Stabilized print materials
A print material includes a vinylic molecule, a vinylic cross-linker molecule having a plurality of vinyl groups, a quantum dot, a light-scattering particle having a surface composition, and a dispersant having a chemical affinity matched to the surface composition. Methods of making and using such print materials are also described.
1. A print material, comprising:
an ethylene glycol di(meth)acrylate or polyethylene glycol di(meth)acrylate molecule;
a vinylic cross-linker molecule having a plurality of vinyl groups;
a quantum dot;
a light-scattering particle having a surface composition; and
a dispersant comprising a polyol and having a chemical affinity matched to the surface composition, the print material having a dynamic viscosity of about 4-40 cP at room temperature.
2. The print material of claim 1 , further comprising a polymerization initiator.
3. The print material of claim 1 , wherein the dispersant comprises a polymer that has pendant structures with amine groups.
4. The print material of claim 1 , wherein the dispersant comprises a polymer having carboxylic acid or amine functional groups, or a combination thereof.
5. The print material of claim 1 , wherein the dispersant includes a molecule with an acidic anchor group.
6. The print material of claim 3 , wherein the dispersant has a multifunctional polymer backbone.
7. The print material of claim 1 , wherein the light scattering particle is a titanium dioxide particle.
8. The print material of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of light-scattering particles having the surface composition, a plurality of quantum dots, and a mass ratio of quantum dots to light-scattering particles from about 0.5 to about 45.
9. The print material of claim 1 , wherein the chemical affinity of the dispersant is also matched to a surface composition of the quantum dot.
10. A method of making a material layer, comprising:
applying a mixture to a substrate, the mixture comprising:
an ethylene glycol di(meth)acrylate or polyethylene glycol di(meth)acrylate molecule;
a vinylic cross-linking agent having a plurality of vinyl groups;
a quantum dot;
a light-scattering particle having a surface composition; and
a dispersant having a chemical affinity matched to the surface composition the dispersant comprising a polyol; and
polymerizing the mixture to form a material layer on the substrate.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the mixture further comprises a polymerization initiator.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the dispersant includes a molecule with an acidic anchor group.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the dispersant comprises a polymer that has pendant structures with amine groups.
14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the dispersant comprises a polymer having carboxylic acid or amine functional groups, or a combination thereof.
15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the dispersant has a multifunctional polymer backbone.
16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the mixture is made by a process comprising:
forming a liquid medium comprising the vinylic molecule, the vinylic cross-linking agent, and the polymerization initiator;
adding a quantum dot composition comprising the quantum dot to the liquid medium;
energetically agitating the liquid medium with the quantum dot;
adding at least a portion of the dispersant to the liquid medium and quantum dots to form a quantum dot precursor;
adding a light-scattering composition comprising the light-scattering particle to the quantum dot precursor to form a pre-product; and
energetically agitating the pre-product to form the mixture.
17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the mixture further comprises a plurality of light-scattering particles having the surface composition and a plurality of quantum dots, wherein a mass ratio of quantum dots to light-scattering particles from about 0.5 to about 45.
18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the dispersant comprises a polymer that has pendant structures with amine groups.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the mixture further comprises a photoinitiator.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the chemical affinity of the dispersant is also matched to a surface composition of the quantum dots.
21. A method of making a print material, comprising:
blending a quantum dot material with a di(meth)acrylate material to form a quantum dot mixture;
blending a dispersant with the quantum dot mixture to form a quantum dot precursor; and
blending a light-scattering particle material with the quantum dot precursor to make a print material.
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein blending the dispersant with the quantum dot mixture comprises energetically agitating the quantum dot mixture with the dispersant, and blending the light-scattering particle material with the quantum dot precursor comprises energetically agitating the light-scattering particle material with the quantum dot precursor, and wherein the dispersant has a chemical affinity that is matched to a surface composition of light-scattering particles in the light-scattering particle material.