Abstract
Despite the growing popularity of latex inks in the inkjet printing industry, little is known about the influence of additives present in the ink mixtures on the robustness of the latex films. Here, we investigate the influence of a non-ionic surfactant, Dynol 607, on the abrasion robustness of a water-based latex film. For fixation temperature below the minimal film formation temperature (MFFT), we observe an improvement of robustness of the film with increasing surfactant concentration due to the improved film coalescence. However, for temperatures exceeding the MFFT, Dynol clearly has a negative impact on the abrasion robustness. Using AFM in the PeakForce tapping mode we have demonstrated that the surfactant forms ultra-thin surfactant layers at the top of the latex film. Force spectroscopy performed with the colloidal probes showed that these layers can increase the adhesion between the film and abrasive material leading to decreased abrasion robustness. However, other effects such as: macroscopic corrugation of the film or the surfactant layer between latex film and the substrate that may have influence on the mechanical performance of the film, were also identified. Our research showcases that mechanical robustness of latex films is affected by surfactant in various ways, which are poorly understood, even though surfactants are commonly used in latex ink formulations.
Highlights
Latex inks established themselves in the inkjet printing industry as a popular alternative to UV-curable and hot-melt inks
Dynol has a twofold effect on the abrasion resistance (i) positive for a fixation temperature lower or close to the minimum film formation temperature (MFFT) of the latex, as it promotes film coalescence and (ii) negative for high fixation tempera tures, when the films coalesced without aid of the surfactant
atomic force microscopy (AFM) proved to be a useful tool to measure the degree of latex film coalescence either by performing a height-height correlation analysis of the topo graphical images or by measuring the deformation with colloidal probes in the force spectroscopy mode
Summary
Latex inks established themselves in the inkjet printing industry as a popular alternative to UV-curable and hot-melt inks. During the ink development process simple empirical tests are often used instead to examine the latex film robustness These tests effectively mimic situations encountered by printed surfaces during handling and transportation. There is very little work in the literature linking the me chanical performance of thin latex films with their microstructure, especially for the complex multi-component systems [18] To bridge this gap, we performed simple abrasion test on the latex films samples. Our work revealed that the mechanical resistance for abrasion, even for this simple three component latex mixture, is not trivial and depends on the fixation temperature, and on the surfactant concentration This manuscript is organized as follows: first, sample preparation and experimental methods will be discussed in detail. In the final part we will quantitatively connect data from AFM to the abrasion test in order to disentangle in which way the fix ation parameters and the surfactant concentration influence mechanical properties of the latex films and their performance in the abrasion test
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
