Conductive thermal imaging receiving layer with receiver overcoat layer comprising a surfactant

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, 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;

wherein the water-dispersible acrylic polymer is present in an amount of at least 55 weight % of the total aqueous coatable dye-receiving layer weight and is present at a dry ratio to the water-dispersible polyester of at least 1:1.

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. A method of making the conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 1 , comprising:

(A) applying an aqueous coatable dye-receiving layer formulation to one or both opposing sides of a support or to another layer that resides on one or both sides of the support, the aqueous coatable dye receiving layer formulation comprising a water-dispersible release agent, a crosslinking agent, and a polymer binder composition 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;

wherein the water-dispersible acrylic polymer is present in an amount of at least 55 weight % of the resulting total dry image receiving layer weight, and is present in the polymeric binder matrix at a dry ratio to the water-dispersible polyester of at least 1:1 to and including 9.2:1, or at least 4:1 to and including 20:1;

(B) drying the aqueous image receiving layer formulation to form a dry image receiving layer on one or both opposing sides of the support;

(C) applying a receiver overcoat layer comprising a conductive polymeric material to at least on one side of a support coated with an aqueous coatable dye-receiving layer,

(D) drying the aqueous image receiving layer formulation to form a dry receiver overcoat layer on one or both opposing sides of the support.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the same aqueous coatable dye receiving the layer formulation is applied to both opposing sides of the support.

7. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 1 wherein the conductive polymeric material comprises Poly(3,4-ethylendioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate).

8. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 1 wherein the conductive polymeric material consists essentially of Poly(3,4-ethylendioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) and a polar solvent.

9. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 1 , wherein the receiver overcoat layer further comprises a surfactant.

10. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 9 , 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.

11. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 9 , wherein the receiver overcoat layer further comprises a dispersant, wherein the dispersant is a polymer comprising benzyl methacrylate and methacrylic acid.

12. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 11 , wherein the surfactant is present in the receiver overcoat at about 0.5% up to and including 2.5% by weight and the dispersant is present in the receiver overcoat at about 1% to 4% by weight based on the total dry weight of the receiver overcoat layer.

13. 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.

14. 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 %.

15. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 1 , wherein the water-dispersible acrylic polymer is present in an amount of at least 60 weight % and up to and including 90 weight % of the total dry image 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 4:1 to and including 15:1.

16. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 1 , wherein the dye receiving layer further comprises one or more surfactants and an antifoamer.

17. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 16 , wherein the antifoamer is selected from the group consisting of: a siloxane defoamer, a polyorganosiloxane, a resinous siloxane compound, and a polyether siloxane copolymer.

18. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 16 , 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.

19. The conductive thermal image receiver element of claim 16 , wherein the aqueous polymer emulsion yields a foam height of less than 4.0 cm above an initial liquid level of the polymer emulsion upon waiting one minute after the conclusion of a high shearing process.

20. A conductive thermal image receiver element comprising a support, and having on at least one side of the support:

an electrically conductive layer comprising an outermost layer wherein the outermost layer is an aqueous coatable dye receiving layer having a thickness ranging from 0.1 μm to 5 μm, and wherein the aqueous dye receiving layer comprises a water-dispersible release agent, a crosslinking agent, and 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;

(2) a water-dispersible polyester that has a T g of 30° C. or less;

wherein the water-dispersible acrylic polymer is present in an amount of at least 55 weight % of the total aqueous coatable dye-receiving layer weight and is present at a dry ratio to the water-dispersible polyester of at least 1:1; and

(3) a conductive polymeric material.