average particle size of from about 18 microns to about 22 microns.
6. The heat transfer material as in claim 1 , wherein the image-receptive coating further comprises a plurality of second thermoplastic polymer microparticles having an average particle size of from about 2 microns to about 80 microns.
7. The heat transfer material as in claim 1 , wherein the image-receptive coating further comprises a plurality of second thermoplastic polymer microparticles having an average particle size of from about 2 microns to about 50 microns.
8. The heat transfer material as in claim 7 , wherein the second thermoplastic polymer microparticles comprise polyamide microparticles.
9. The heat transfer material as in claim 7 , wherein the image-receptive coating comprises the thermoplastic polystyrene microparticles in an amount from about 10% to about 75% by weight based on the dry weight of the image-receptive coating, and wherein the image-receptive coating comprises the second thermoplastic polymer microparticles in an amount from about 10% to about 75% by weight based on the dry weight of the image-receptive coating.
10. The heat transfer material as in claim 1 , wherein the image-receptive coating is substantially free from a cross-linking agent.
11. The heat transfer material as in claim 1 , wherein the humectant comprises urea.
12. The heat transfer material as in claim 1 , wherein the splittable layer comprises a polymeric material that melts at temperatures between 80° C. and 130° C.
13. The heat transfer material as in claim 1 , wherein the splittable layer directly overlies the base sheet, and wherein the image-receptive coating directly overlies the splittable layer.
14. The heat transfer material as in claim 1 , wherein the image-receptive coating further comprises a hydrophilic polymer.
15. The heat transfer material as in claim 14 , wherein the hydrophilic polymer comprises polyethylene glycol.
16. The heat transfer material as in claim 14 , wherein the hydrophilic polymer is present in the image-receptive coating from a positive amount to about 3% by weight based on the dry weight of the image-receptive coating.
17. A method of transferring an image to a substrate, the method comprising:
printing toner ink onto the image-receptive coating of the heat transfer material of claim 1 to form an image;
positioning the heat transfer material adjacent the substrate, wherein the image-receptive coating contacts the substrate;
heating the heat transfer material to a temperature of about 150° C. to about 250° C. under a pressure force; and
peeling the base sheet from the substrate while the heat transfer material is still warm.
18. A heat transfer material configured for hot peel heat transfer of an image to a substrate, the heat transfer material comprising:
a base sheet;
a splittable layer overlying the base sheet; and
an image-receptive coating overlying the splittable layer; wherein the image-receptive coating comprises thermoplastic polyester microparticles, a thermoplastic binder, and a humectant, wherein the thermoplastic polyester microparticles have an average particle size of from about 5 microns to about 80 microns and melt at temperatures between about 90° C. and about 115° C., and wherein the humectant is configured to draw moisture back into the heat transfer material after drying.
19. The heat transfer material as in claim 18 , wherein the image image-receptive coating further comprises thermoplastic polyamide microparticles, and wherein the thermoplastic polyamide microparticles have an average particle size of from about 2 microns to about 50 microns.
20. A method of transferring an image to a substrate, the method comprising:
printing toner ink onto the image-receptive coating of the heat transfer material of claim 18 form an image;
positioning the heat transfer material adjacent the substrate, wherein the image-receptive coating contacts the substrate;
heating the heat transfer material to a temperature of about 150° C. to about 250° C. under a pressure force; and
peeling the base sheet from the substrate while the heat transfer material is still warm.