Conductive thermal imaging receiving layer with receiver overcoat layer comprising a surfactant
This invention relates to a conductive thermal image receiver element that has an aqueous-based coatable dye-receiving layer comprising a water-dispersible acrylic polymer, a water-dispersible polyester, a water-dispersible conductive polymeric material and a surfactant. This invention also relates to a method for making this thermal image receiver element as well as method for using it to provide a dye image by thermal transfer from a donor element.
1. A conductive thermal image receiver element comprising a support, and having on at least one side of the support:
an aqueous coatable receiver overcoat layer and aqueous coatable dye receiving layer having a combined thickness ranging from 0.8 μm to 2.0 μm,
wherein the aqueous coatable receiver overcoat layer comprises a conductive polymeric material, a surfactant, and one or more dispersants, wherein at least one of the one or more dispersants is a polymer comprising benzyl methacrylate and methacrylic acid, and
wherein the aqueous coatable dye receiving layer comprises a water-dispersible release agent, a crosslinking agent, and a polymer binder matrix consisting essentially of:
(1) a water-dispersible acrylic polymer comprising chemically reacted or chemically non-reacted hydroxyl, phospho, phosphonate, sulfo, sulfonate, carboxy, or carboxylate groups; and
(2) a water-dispersible polyester that has a T g of 30° C. or less.
2. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 1 wherein the thickness of the receiver overcoat layer ranges from 0.1 μm to 0.62 μm.
3. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 1 , wherein the conductive polymeric material is present in the receiver overcoat layer at 1.0% to 3.0% by weight based on the total dry weight of the receiver overcoat layer.
4. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 1 , wherein the conductive polymeric material is present in the receiver overcoat layer at a density of greater than or equal to 10.76 mg/cm 3 .
5. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 1 wherein the conducting polymeric material comprises Poly(3,4-ethylendioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate).
6. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 1 wherein the conducting polymeric material consists essentially of Poly(3,4-ethylendioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) and a polar solvent.
7. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant is present in the receiver overcoat layer at about 0.5% up to and including 2.5% by weight based on the total dry weight of the receiver overcoat layer.
8. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 1 , wherein the one or more dispersants are cumulatively present in the receiver overcoat at about 1% to 10% by weight based on the total dry weight of the receiver overcoat layer.
9. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 1 , wherein the water-dispersible acrylic polymer is present in an amount of at least 55 weight % and up to and including 90 weight % of the total aqueous coatable dye receiving layer weight, and the weight ratio of the water-dispersible acrylic polymer to the water-dispersible polyester in the polymer binder matrix is from 1:1 to and including 20:1.
10. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 1 , wherein the water-dispersible acrylic polymer comprises recurring units derived from:
(a) one or more ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable acrylates or methacrylates comprising acyclic alkyl ester, cycloalkyl ester, or aryl ester groups having at least 4 carbon atoms,
(b) one or more carboxy-containing or sulfo-containing ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable acrylates or methacrylates, and
(c) optionally styrene or a styrene derivative,
wherein the (a) recurring units represent at least 20 mol % and up to and including 99 mol % of the total recurring units, and the (b) recurring units represent at least 1 mol % and up to and including 10 mol %.
11. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 1 , wherein the dye receiving layer further comprises one or more surfactants, one or more dispersants, and an antifoamer.
12. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 11 , wherein the antifoamer is selected from the group consisting of: a siloxane defoamer, a polyorganosiloxane, a resinous siloxane compound, and a polyether siloxane copolymer.
13. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 11 , wherein the antifoamer is present in an amount of 0.01 to 0.40% by weight based on the total dry weight of the dye receiving layer.
14. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the one or more dispersants in the dye receiving layer is a polymer comprising benzyl methacrylate and methacrylic acid.
15. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 11 , wherein the one or more dispersants are cumulatively present in the dye receiving layer at about 1% to 10% by weight based on the total dry weight of the receiver overcoat.