Polymeric Surfactants Bearing Divalent Carboxy Pendants for Stable Color Dispersions with High Redispersibility

Abstract

Inkjet printing of ink requires dyes or pigments insoluble in water but uniformly dispersing as fine particles for a long period. In addition, redispersibility after solidification by solvent vaporization around the jetting heads is also important for performance. In this study, thus, a series of amphiphilic copolymers were prepared for a dispersant of inkjet using reversible addition fragmentation chain-transfer copolymerization of styrene (St), benzyl acrylate (BnA), and phenoxyethyl acrylate (PEA) as a hydrophobic monomer with acrylic acid (AA) and itaconic acid (IA) as a hydrophilic monomer. To understand the fundamental properties and potentials as a polymer dispersant, the surface parameters and rheology of the copolymers and their color dispersions in aqueous media were investigated. The aqueous solutions were typical Newtonian fluids, whereas the color dispersions were non-Newtonian fluids with shear-thinning properties and yield values ranging from 0.57 to 1.04 Pa. Although the surface parameters, such as surface tension (γ), molecular occupied area (Amin), and zeta potential (ζ), did not show clear correlation with polymer structures, their behaviors as a dispersant were significantly different. The color dispersants containing the copolymer of St or BnA as a hydrophobic monomer and IA and AMPS as hydrophilic monomers exhibited sufficient redispersion both for yellow and cyan inks, even after the aging test at 60 °C for 5 days, whereas other copolymers did not exhibit such superior performances. In addition, the color dispersions of the copolymer of St, IA, and AMPS (St-IA-AMPS) showed lower viscosity and yield value and became closer to Newtonian fluid compared with that of St, AA, and AMPS (St-AA-AMPS). Thus, St-IA-AMPS provided good redispersibility and avoided sedimentation. These results suggest that the most suitable dispersant for inkjet inks among the polymers investigated was the copolymer of St, IA, and AMPS.