UV-curable inkjet inks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11001073-B2
Application number	US-201716617325-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2017
Priority date	Oct 17, 2017
Publication date	May 11, 2021
Grant date	May 11, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure is drawn to UV-curable inkjet inks, fluid sets, and printing systems. An example UV-curable inkjet ink can include water, a photo-initiator, from 8 wt % to 25 wt % organic co-solvent, and from 2 wt % to 20 wt % of a polyurethane. The polyurethane can include a polymer strand including a polymer backbone having two ends terminating at first and second capping units. The polymer backbone can be formed of polymerized monomers including a diisocyanate and a reactive diol selected from an acrylate-containing diol or a methacrylate-containing diol. The first capping unit can include an acrylate-containing monoalcohol, a methacrylate-containing monoalcohol, an allyl-containing monoalcohol, an allyl-containing monoamine, a styrene-containing monoalcohol, an acrylamide-containing monoalcohol, or a methacrylamide-containing monoalcohol reacted with an isocyanate group of the diisocyanate. The second capping unit can include 3-(cyclohexylamino)-1-propanesulfonic acid or 2-(cyclohexylamino)ethanesulfonic acid reacted with an isocyanate group of the diisocyanate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A UV-curable inkjet ink, comprising:
water;
a pigment;
a photo-initiator;
from 8 wt % to 25 wt % organic co-solvent; and
from 2 wt % to 20 wt % of a polyurethane dispersed in the UV-curable inkjet ink, wherein the polyurethane comprises a polymer strand including a polymer backbone having two ends terminating at a first capping unit and a second capping unit, wherein the polymer backbone comprises polymerized monomers, including:
a diisocyanate, and
a reactive diol selected from:

or a combination thereof,

wherein the first capping unit comprises a monoalcohol or a monoamine reacted with an isocyanate group of the diisocyanate, and which is selected from an acrylate-containing monoalcohol, a methacrylate-containing monoalcohol, an ally-containing monoalcohol, an allyl-containing monoamine, a styrene-containing monoalcohol, an acrylamide-containing monoalcohol, or a methacrylamide-containing monoalcohol; and
wherein the second capping unit comprises 3-(cyclohexylamino)-1-propanesulfonic acid or 2-(cyclohexylamino)ethanesulfonic acid reacted with an isocyanate group of the diisocyanate.

2. The UV-curable inkjet ink of claim 1 , wherein the polymer backbone is devoid of ionic stabilizing groups.

3. The UV-curable inkjet ink of claim 1 , further comprising from 0.5 wt % to 1.5 wt % surfactant.

4. The UV-curable inkjet ink of claim 1 , further comprising a polymeric sensitizer including a functionalized anthrone moiety, a polyether chain, and an amide linkage or an ether linkage attaching one end of the polyether chain to the functionalized anthrone moiety.

5. The UV-curable inkjet ink of claim 1 , further comprising from 1 wt % to 2 wt % of a glycol ether penetrant.

6. The UV-curable inkjet ink of claim 1 , wherein the first capping unit is a monoalcohol or monoamine reacted with the isocyanate group of the diisocyanate, and selected from:

or a combination thereof.

7. A fluid set, comprising:
a UV-curable inkjet ink, comprising:
water,
a pigment,
a photo-initiator,
from 8 wt % to 25 wt % organic co-solvent, and
from 2 wt % to 20 wt % polyurethane dispersed therein; and

a UV-curable binder fluid that is devoid of pigment and includes from 8 wt % to 30 wt % of the polyurethane dispersed therein, wherein the polyurethane dispersed in the UV-curable binder fluid is at a greater concentration than the polyurethane dispersed in the UV-curable inkjet ink,
wherein the polyurethane comprises a polymer strand comprising a polymer backbone having two ends terminating at a first capping unit and a second capping unit, wherein the polymer backbone comprises polymerized monomers including:
a diisocyanate, and
a reactive diol selected from:

or a combination thereof;

wherein the first capping unit comprises a monoalcohol or a monoamine reacted with an isocyanate group of the diisocyanate, and which is selected from an acrylate-containing monoalcohol, a methacrylate-containing monoalcohol, an allyl-containing monoalcohol, an allyl-containing monoamine, a styrene-containing monoalcohol, an acrylamide-containing monoalcohol, or a methacrylamide-containing monoalcohol; and
wherein the second capping unit comprises 3-(cyclohexylamino)-1-propanesulfonic acid or 2-(cyclohexylamino)ethanesulfonic acid reacted with an isocyanate group of the diisocyanate.

8. The fluid set of claim 7 , wherein the binder fluid further comprises water, a photo-initiator, and an organic co-solvent.

9. The fluid set of claim 8 , wherein the organic co-solvent is present in an amount from 8 wt % to 25 wt %.

10. The fluid set of claim 7 , further comprising a fixer fluid comprising a cationic polymer.

11. A printing system, comprising:
a vinyl print medium;
an inkjet printhead in fluid communication with a reservoir containing a UV-curable inkjet ink, and which is positioned to jet the UV-curable inkjet ink onto the vinyl print medium, wherein the ink comprises:
water,
a pigment,
a photo-initiator,
from 8 wt % to 25 wt % organic co-solvent, and
from 2 wt % to 20 wt % polyurethane dispersed therein; and

a UV curing lamp positioned to cure the UV-curable inkjet ink on the vinyl print medium;
wherein the polyurethane dispersion comprises a polymer strand comprising a polymer backbone having two ends terminating at a first capping unit and a second capping unit, wherein the polymer backbone comprises polymerized monomers including:
a diisocyanate, and
a reactive diol selected from:

or a combination thereof;

wherein the first capping unit comprises a monoalcohol or a monoamine reacted with an isocyanate group of the diisocyanate, and which is selected from an acrylate-containing monoalcohol, a methacrylate-containing monoalcohol, an allyl-containing monoalcohol, an allyl-containing monoamine, a styrene-containing monoalcohol, an acrylamide-containing monoalcohol, or a methacrylamide-containing monoalcohol; and
wherein the second capping unit comprises 3-(cyclohexylamino)-1-propanesulfonic acid or 2-(cyclohexylamino)ethanesulfonic acid reacted with an isocyanate group of the diisocyanate.

12. The printing system of claim 11 , further comprising a UV-curable binder fluid applicator in fluid communication with a reservoir of a UV-curable binder fluid, and which is positioned to apply the UV-curable binder fluid over the UV-curable inkjet ink once printed on the vinyl print medium, wherein the UV-curable binder fluid is devoid of pigment and includes from 8 wt % to 30 wt % of the polyurethane dispersed therein, wherein the polyurethane dispersed in the UV-curable binder fluid is at a greater concentration than the polyurethane dispersed in the UV-curable inkjet ink.

13. The printing system of claim 11 , further comprising a fixer fluid applicator in fluid communication with a reservoir of a fixer fluid and positioned to apply the fixer fluid to the vinyl print medium before the UV-curable inkjet ink is jetted onto the vinyl print medium, wherein the fixer fluid comprises a cationic polymer.

14. The printing system of claim 11 , wherein the system is a page-wide high speed inkjet printer adapted to print a page width of 30 cm to 250 cm at a speed from 100 feet per minute to 1,000 feet per minute.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Sarkisian George
• Zhou Zhang-Lin
• Stramel Rodney David

Classifications

• C08G18/758

  containing two or more cycloaliphatic rings · CPC title

• C08G18/7671

  containing only one alkylene bisphenyl group · CPC title

• C09D11/54

  Inks based on two liquids, one liquid being the ink, the other liquid being a reaction solution, a fixer or a treatment solution for the ink · CPC title

• C09D11/102

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

• C09D11/322

  Pigment inks · CPC title