Claims
- 1. An ink jet ink composition comprising water, a humectant, and composite colorant polymer particles, wherein said composite colorant polymer particles have a pigment phase and a polymer phase, said polymer phase of said particles being formed in situ, wherein a portion of an addition polymerization initiator is added to an aqueous colorant mixture before adding a monomer mixture to the colorant mixture in a continuous process, said composite colorant polymer particles not increasing in mean particle size more than about 18% when said ink is incubated for one week at 60° C.
- 2. The composition of claim 1 wherein said composite colorant polymer particles are made by a process comprising, in order:
I) suspending in an aqueous medium, under agitation, finely divided colorant particles to form an aqueous colorant mixture; II) adding to said aqueous colorant mixture the addition polymerization initiator; and III) causing said addition polymerization initiator to form a free radical while continuously introducing to said aqueous colorant mixture a monomer mixture comprising:
a) an addition polymerization initiator, and b) at least one ethylenically-unsaturated monomer; thereby forming said composite colorant particles having a colorant phase and a polymer phase.
- 3. The composition of claim 1 wherein said colorant phase comprises a pigment.
- 4. The composition of claim 3 wherein said pigment is C.I. Pigment Blue 15:3, C.I. Pigment Red 122, C.I. Pigment Yellow 155 or C.I. Pigment Black 7.
- 5. The composition of claim 1 wherein the composite colorant particles comprise up to about 20% by weight of said composition.
- 6. The composition of claim 1 wherein the composite colorant particles comprise up to about 10% by weight of said composition.
- 7. The composition of claim 1 wherein said humectant comprises from about 5 to about 60% by weight of said composition.
- 8. The composition of claim 1 wherein said humectant comprises from about 10 to about 50% by weight of said composition.
- 9. The composition of claim 1 wherein said polymer phase comprises a polymer formed from methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, hexyl acrylate, n-octyl acrylate, lauryl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, nonyl acrylate, benzyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, vinylidene chloride, vinyl chloride, styrene, t-butyl styrene, vinyl toluene, butadiene, isoprene, N,N-dimethyl acrylamide, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, chloromethacrylic acid, maleic acid, allylamine, N,N-diethylallylamine, vinyl sulfonamide, sodium acrylate, sodium methacrylate, ammonium acrylate, ammonium methacrylate, acrylamidopropane-triethylammonium chloride, methacrylamidopropane-triethylammonium chloride, vinyl-pyridine hydrochloride, sodium vinyl phosphonate and sodium 1-methylvinylphosphonate, sodium vinyl sulfonate, sodium 1-methylvinyl-sulfonate or sodium styrenesulfonate.
- 10. The composition of claim 1 wherein said composite colorant polymer particles have a mean particle size of less than about 200 nm.
- 11. The composition of claim 1 wherein said composite colorant polymer particles have having a mean particle size of less than about 80 nm.
- 12. The composition of claim 1 wherein said polymer phase is cross-linked.
- 13. The composition of claim 1 wherein the ratio of said colorant phase to said polymer phase is from about 30:70 to about 70:30.
- 14. The composition of claim 1 wherein said composite colorant polymer particles do not increase in mean particle size more than about 10% when said ink is incubated for one week at 60° C.
- 15. An ink jet ink composition comprising water, a humectant, and composite colorant polymer particles, wherein said composite colorant polymer particles have a pigment phase and a polymer phase, said polymer phase of said particles being formed in situ, wherein a portion of an addition polymerization initiator is added to an aqueous colorant mixture before adding a monomer mixture to the colorant mixture in a continuous process and wherein said aqueous colorant mixture consists essentially of colorant particles, dispersants or surfactants, and water, said composite colorant polymer particles not increasing in mean particle size more than about 18% when said ink is incubated for one week at 60° C.
- 16. The ink jet composition of claim 1 or 15 wherein no monomer which is used to form the polymer phase is added to the colorant mixture prior to or at the time that a portion of an addition polymerization initiator is added to the aqueous colorant mixture.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/822,723, filed Mar. 30, 2001 entitled “Ink Jet Ink Composition.”
[0002] Reference is made to commonly assigned, co-pending continuation-in-part application Ser. No. ______ by Erdtmann et al., entitled “Ink Jet Printing Method” filed simultaneously herewith.
[0003] Reference is also made to commonly assigned, co-pending application Ser. No. 09/822,724 by Erdtmann et al., filed Mar. 30, 2001 entitled “Ink Jet Printing Method”; application Ser. No. 09/822,725 by Wang et al., filed Mar. 30, 2001 entitled “Composite Colorant Particles; and application Ser. No. 09/822,096 by Wang et al., filed Mar. 30, 2001 entitled “Process For Making Composite Colorant Particles” for all that they contain.
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09822723 |
Mar 2001 |
US |
Child |
10446013 |
May 2003 |
US |