Polymer-based long life fusers and their methods of making

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9329544-B2
Application number	US-69295510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2010
Priority date	Jan 25, 2010
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments provide materials and methods for polymer-based fixing members that have a textured surface with reduced surface energy and increased surface hydrophobicity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for making a fixing member comprising:
providing a substrate;
applying a surface layer to the substrate, wherein applying the surface layer to the substrate comprises: (i) applying a support polymer to the substrate; and (ii) coating a fluoro-polymer onto the support polymer, wherein fluoro-polymer is incorporated only on a surface of the support polymer, wherein the fluoro-polymer is in a form selected from the group consisting of a shaft, a pillar, a wire, a rod, a needle, a fiber, a thread, a flake and a combination thereof, and further wherein the support polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyimide, polycarbonate and polyketone, wherein the fluoro-polymer is in an amount of about 0.5% to about 50% by weight of the support polymer, and wherein the fluoro-polymer is an elongated fluoro-polymer having an aspect ratio of at least 10; then
patterning the surface layer by an imprinting process to form a plurality of structural features to provide a textured surface, wherein the textured surface comprises at least the fluoro-polymer; and
thermally annealing the surface layer,
wherein the textured surface has a water contact angle of at least about 115°, and
wherein the structural features of the textured surface are periodically ordered, the structural features being micro-, or nano-micro- surface structural features, the textured surface further comprising the fluoro-polymer, the fluoro-polymer providing a secondary texture on an outer surface of the periodically ordered structural features thereby resulting in a binary phase surface morphology.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising annealing the surface layer at a temperature ranging from about 150° C. to about 400° C.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the textured surface has a water contact angle of at least about 120°.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the textured surface has a water contact angle of at least about 150°.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the support polymer comprises polyimide.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein fluoro-polymer is embedded in the support polymer after the imprinting process is carried out.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface layer is applied so that the fluoro-polymer at least partially covering the support polymer.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein applying a surface layer to the substrate further comprises
coating the fluoro-polymer onto the support polymer from a fluoro-polymer dispersion comprising the fluoro-polymer or a perfluoro-surfactant.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface layer is applied having a continuous coating of the fluoro-polymer on the support polymer.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermally annealing is carried out at a temperature ranging from about 350° C. to about 400° C.

11. A method for making a fixing member comprising:
providing a substrate;
applying a surface layer to the substrate, wherein applying the surface layer to the substrate comprises: (i) applying a support polymer to the substrate; and (ii) coating a fluoro-polymer onto the support polymer, wherein fluoro-polymer is incorporated only on a surface of the support polymer, wherein the fluoro-polymer is in a form selected from the group consisting of a shaft, a pillar, a wire, a rod, a needle, a fiber, a thread, a flake and a combination thereof, and further wherein the support polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyimide, polycarbonate and polyketone, and wherein the fluoro-polymer is in an amount of about 0.5% to about 50% by weight of the support polymer;
patterning the surface layer by an imprinting process to form a plurality of structural features to provide a textured surface, wherein the textured surface comprises at least the fluoro-polymer; and
thermally annealing the surface layer,
wherein the textured surface has a water contact angle of at least about 115°, and
wherein the structural features of the textured surface are periodically ordered, the structural features having a depth ranging from about 10 nm to about 5 microns, the textured surface further comprising the fluoro-polymer, the fluoro-polymer providing a secondary texture on an outer surface of the periodically ordered structural features thereby resulting in a binary phase surface morphology.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the fluoro-polymer comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) , perfluoroalkoxy polymer resin (PFA), polyethylenetetrafluoroethylene (PETFE), copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and perfluoro(ethyl vinyl ether) (PEVE), copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and perfluoro(methyl vinyl ether) (PMVE), copolymers of hexafluoropropylene (HFP) and vinylidene fluoride (VDF or VF2), terpolymers of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE), vinylidene fluoride (VDF) and hexafluoropropylene (HFP), and tetrapolymers of TFE, VF2, and HFP.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the textured surface has a water contact angle of at least about 120°.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the textured surface has a water contact angle of at least about 150°.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the fluoro-polymer is an elongated fluoro-polymer having an aspect ratio of at least 10.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the thermally annealing is carried out at a temperature ranging from about 350° C. to about 400° C.

17. A method for making a fixing member comprising:
providing a substrate;
applying a surface layer to the substrate, wherein applying the surface layer to the substrate comprises: (i) applying a support polymer to the substrate; and (ii) coating a fluoro-polymer onto the support polymer, wherein fluoro-polymer is incorporated only on a surface of the support polymer, wherein the surface layer comprises a fluoro-polymer and a support polymer, wherein the fluoro-polymer is a fiber, and further wherein the support polymer comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of polyimide, polycarbonate and polyketone, and wherein the fluoro-polymer is in an amount of about 0.5% to about 50% by weight of the support polymer;
patterning the surface layer by an imprinting process to form a plurality of structural features to provide a textured surface, wherein the textured surface comprises at least the fluoro-polymer; and
thermally annealing the surface layer,
wherein the textured surface has a water contact angle of at least about 115°, and
wherein the structural features of the textured surface are periodically ordered, the structural features being micro-, or nano-micro- surface structural features, the textured surface further comprising the fluoro-polymer, the fluoro-polymer providing a secondary texture on an outer surface of the periodically ordered structural features thereby resulting in a binary phase surface morphology.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the fiber is a PFA fiber.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the thermally annealing is carried out at a temperature ranging from about 350° C. to about 400° C.

Assignees

• Kim Woo Soo
• Qi Yu
• Hu Nan-Xing
• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Kim Woo Soo
• Qi Yu
• Hu Nan-Xing

Classifications

• B82Y40/00

  Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures · CPC title

• G03F7/0002

  Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping · CPC title

• G03G15/2057 Primary

  relating to the chemical composition of the heat element and layers thereof · CPC title

• B82Y10/00

  Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic · CPC title