Ultraviolet (UV) curable inkjet ink compositions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10590293-B2
Application number	US-201515740254-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2015
Priority date	Oct 19, 2015
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

An example of an ultraviolet (UV) curable inkjet ink composition includes a pigment dispersed by an anionic polymeric dispersant, an organic co-solvent, polyvinylpyrrolidone, a photoinitiator, a UV radiation curable polyurethane, and a balance of water. The polyvinylpyrrolidone has a number average molecular weight ranging from about 10,000 to about 40,000.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ultraviolet (UV) curable inkjet ink composition, comprising:
a pigment dispersed by an anionic polymeric dispersant;
an organic co-solvent;
polyvinylpyrrolidone having a number average molecular weight ranging from about 10,000 to about 40,000;
an anti-kogation agent;
a photoinitiator;
a UV radiation curable polyurethane formed from:
a polyisocyanate;
an acrylate or methacrylate, the acrylate or methacrylate having at least two hydroxyl functional groups and having an acrylate functional group or a methacrylate functional group;
an other acrylate or methacrylate, the other acrylate or methacrylate having one hydroxyl functional group or one amino functional group; and
a hydroxyl or an amine containing a sulfonate functional group, wherein the hydroxyl or the amine containing the sulfonate functional group is selected from the group consisting of taurine and aminoethylaminopropylsulfonate; and

a balance of water.

2. The UV curable inkjet ink composition as defined in claim 1 wherein the anti-kogation agent is present in an amount ranging from about 0.1 wt % to about 1 wt % of a total wt % of the UV curable inkjet ink composition.

3. The UV curable inkjet ink composition as defined in claim 1 wherein the polyvinylpyrrolidone is present in an amount ranging from about 0.1 wt % to about 5 wt % of the total wt % of the UV curable inkjet ink composition.

4. The UV curable inkjet ink composition as defined in claim 1 wherein the anionic polymeric dispersant is a styrene-acrylic dispersant.

5. The UV curable inkjet ink composition as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a surfactant present in an amount ranging from about 0.1 wt % to about 1 wt % of the total wt % of the UV curable inkjet ink composition.

6. The UV curable inkjet ink composition as defined in claim 1 wherein:
the pigment dispersed by the anionic polymeric dispersant is present in an amount ranging from about 1 wt % to about 5 wt % of the total wt % of the UV curable inkjet ink composition;
the organic co-solvent is present in an amount ranging from about 5 wt % to about 20 wt % of the total wt % of the UV curable inkjet ink composition;
the polyvinylpyrrolidone is present in an amount ranging from about 0.1 wt % to about 5 wt % of the total wt % of the UV curable inkjet ink composition;
the photoinitiator is present in an amount ranging from about 0.05 wt % to about 1 wt % of the total wt % of the UV curable inkjet ink composition; and
the UV radiation curable polyurethane is present in an amount ranging from about 1 wt % to about 20 wt % of the total wt % of the UV curable inkjet ink composition.

7. The UV curable inkjet ink composition as defined in claim 1 wherein the polyurethane is further formed from a polyol.

8. The UV curable inkjet ink composition as defined in claim 1 wherein the composition is a thermal inkjet ink composition.

9. A method for improving drop weight, drop velocity, optical density, and gloss of a UV curable inkjet ink, the method comprising:
incorporating from about 0.1 wt % to about 5 wt % of the polyvinylpyrrolidone in the ink composition of claim 1 .

10. The method as defined in claim 9 wherein prior to the incorporating, the method further comprises forming the composition by:
mixing the organic co-solvent with a pigment dispersion including water and the pigment dispersed by the anionic polymeric dispersant;
mixing the photoinitiator with a polyurethane dispersion including water and the UV curable polyurethane; and
adding the polyurethane dispersion to the pigment dispersion.

11. The method as defined in claim 10 , further comprising forming the polyurethane dispersion by:
polymerizing the polyisocyanate and the acrylate or methacrylate in a reactor with an organic solvent and a catalyst;
adding the other acrylate or methacrylate to the reactor;
allowing polymerization to continue to form a polyurethane solution;
cooling the polyurethane solution; and
adding an aqueous solution of the hydroxyl or the amine containing the sulfonate functional group to the polyurethane solution with mixing at a temperature ranging from about 30° C. to about 50°; and
removing the organic solvent by distillation to form the polyurethane dispersion.

12. The method as defined in claim 9 wherein a total wt % of the composition includes:
from about 1 wt % to about 5 wt % of the pigment dispersed by the anionic polymeric dispersant;
from about 5 wt % to about 20 wt % of the organic co-solvent;
from about 0.05 wt % to about 1 wt % of the photoinitiator;
from about 1 wt % to about 20 wt % of the UV radiation curable polyurethane;
and a balance of the water.

13. The method as defined in claim 9 , further comprising adding a surfactant to the composition, the surfactant being present in an amount ranging from about 0.1 wt % to about 1 wt % of a total wt % of the composition.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Abelovski Benjamin
• Chen Tienteh

Classifications

• C09D11/106

  containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds · CPC title

• C09D11/326

  characterised by the pigment dispersant · CPC title

• C09D11/322 Primary

  Pigment inks · CPC title

• B41M7/0081

  using electromagnetic radiation or waves, e.g. ultraviolet radiation, electron beams · CPC title

• C09D11/101

  Inks specially adapted for printing processes involving curing by wave energy or particle radiation, e.g. with UV-curing following the printing · CPC title