Fluorescent green toners with enhanced brightness
Fluorescent green toners are provided. In embodiments, a fluorescent green toner comprises fluorescent agent-incorporated resin particles comprising a resin, a fluorescence brightener, and a yellow fluorescent agent having an absorption spectrum that overlaps with a fluorescence emission spectrum of the fluorescence brightener; and a cyan colorant; blue dye-incorporated resin particles comprising the resin and a blue dye; or both. The fluorescent green toner has a weight ratio of the yellow fluorescent agent to the cyan colorant and, if present, the blue dye, in a range of from 100:1 to 0.2:1, and the fluorescent green toner exhibits Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) under illumination with UV light. Methods of making and using the fluorescent green toners are also provided.
1. A fluorescent green toner comprising:
fluorescent agent-incorporated resin particles comprising a resin, a fluorescence brightener, and a yellow fluorescent agent having an absorption spectrum that overlaps with a fluorescence emission spectrum of the fluorescence brightener; and
a cyan colorant, blue dye-incorporated resin particles comprising the resin and a blue dye, or both;
wherein the fluorescent green toner has a weight ratio of the yellow fluorescent agent to
the cyan colorant and, if present, the blue dye, in a range of from 100:1 to 0.2:1,
and wherein the fluorescent green toner exhibits Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) under illumination with UV light.
2. The fluorescent green toner of claim 1 , wherein the fluorescent green toner is in the form of core-shell particles, each core comprising the fluorescent agent-incorporated resin particles; the cyan colorant, the blue dye-incorporated resin particles, or both; a crystalline polyester resin; and optionally, a wax; and a shell over the core.
3. The fluorescent green toner of claim 1 , comprising the cyan colorant.
4. The fluorescent green toner of claim 1 , wherein the weight ratio is from 10:1 to 1:1.
5. The fluorescent green toner of claim 1 , wherein the fluorescence emission spectrum of the fluorescent brightener and the absorption spectrum of the yellow fluorescent agent have a degree of overlap of from 30% to 100%.
6. The fluorescent green toner of claim 1 , wherein the fluorescence brightener is Fluorescent Brightener 184.
7. The fluorescent green toner of claim 1 , wherein the yellow fluorescent agent is selected from Solvent Yellow 160:1, Solvent Yellow 98, Solvent Yellow 43, Basic Yellow 40, and combinations thereof.
8. The fluorescent green toner of claim 1 , comprising the cyan colorant, wherein the cyan colorant is Pigment Blue 15:3.
9. The fluorescent green toner of claim 1 , wherein the resin is a combination of two different types of resins, the two different types of resins having different chemical compositions.
10. The fluorescent green toner of claim 9 , wherein the two different types of resins are present in the fluorescent agent-incorporated resin particles in a weight ratio of from 2:3 to 3:2.
11. The fluorescent green toner of claim 10 , wherein the two different types of resins are two amorphous polyester resins.
12. The fluorescent green toner of claim 11 , wherein the two amorphous polyester resins are a poly(propoxylated bisphenol-co-terephthlate-fumarate-dodecenylsuccinate) and a poly(propoxylated-ethoxylated bisphenol-co-terephthalate-dodecenylsuccinate-trimellitic anhydride).
13. The fluorescent green toner of claim 1 , having a total amount of the fluorescent brightener and the yellow fluorescent agent in a range of from 0.5 weight % to 5 weight % by weight of the fluorescent green toner and a weight ratio of the fluorescent brightener to the yellow fluorescent agent in a range of from 1:10 to 1:0.5.
14. The fluorescent green toner of claim 2 , wherein the crystalline polyester resin has Formula I
wherein each of a and b is in the range of from 1 to 12 and p is in the range of from 10 to 100.
15. The fluorescent green toner of claim 14 , wherein the crystalline polyester resin is a poly(1,6-hexylene-1,12-dodecanoate).
16. The fluorescent green toner of claim 1 , wherein the fluorescence brightener is Fluorescent Brightener 184; the yellow fluorescent agent is Solvent Yellow 160:1, Solvent Yellow 98, or combinations thereof; and comprising the cyan colorant as Pigment Blue 15:3.
17. The fluorescent green toner of claim 16 , the fluorescent green toner in the form of core-shell particles, each core comprising the fluorescent agent-incorporated resin particles, the cyan colorant; a crystalline polyester resin; and optionally, a wax; and a shell over the core.
18. The fluorescent green toner of claim 17 , wherein the resin is a combination of a poly(propoxylated bisphenol-co-terephthlate-fumarate-dodecenylsuccinate) and a poly(propoxylated-ethoxylated bisphenol-co-terephthalate-dodecenylsuccinate-trimellitic anhydride) and the crystalline polyester resin is a poly(1,6-hexylene-1,12-dodecanoate).
19. A method of making a fluorescent green toner, the method comprising:
forming one or more fluorescent latexes which comprise a fluorescence brightener, a yellow fluorescent agent having an absorption spectrum that overlaps with a fluorescence emission spectrum of the fluorescence brightener, a first type of amorphous resin, and a second type of amorphous resin;
forming a cyan dispersion comprising a cyan colorant and a surfactant;
forming a mixture comprising the one or more fluorescent latexes; the cyan dispersion;
one or more emulsions which comprise a crystalline resin, the first type of amorphous resin, the second type of amorphous resin; and optionally, a wax dispersion;
aggregating the mixture to form particles of a predetermined size;
forming a shell over the particles of the predetermined size to form core-shell particles; and
coalescing the core-shell particles to form a fluorescent green toner,
wherein the fluorescent green toner has a weight ratio of the yellow fluorescent agent to the cyan colorant in a range of from 100:1 to 0.2:1,
and wherein the fluorescent green toner exhibits FRET under illumination with UV light.
20. A method of using the fluorescent green toner of claim 1 , the method comprising:
forming an image comprising the fluorescent green toner using a xerographic printer;
transferring the image comprising the fluorescent green toner to an image receiving medium; and
fusing the fluorescent green toner to the image receiving medium.