Improved inkjet printability of dye-based inks through enhancing the interaction of dye molecules and polymer nanospheres

Abstract

Inkjet printability of dye-based inks including stability, jetting morphology, and color performance is difficult to maintain due to the strong dye molecular interaction. Herein, carboxyl-rich polymer nanospheres were introduced to the dye-based inks, forming a novel kind of multilayer dye/polymer nanospheres to enhance the inkjet printability. Disperse dyes were firstly loaded into poly (styrene-butyl acrylate-methacrylate) nanospheres at 95 °C, and then encapsulated by poly (styrene-methacrylate) polymer layer through seed polymerization to form multilayer structure. The results showed that hydrogen bonds were formed between disperse dyes and nanospheres, and the interaction was enhanced when more carboxyl groups were polymerized on nanosphere surface. Moreover, due to the high surface carboxyl group content, the stability was significantly improved in comparison with disperse dye suspension. After inkjet printing, the dye/nanosphere dispersion showed more stable droplet formation and higher color depth. Besides, because of the self-curing ability of polymer nanospheres, satisfactory fastness was obtained for practical application. The results from this study can promote the optimization of dye-based ink formulations, and show great potential in obtaining high quality inkjet printing products.