JP2001042568A - Toner and its manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the toner wide in a fixable temperature range and good in fixability and the manufacture of such a toner. SOLUTION: This toner is obtained by melting fine resin grains comprising a crystalline substance and an amorphous polymer to attach them in an aqueous medium, and it is preferred that the crystalline substance has a melting point of 60 deg.C to 130 deg.C and a number average molecular weight of 1,500 to 15,000 and a melt viscosity of <=100 dPa.s at a temperature of melting point +20 deg.C. This toner is manufactured by preparing fine resin grains by emulsion polymerization of a radically polymerizable monomer solution and attaching the fine resin grains by melting them in the aqueous medium.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a toner and a method for producing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to cope with recent energy savings, various studies have been made to improve the fixability of toner. In order to improve the fixability of the toner, it is preferable to lower the melt viscosity of the resin component constituting the toner, but if the melting temperature of the resin component is too low, the storage stability tends to be impaired. For this reason, development of a toner that can achieve both fixability and storage stability is desired.

As a technique for improving the fixing property of toner,
It is known that a crystalline substance such as a crystalline polyester and an amorphous polymer are microdomained.
JP-A-57855 and JP-A-63-27856 disclose toners containing a polymer obtained by chemically grafting or blocking an amorphous vinyl polymer and a crystalline polyester as a resin component. However, even with such a technique, it is difficult to reduce the melt viscosity by using a crystalline polyester, and there is a limit to improving the fixability.

In order to improve the fixability of the toner, it is necessary that a crystalline substance is present in the toner particles at a constant ratio, uniformly, and while maintaining a certain domain structure. However, there is no known method for causing a crystalline substance to exist in toner particles in such a state (domain structure). For example, even if an attempt is made to introduce a crystalline substance by a kneading method, the crystalline substance is melted by heat at the time of kneading, and a domain structure cannot be formed. It cannot be improved.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a toner having a wide fixing temperature range and good fixability, and a method for producing such a toner.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems The toner of the present invention is obtained by fusing resin fine particles containing a crystalline substance and an amorphous polymer in an aqueous medium. The crystalline material preferably has a melting point of 60 to 130 ° C., a number average molecular weight of 1,500 to 15,000, and a melt viscosity at a melting point + 20 ° C. of 100 dPa · s or less.

The method for producing a toner of the present invention is characterized in that a radical polymerizable monomer solution in which a crystalline substance is dissolved is emulsion-polymerized to obtain resin fine particles, and the resin fine particles are fused in an aqueous medium. I do. In addition, the melting point of the crystalline material is 6
0 to 130 ° C, number average molecular weight of 1,500 to 15,000
0, it is preferable that the melt viscosity at the melting point + 20 ° C. is 100 dPa · s or less.

That is, the present inventors have conducted intensive studies in order to exert the effect (improvement of fixability) of the crystalline substance in the toner, and as a result, introduced the crystalline substance using a specific manufacturing method. It has been found that the toner obtained by the above can exert its effect to the maximum, and the present invention has been completed based on such knowledge. That is,
In the present invention, a crystalline substance is previously contained in resin fine particles, and the resin fine particles are fused to form a domain structure in which the crystalline substance exists, thereby improving the fixing property. Is what you can do. The production method of the present invention is a method comprising an amorphous vinyl polymer and a crystalline substance as resin fine particles, and fusing the resin fine particles in an aqueous medium to form a toner. By employing this method, the resin fine particles themselves can function as a so-called micro-domain structure, and the fixability of the obtained toner can be improved. Further, in order to include a crystalline substance in the resin fine particles, the crystalline substance is dissolved in a radical polymerizable monomer constituting the amorphous vinyl polymer to form a uniform solution. Next, this solution is emulsified and dispersed in an aqueous medium, and polymerized in the system to form resin fine particles. As a result, as the polymerization proceeds, the crystalline substance precipitates inside the resin fine particles and can be formed into domains. By adopting this method, a uniform domain structure can be obtained, and the particle size of the resin fine particles is adjusted to a certain degree because the particle size is adjusted by a polymerization method. This can make the dispersion of the crystalline substance in the toner uniform. In addition, since excessive thermal energy is not applied when the crystalline substance is introduced, the crystalline substance does not melt and the domain becomes large or small (in the worst case, the domain is dissolved in the resin and the domain becomes small). Disappears)
Not even.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. <Production Method of Toner> The toner of the present invention can be produced by fusing resin fine particles in an aqueous medium. As a method of fusing resin fine particles in an aqueous medium,
For example, JP-A-63-186253 and JP-A-63-28
2749 and JP-A-7-146583. Further, as a particularly preferred fusion method, a method of salting out / fusing resin fine particles in an aqueous medium is particularly preferred. In the present invention, “salting out / fusion” means that salting out (aggregation of fine particles) and fusion (loss of interface between fine particles) occur simultaneously, or an act of causing salting out and fusion simultaneously. Say. In order to simultaneously carry out the salting-out and the fusion, it is necessary to aggregate the fine particles (resin fine particles, colorant fine particles) under a temperature condition equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the resin constituting the fine resin particles.

The weight average particle diameter of the resin fine particles used for obtaining the toner of the present invention is preferably from 50 to 2,000 nm. Such resin fine particles may be obtained by any granulation polymerization method such as an emulsion polymerization method, a suspension polymerization method, and a seed polymerization method, but are preferably resin fine particles obtained by an emulsion polymerization method.

<Crystalline substance> The crystalline substance contained in the resin fine particles is a substance that imparts good fixability (adhesion to the image support) to a toner obtained by fusing the resin fine particles. .

[Physical Properties of Crystalline Substance] The melting point of such a crystalline substance is preferably from 60 to 130 ° C., more preferably from 60 to 120 ° C. According to the crystalline substance having a melting point in the range of 60 to 130 ° C., it is possible to lower the overall melt viscosity of the obtained toner, and to improve the adhesiveness to paper or the like. In addition, even when the crystalline substance is present, the elastic modulus on the high temperature side is maintained in a preferable range, so that good offset resistance is exhibited. When the melting point of the crystalline substance is lower than 60 ° C., although the fixability itself is improved, the storage stability is reduced, and a problem is raised in practicality. On the other hand, when the melting point exceeds 130 ° C., the melting start temperature becomes high, so that the contribution to the improvement of the fixing property is low, and the effect of the improvement of the fixing property is less exhibited. Here, the melting point of the crystalline substance refers to a value measured by a differential calorimeter (DSC). Specifically, 0 ° C
The temperature at which the maximum endothermic peak measured when the temperature is increased from 10 to 200 ° C. at a rate of 10 ° C./min (first temperature increasing step) is defined as the melting point. As a specific measuring device,
Examples thereof include DSC-7 manufactured by PerkinElmer.

The number average molecular weight of the crystalline substance is from 1,500 to
It is preferably 15,000, and more preferably 2,000 to 10,000. 1,500-1
According to the crystalline substance having a number average molecular weight in the range of 5,000, in the obtained toner, the compatibility in a molten state with an amorphous polymer for exhibiting a decrease in the overall melt viscosity is improved, Fixability at lower temperatures is improved.
When the number average molecular weight is less than 1,500, the melt viscosity of the crystalline substance becomes excessively low, and the compatibility state tends to be nonuniform, and it is difficult to improve the fixing property. On the other hand, when the number average molecular weight exceeds 15,000, it takes a long time to melt the crystalline substance, and even in this case, the compatibility state becomes nonuniform, so that the effect of improving the fixing property is reduced. Here, the number average molecular weight of the crystalline substance means a value obtained from the molecular weight measured according to the following conditions.

(Conditions)-Model used: "LC-6A" (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation)-Column: "Ultra Styra Gel Plus"-Analysis temperature: 60 ° C-Solvent: = m-cresol / chlorobenzene = 3
/ 1 (volume ratio) • Calibration curve: Standard polystyrene calibration curve

The melt viscosity (melt viscosity at the melting point + 20 ° C.) of the crystalline material is preferably 100 dPa · s or less, more preferably 60 dPa · s or less. According to the crystalline substance having a melt viscosity of 100 dPa · s or less, it is possible to lower the overall melt viscosity of the obtained toner, including the amorphous polymer, and improve the fixability. When the melt viscosity exceeds 100 dPa · s, the effect of improving the fixing property is reduced because the overall melt viscosity is increased. Here, the melt viscosity of the crystalline substance (melting viscosity at melting point + 20 ° C.) refers to a value measured by a cone-plate viscometer. The peak molecular weight of the crystalline substance by GPC is 6,000 to 50,000.

[Compound Constituting Crystalline Substance] Examples of the compound composing the crystalline substance include polyesters, polyamides and polyimides. Aliphatic diols and aliphatic dicarboxylic acids (acid anhydrides and acid chlorides) And a polyamide obtained by reacting an aliphatic diamine with an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid (including an acid anhydride and an acid chloride).

The diol used to obtain the crystalline polyester includes ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol,
4-butanediol, 1,4, butenediol, neopentyl glycol, 1,5-pentaneglycol, 1,
6-hexane glycol, 1,4-cyclohexanediol, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, dipropylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, polytetramethylene glycol, bisphenol A, bisphenol Z, hydrogenated bisphenol A, and the like. it can.

The diamine used to obtain the crystalline polyamide includes ethylene diamine, diethylene diamine, triethylene diamine, 1,2-propylene diamine, 1,3-propylene diamine, 1,4-butane diamine, 1,4,4 Butenediamine, 2,2-dimethyl-
1,3-butanediamine, 1,5-pentanediamine,
Examples thereof include 1,6-hexanediamine, 1,4-cyclohexanediamine, and 1,4-cyclohexanedimethtylamine.

The dicarboxylic acids used to obtain the crystalline polyesters and polyamides include oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid,
Pimelic acid, spearic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid,
Maleic acid, fumaric acid, citraconic acid, itaconic acid, glutacoic acid, n-dodecylsuccinic acid, n-dodecenylsuccinic acid, isododecylsuccinic acid, isododecenylsuccinic acid, n-octylsuccinic acid, n-octenylsuccinic acid,
These acid anhydrides or acid chlorides can be mentioned.

Particularly preferred crystalline substances are polyester obtained by reacting cyclohexanediol with adipic acid, polyester obtained by reacting 1,6 hexanediol with sebacic acid, and reaction of ethylene glycol with succinic acid. Polyester obtained by reacting ethylene glycol and sebacic acid, and polyester obtained by reacting 1,4-butanediol and succinic acid. Of these, cyclohexanediol and The polyester obtained by reacting with adipic acid is most preferred.

<Amorphous Polymer> [Physical Properties of Amorphous Polymer] The glass transition temperature (T) of the amorphous polymer (amorphous vinyl polymer) contained in the resin fine particles.
g) is preferably in the range of 10 to 75 ° C, more preferably 40 to 65 ° C. The softening point of the amorphous polymer is preferably in the range of 80 to 220 ° C.
The molecular weight of the amorphous polymer is determined by the weight average molecular weight (M
In w), it is preferably 5,000 to 1,000,000, more preferably 8,000 to 500,000, and the number average molecular weight (Mn) is 2,000 to 200,0.
00 is preferred. In addition, the molecular weight distribution (Mw /
Mn) is preferably from 2.0 to 100, and more preferably from 5.0 to 80.

Here, the softening point of the amorphous polymer is a value measured using a Koka type flow tester (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation). Specifically, the Koka type flow tester “CFT
-500 "(manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation), when a sample of 1 cm ³ is melted and flown out under the conditions of a diameter of a pore of a die of 1 mm, a length of 1 mm, a load of 20 kg / cm ² and a heating rate of 6 ° C./min. The temperature corresponding to one half of the height from the outflow start point to the outflow end point is shown as the softening point.

The glass transition point of the amorphous polymer is D
The intersection between the baseline and the slope of the endothermic peak is determined as the glass transition point by the value measured by SC. Specifically, using a differential scanning calorimeter, the temperature was raised to 100 ° C., and
After being left for a minimum of 10 minutes, it is cooled to room temperature at a temperature drop of 10 ° C./min. Then, the sample was heated at a rate of 10 ° C /
When measured in min, the intersection of the extension line of the base line below the glass transition point and the tangent line indicating the maximum slope from the peak rising portion to the peak apex is shown as the glass transition point. As a measuring device, DSC-7 manufactured by Perkin-Elmer can be used.

The molecular weight of the amorphous polymer is the molecular weight in terms of styrene measured by GPC. The method of measuring the molecular weight of a resin by GPC is measurement by GPC (gel permeation chromatography) using THF as a solvent.
That is, the measurement sample is 0.5 to 5 mg, more specifically, 1
1 cc of THF is added to each mg, and the mixture is stirred at room temperature using a magnetic stirrer or the like to be sufficiently dissolved. Then, after treating with a membrane filter having a pore size of 0.45 to 0.50 μm, the mixture is injected into GPC.
GPC measurement conditions were as follows: stabilize the column at 40 ° C,
THF is flowed at a flow rate of 1 cc / min, and about 100 μl of a sample having a concentration of 1 mg / cc is injected to measure. The column is preferably used in combination with a commercially available polystyrene gel column. For example, Shodex manufactured by Showa Denko KK
GPC KF-801,802,803,804,8
05,806,807 and TSK manufactured by Tosoh Corporation
gelG1000H, G2000H, G3000H, G
4000H, G5000H, G6000H, G7000
H, a combination of TSKguardcolumn and the like. Further, a refractive index detector (IR detector) or a UV detector may be used as the detector.
In measuring the molecular weight of a sample, the molecular weight distribution of the sample is calculated using a calibration curve created using monodispersed polystyrene standard particles. 1 for polystyrene for calibration curve creation
It is good to use about 0 points.

[Polymer Constituting Amorphous Polymer] As the polymerizable monomer used for obtaining the amorphous polymer, a radical polymerizable monomer is an essential component, and if necessary, a cross-linkable polymer is used. Agents can be used. Further, it is preferable to contain at least one radical polymerizable monomer having an acidic group or a radical polymerizable monomer having a basic group described below.

(1) Radical polymerizable monomer The radical polymerizable monomer component is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known radical polymerizable monomer can be used. Also, to satisfy the required characteristics,
Species or a combination of two or more can be used. Specifically, aromatic vinyl monomers, (meth) acrylate monomers, vinyl ester monomers,
Vinyl ether monomers, monoolefin monomers, diolefin monomers, halogenated olefin monomers and the like can be used. Examples of the aromatic vinyl monomer include styrene, o-methylstyrene, m-methylstyrene, p-methylstyrene, p-methoxystyrene, p-phenylstyrene, p-chlorostyrene, and p-methylstyrene.
Ethylstyrene, pn-butylstyrene, p-ter
t-butylstyrene, pn-hexylstyrene, p-
n-octylstyrene, pn-nonylstyrene, p-
n-decylstyrene, pn-dodecylstyrene, 2,
Styrene-based monomers such as 4-dimethylstyrene and 3,4-dichlorostyrene, and derivatives thereof. Examples of (meth) acrylate monomers include methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, cyclohexyl acrylate, phenyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, and methacrylic acid. Butyl, hexyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, ethyl β-hydroxyacrylate, propyl γ-aminoacrylate, stearyl methacrylate, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, diethylaminoethyl methacrylate, and the like. Examples of the vinyl ester monomer include vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, and vinyl benzoate. Examples of the vinyl ether monomer include vinyl methyl ether, vinyl ethyl ether, vinyl isobutyl ether, vinyl phenyl ether and the like. Monoolefin monomers include ethylene, propylene,
Isobutylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, 4-methyl-1-pentene and the like. Examples of the diolefin-based monomer include butadiene, isoprene, and chloroprene. As the halogenated olefin monomer,
Vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, vinyl bromide and the like.

(2) Crosslinking Agent As the crosslinking agent, a radical polymerizable crosslinking agent may be added in order to improve the properties of the toner. Examples of the radical polymerizable crosslinking agent include divinylbenzene, divinylnaphthalene,
Examples thereof include those having two or more unsaturated bonds such as divinyl ether, diethylene glycol methacrylate, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate, and diallyl phthalate.

(3) Radical polymerizable monomer having acidic group or radical polymerizable monomer having basic group Radical polymerizable monomer having acidic group or radical polymerizable monomer having basic group For example, an amine compound such as a carboxyl group-containing monomer, a sulfonic acid group-containing monomer, a primary amine, a secondary amine, a tertiary amine, and a quaternary ammonium salt may be used. it can. As the radical polymerizable monomer having an acidic group, as a carboxylic acid group-containing monomer, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, itaconic acid, cinnamic acid, maleic acid monobutyl ester, maleic acid monomer Octyl ester and the like. Examples of the sulfonic acid group-containing monomer include styrene sulfonic acid, allyl sulfosuccinic acid, octyl allyl sulfosuccinate, and the like. They are,
The structure may be an alkali metal salt such as sodium or potassium or an alkaline earth metal salt such as calcium.

Examples of the radical polymerizable monomer having a basic group include amine compounds, such as dimethylaminoethyl acrylate, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, diethylaminoethyl acrylate, diethylaminoethyl methacrylate, and quaternary of the above four compounds. Ammonium salt, 3-dimethylaminophenyl acrylate, 2-hydroxy-3-methacryloxypropyltrimethylammonium salt, acrylamide, N-butylacrylamide, N, N-dibutylacrylamide,
Piperidylacrylamide, methacrylamide, N-butylmethacrylamide, N-octadecylacrylamide; vinylpyridine, vinylpyrrolidone; vinyl N-methylpyridinium chloride, vinyl N-ethylpyridinium chloride, N, N-diallylmethylammonium chloride, N, N- Diallylethylammonium chloride and the like can be mentioned.

As the radical polymerizable monomer used in the present invention, a radical polymerizable monomer having an acidic group or a radical polymerizable monomer having a basic group is contained in an amount of 0.1 to 15% of the whole monomer. Preferably, the radical polymerizable cross-linking agent is used in the range of 0.1 to 10% by weight, based on the total radical polymerizable monomer, depending on its properties.

[Chain transfer agent] For the purpose of adjusting the molecular weight of the amorphous polymer, a chain transfer agent generally used can be used. The chain transfer agent is not particularly limited, and for example, mercaptans such as octyl mercaptan, dodecyl mercaptan, tert-dodecyl mercaptan, and styrene dimer are used.

[Polymerization Initiator] The radical polymerization initiator used in the present invention can be appropriately used as long as it is water-soluble.
For example, persulfates (potassium persulfate, ammonium persulfate, etc.), azo compounds (4,4'-azobis-4-cyanovaleric acid and its salts, 2,2'-azobis (2-amidinopropane) salts, etc.), peroxides And the like.
Further, the radical polymerization initiator can be used as a redox initiator in combination with a reducing agent, if necessary. By using a redox-based initiator, the polymerization activity is increased, the polymerization temperature can be reduced, and a further reduction in the polymerization time can be expected. As the polymerization temperature, any temperature may be selected as long as it is equal to or higher than the minimum radical generation temperature of the polymerization initiator.
To 90 ° C. However, by using a polymerization initiator started at room temperature, for example, a combination of hydrogen peroxide and a reducing agent (such as ascorbic acid), polymerization can be performed at room temperature or higher.

In the present invention, a crystalline substance is dissolved in the above-mentioned radically polymerizable monomer to prepare a radically polymerizable monomer solution of the crystalline substance. It is preferable to carry out polymerization after emulsifying or suspending in water using a dispersant. The specific method of the polymerization treatment will be described later.

[Surfactant] In order to carry out emulsion polymerization using the above-mentioned radical polymerizable monomer, it is necessary to carry out emulsion polymerization using a surfactant. The surfactant that can be used at this time is not particularly limited, but the following ionic surfactants can be mentioned as preferred examples. Examples of the ionic surfactant include sulfonates (sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, sodium arylalkylpolyethersulfonate, 3,3-disulfondiphenylurea-4,4-diazo-bis-amino-8-naphthol-6). Sodium sulfonate, ortho-carboxybenzene-azo-dimethylaniline, sodium 2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-triphenylmethane-4,4-diazo-bis-β-naphthol-6-sulfonate), sulfuric acid Ester salts (sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium tetradecyl sulfate,
Sodium pentadecyl sulfate, sodium octyl sulfate, etc.) and fatty acid salts (sodium oleate, sodium laurate, sodium caprate, sodium caprylate, sodium caproate, potassium stearate, calcium oleate, etc.). Further, a nonionic surfactant can also be used. Specifically, polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide, a combination of polypropylene oxide and polyethylene oxide, esters of polyethylene glycol and higher fatty acids, alkylphenol polyethylene oxide,
Esters of higher fatty acids and polyethylene glycol, esters of higher fatty acids and polypropylene oxide, sorbitan esters and the like can be mentioned. In the present invention, these are mainly used as emulsifiers at the time of emulsion polymerization, but may be used for other steps or purposes.

<Content Ratio of Crystalline Substance and Amorphous Polymer> The content ratio of the crystalline substance and the amorphous polymer in the resin fine particles is determined based on 100 parts by weight of the amorphous polymer and the crystalline substance. Is preferably 1 to 200 parts by weight, more preferably 2 to 100 parts by weight, particularly preferably 3 to 50 parts by weight. When the proportion of the crystalline substance is too small, the obtained toner does not have sufficient fixability. On the other hand, if this percentage is too high,
Excessive melting due to the presence of an excessive amount of a crystalline substance proceeds, and the melt viscosity is reduced, so that there is a problem that offset is likely to occur.

<Colorant> Examples of the colorant constituting the toner of the present invention include inorganic pigments and organic pigments.
Conventionally known inorganic pigments can be used. Specific inorganic pigments are exemplified below. As the black pigment, for example, carbon black such as furnace black, channel black, acetylene black, thermal black and lamp black, and magnetic powder such as magnetite and ferrite are also used. These inorganic pigments can be used alone or in combination of two or more as desired. The amount of the pigment to be added is 2 to 20% by weight, preferably 3 to 15% by weight, based on the polymer. When used as a magnetic toner, the above-mentioned magnetite can be added. In this case, from the viewpoint of imparting predetermined magnetic properties, it is preferable to add 20 to 60% by weight to the toner.

Conventionally known organic pigments can also be used. Specific organic pigments are exemplified below. Pigments for magenta or red include C.I. I. Pigment Red 2, C.I. I. Pigment Red 3, C.I. I.
Pigment Red 5, C.I. I. Pigment Red 6,
C. I. Pigment Red 7, C.I. I. Pigment Red 15, C.I. I. Pigment Red 16, C.I. I. Pigment Red 48: 1, C.I. I. Pigment Red 5
3: 1, C.I. I. Pigment Red 57: 1, C.I. I.
Pigment Red 122, C.I. I. Pigment Red 1
23, C.I. I. Pigment Red 139, C.I. I. Pigment red 144, C.I. I. Pigment Red 14
9, C.I. I. Pigment Red 166, C.I. I. Pigment Red 177, C.I. I. Pigment Red 178,
C. I. Pigment Red 222 and the like. Examples of orange or yellow pigments include C.I. I. Pigment Orange 31, C.I. I. Pigment Orange 43,
C. I. Pigment Yellow 12, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 13, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 14, C.I.
I. Pigment Yellow 15, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 17, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 93, C.I. I.
Pigment Yellow 94, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 138 and the like. Green or cyan pigments include C.I. I. Pigment Blue 15, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 15: 2, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 1
5: 3, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 16, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 60, C.I. I. Pigment Green 7 and the like. These organic pigments can be used alone or in combination of two or more as desired. The amount of the pigment to be added is 2 to 20% by weight, preferably 3 to 15% by weight, based on the polymer.

The colorant can be used after surface modification. As the surface modifier, a conventionally known one can be used, and specifically, a silane coupling agent, a titanium coupling agent, an aluminum coupling agent and the like can be preferably used.

<External additives> The toner of the present invention has fluidity,
A so-called external additive can be added and used for the purpose of improving the charging property and the cleaning property.
These external additives are not particularly limited, and various inorganic fine particles, organic fine particles, and lubricants can be used. Conventionally known inorganic fine particles can be used. Specifically, silica, titanium, alumina fine particles and the like can be preferably used. These inorganic fine particles are preferably hydrophobic. In particular,
As silica fine particles, for example, commercially available products manufactured by Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd. R-805, R-976, R-974, R-972,
R-812, R-809, HVK-21 manufactured by Hoechst
50, H-200, commercially available TS-72 manufactured by Cabot Corporation
0, TS-530, TS-610, H-5, MS-5 and the like. As the titanium fine particles, for example, commercially available products T-805 and T-604 manufactured by Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd., and commercially available products MT-100S, MT-100B and MT- manufactured by Teika Co., Ltd.
500BS, MT-600, MT-600SS, JA-
1. Commercial products TA-300SI, TA-
500, TAF-130, TAF-510, TAF-5
10T, commercial products IT-S, IT-OA manufactured by Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.
IT-OB, IT-OC and the like can be mentioned. As the alumina fine particles, for example, a commercial product RF manufactured by Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd.
YC, C-604, commercial product TTO-5 manufactured by Ishihara Sangyo Co., Ltd.
5 and the like. Further, as the organic fine particles, spherical organic fine particles having a number average primary particle diameter of about 10 to 2000 nm can be used. As this, a homopolymer such as styrene or methyl methacrylate or a copolymer thereof can be used. Lubricants include, for example, salts of stearic acid zinc, aluminum, copper, magnesium, calcium, etc., oleic acid zinc, manganese, iron,
Metal salts of higher fatty acids such as salts of copper, magnesium and the like, salts of zinc, copper, magnesium and calcium of palmitic acid, salts of zinc and calcium of linoleic acid, and salts of zinc and calcium of ricinoleic acid. . The addition amount of these external additives is preferably about 0.1 to 5% by weight based on the toner.

<Manufacturing Process of Toner> As an example of the manufacturing method of the present invention, (1) a dissolving process in which a crystalline substance is dissolved in a radical polymerizable monomer, and (2) a dispersion of resin fine particles are prepared. (3) a fusion step of fusing resin fine particles in an aqueous medium to obtain toner particles (associated particles);
(4) a filtration / washing step of filtering the toner particles from the dispersion liquid of the toner particles to remove a surfactant or the like from the toner particles, and (5) a drying step of drying the washed toner particles. (6) A step of adding an external additive to the dried toner particles may be included.

Hereinafter, each step will be described. [Dissolving Step] In this step, a crystalline substance is dissolved in a radical polymerizable monomer to prepare a radical polymerizable monomer solution of the crystalline substance. The use ratio of the crystalline substance is 1 to 100 parts by weight of the radical polymerizable monomer.
Preferably it is 200 parts by weight, more preferably 2 parts by weight.
To 100 parts by weight, particularly preferably 3 to 50 parts by weight.

[Polymerization Step] In a preferred example of the polymerization step, a droplet of the radical polymerizable monomer solution of the crystalline substance is placed in an aqueous medium (aqueous solution of a surfactant and a radical polymerization initiator). The polymerization reaction proceeds in the droplet by the radical from the radical polymerization initiator. Incidentally, an oil-soluble polymerization initiator may be contained in the droplet. In such a polymerization process, mechanical energy is applied to forcibly emulsify (form droplets).
Processing is required. Examples of the means for applying mechanical energy include means for applying strong stirring or ultrasonic vibration energy such as a homomixer, ultrasonic waves, and Manton-Gaulin.

By this polymerization step, resin fine particles containing a crystalline substance and an amorphous polymer are obtained. Such resin fine particles may be colored fine particles or non-colored fine particles. The colored resin fine particles are obtained by polymerizing a monomer composition containing a colorant. In the case where uncolored resin fine particles are used, in a fusing step described later, a dispersion of colorant fine particles is added to a dispersion of resin fine particles, and the resin fine particles and the colorant fine particles are fused. Thus, toner particles can be obtained.

[Fusing Step] As a method of fusing in the fusing step, a salting out / fusion method using resin fine particles (colored or non-colored resin fine particles) obtained in the polymerization step is preferable. In addition, in the fusing step, not only resin fine particles and colorant fine particles, but also fine particles of an internal additive such as a releasing agent fine particle and a charge control agent can be fused.

The “aqueous medium” in the fusing step is as follows:
A substance whose main component (50% by weight or more) is composed of water. Here, examples of the component other than water include an organic solvent soluble in water, such as methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, butanol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and tetrahydrofuran. Of these, methanol, which is an organic solvent that does not dissolve the resin,
Alcohol organic solvents such as ethanol, isopropanol and butanol are particularly preferred.

The colorant fine particles can be prepared by dispersing the colorant in an aqueous medium. Dispersion treatment of the colorant is carried out by adjusting the surfactant concentration in water to the critical micelle concentration (CM
C) It is performed in the state described above. The dispersing machine used for the dispersion treatment of the colorant is not particularly limited, but is preferably an ultrasonic dispersing machine, a mechanical homogenizer, a pressure dispersing machine such as Manton-Gaulin or a pressure homogenizer, a sand grinder, a Getzman mill or a diamond fine mill. A medium type dispersing machine may be used. Examples of the surfactant used include the same surfactants as described above. Note that the colorant (fine particles) may be surface-modified. In the method for modifying the surface of the colorant, the colorant is dispersed in a solvent, the surface modifier is added to the molecular weight liquid, and the system is reacted by raising the temperature. After completion of the reaction, the colorant is separated by filtration, washed and filtered repeatedly with the same solvent, and then dried to obtain a colorant (pigment) treated with the surface modifier.

The salting-out / fusing method, which is a preferred fusing method, is as follows:
In a water in which resin fine particles and colorant fine particles are present, a salting-out agent composed of an alkali metal salt, an alkaline earth metal salt, or the like is added as a coagulant having a critical coagulation concentration or more, and then the glass transition of the resin fine particles is performed. This is a step in which the salting-out is advanced by heating to more than the point, and at the same time, the fusion is performed. In this step, a method may be employed in which an organic solvent that is infinitely soluble in water is added, and the glass transition temperature of the resin fine particles is substantially lowered to effectively perform fusion. Here, the alkali metal salt and the alkaline earth metal salt that are salting-out agents include lithium, potassium, and sodium as the alkali metal,
As alkaline earth metals, magnesium, calcium,
Strontium, barium and the like can be mentioned, and preferably potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium and barium can be mentioned. Also, as a constituent of the salt,
Chloride, bromide, iodine, carbonate, sulfate and the like can be mentioned. Further, as the organic solvent infinitely soluble in water,
Methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, ethylene glycol, glycerin, acetone and the like can be mentioned. Alcohols of methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol and 2-propanol having 3 or less carbon atoms are preferable, and especially, 2- Propanol is preferred.

When the fusion of the present invention is carried out by salting out / fusing, it is preferable to minimize the time of standing after adding the salting out agent. Although the reason for this is not clear, the aggregation state of the particles fluctuates depending on the standing time after salting out,
There are problems that the particle size distribution becomes unstable and the surface properties of the fused toner fluctuate. Further, the temperature at which the salting-out agent is added needs to be at least equal to or lower than the glass transition temperature of the resin fine particles. This is because
If the temperature at which the salting-out agent is added is equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin fine particles, the salting-out / fusion of the resin fine particles proceeds rapidly, but the particle size cannot be controlled, and the particles having a large particle size cannot be controlled. Problems that occur. The range of the addition temperature may be lower than the glass transition temperature of the resin, but is generally 5 to 55 ° C, preferably 10 to 45 ° C.
In the present invention, it is preferable to use a method in which a salting-out agent is added at a temperature equal to or lower than the glass transition temperature of the resin fine particles, and thereafter, the temperature is raised as quickly as possible, and the temperature is raised to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin fine particles. The time until the temperature rise is preferably less than 1 hour. Further, it is necessary to raise the temperature promptly, but the rate of temperature increase is preferably 0.25 ° C./min or more. The upper limit is not particularly clear, but if the temperature is raised instantaneously, salting out proceeds rapidly, and there is a problem that particle size control is difficult to perform.

[Filtration / Washing Step] In this filtration / washing step, a filtration treatment for filtering the toner particles from the dispersion liquid of the toner particles obtained in the above-described step and a filtration treatment for separating the toner particles (cake-like) are performed. Washing treatment for removing extraneous substances such as surfactants and salting-out agents from the aggregates). Here, the filtration method is not particularly limited, such as a centrifugal separation method, a reduced pressure filtration method using a Nutsche method, a filtration method using a filter press, or the like.

[Drying Step] This step is a step of drying the washed toner particles. Dryers used in this step include spray dryers, vacuum freeze dryers, vacuum dryers and the like, stationary shelf dryers, mobile shelf dryers, fluidized bed dryers, rotary dryers ,
It is preferable to use a stirring dryer or the like. The moisture content of the dried toner particles is preferably 5% by weight or less, more preferably 2% by weight or less. In the case where the dried toner particles are aggregated by a weak attractive force between the particles, the aggregate may be crushed. Here, jet mill,
A mechanical crushing device such as a Henschel mixer, a coffee mill, a food processor and the like can be used.

[Step of Adding External Additive] This step is a step of adding an external additive to the dried toner particles. Examples of a device used for adding the external additive include various known mixing devices such as a turbular mixer, a Hensiel mixer, a Nauter mixer, and a V-type mixer.

The toner may contain a material capable of imparting various functions as a toner material in addition to the colorant and the release agent. Specific examples include a charge control agent. These components are added at the stage of polymerizing the resin fine particles, the dispersion is added, the resin fine particles and the colorant particles are added at the same time in the salting-out / fusion step, and included in the toner. It can be added by various methods such as an adding method. As a preferable method, a method in which the charge control agent particles and / or the release agent particles are added in a dispersion state at the stage of polymerizing the resin fine particles, and the resin fine particles and the colorant particles in the salting out / fusing step are used. At the same time, charge control agent particles and / or release agent particles are added in the form of a dispersion, and salting out /
A method of fusing is exemplified. As the release agent, it is preferable to use various known ones which can be dispersed in water. Specific examples include olefin waxes such as polypropylene and polyethylene, modified products thereof, natural waxes such as carnauba wax and rice wax, and amide waxes such as fatty acid bisamide. These are added as release agent particles and can be salted out / fused together with the resin and colorant. Similarly, various known charge control agents, which can be dispersed in water, can be used. Specific examples include a nigrosine dye, a metal salt of naphthenic acid or a higher fatty acid, an alkoxylated amine, a quaternary ammonium salt compound, an azo metal complex, a metal salt of salicylic acid, and a metal complex thereof. The particles of the release agent and the charge control agent preferably have a number average primary particle diameter of about 10 to 500 nm in a dispersed state.

<Particle Size of Toner> The volume average particle size of the toner of the present invention is preferably from 3 to 9 μm, more preferably from 4 to 8 μm. Here, the volume average particle size of the toner is a value measured using a Coulter Counter TA-II, a Coulter Multisizer, a SLAD1100 (a laser diffraction particle size measuring device manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation), or the like. In the Coulter Counter TAII and Coulter Multisizer, values measured using an aperture having an aperture diameter of 100 μm and a particle size distribution in the range of 2.0 to 40 μm are shown.

<Developer> The toner of the present invention may be used as a one-component developer or a two-component developer, but is preferably a two-component developer.

When the toner is used as a one-component developer, there is a method in which the toner is used as it is as a non-magnetic one-component developer. However, usually, magnetic particles having a particle size of about 0.1 to 5 μm are contained in toner particles. Used as a developer. As a method of containing the same, it is common to make the non-spherical particles contain the same as the coloring agent.

Further, it can be used as a two-component developer by mixing with a carrier. In this case, as the magnetic particles of the carrier, conventionally known materials such as metals such as iron, ferrite and magnetite, and alloys of these metals with metals such as aluminum and lead are used. Particularly, ferrite particles are preferable. The magnetic particles have a volume average particle size of 15
-100 μm, more preferably 25-60 μm.

The volume average particle size of the carrier is typically measured by a laser diffraction type particle size distribution analyzer “HELOS” equipped with a wet disperser (SYMPATIC (SYMP)
(ATEC)).

The carrier is preferably a carrier in which magnetic particles are further coated with a resin, or a so-called resin-dispersed carrier in which magnetic particles are dispersed in a resin. Although there is no particular limitation on the resin composition for coating, for example, an olefin resin, a styrene resin, a styrene / acrylic resin, a silicone resin, an ester resin, a fluorine-containing polymer resin, or the like is used. The resin for forming the resin dispersion type carrier is not particularly limited, and known resins can be used.For example, styrene acrylic resin, polyester resin, fluorine resin, phenol resin, and the like can be used. it can.

<Heat Roll Fixing Method> In an image forming method using the toner of the present invention, a preferable fixing method is a heat roll fixing method. FIG.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a fixing device using a hot roll fixing method. This fixing device includes an upper roller 1 having a heat source 3 formed of a linear heater therein, and a lower roller 2 formed of silicone rubber or the like. Reference numeral 4 denotes an image support (transfer paper). Upper roller 1
Is obtained by forming a resin coating layer on the surface of a metal cylinder. Examples of the constituent material of the metal cylinder include iron and aluminum. Examples of the constituent material of the resin coating layer include tetrafluoroethylene and polytetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkoxy vinyl ether copolymers. The surface temperature of the upper roller 1 is heated to about 120 to 200 ° C. by the heat source 3. In the fixing section, a nip is formed by applying pressure between the upper roller 1 and the lower roller 2 to deform the lower roller 2. Nip width is usually 1-10m
m, and preferably 1.5 to 7 mm. If the nip width is too narrow, heat cannot be uniformly applied to the toner, causing uneven fixing. On the other hand, if the nip width is too wide, the melting of the resin is promoted, and there is a problem that the fixing offset becomes excessive. The fixing linear velocity is 4
0 to 600 mm / sec is preferable.

The fixing device used in the present invention may be provided with a fixing unit cleaning mechanism as required. In this case, as a method of supplying the silicone oil to the upper roller of the fixing unit, a method of supplying and cleaning with a pad, a roller, a web, or the like impregnated with the silicone oil can be used. High heat-resistant silicone oils are used, such as polydimethyl silicone,
Polyphenylmethyl silicone, polydiphenyl silicone and the like are used. Since those having low viscosity have a large outflow during use, the viscosity at 20 ° C.
Those having 0 to 100,000 cp are preferably used. In particular, the present invention is remarkably effective in a system using a fixed amount of silicone oil. The reason is that the silicone oil is insulating, so the heating roller (the upper roller in the above description) where the oil exists on the surface
This is because charge accumulation due to frictional electrification increases due to friction caused by rotation with a pressure roller (also a lower roller), and as a result, repelling is likely to occur. However, this is effectively prevented by the present invention. The amount of silicone oil applied is preferably 0.1 to 10 μg / cm ² .

[0061]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to examples, but embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. In the following, “parts” means “parts by weight”.

[Preparation Example 1 of Colored Particles] (1) Preparation of Colorant Dispersion: 0.90 kg of sodium n-dodecyl sulfate and 10.0 L of pure water were stirred and dissolved. To this liquid, 1.20 kg of Regal 330R (carbon black manufactured by Cabot Corporation) was gradually added under stirring, and then, using a sand grinder (medium type disperser),
The dispersion was continued for 20 hours. After dispersion, the particle diameter of the dispersion was measured using an electrophoretic light scattering photometer ELS-800 manufactured by Otsuka Electronics Co., Ltd., and as a result, the dispersion was 122 nm in weight average diameter. Further, the solid content concentration of the above dispersion measured by a weight method by standing drying was 16.6% by weight. This dispersion is referred to as “colorant dispersion 1”.

(2) Preparation of latex A1: styrene =
567 g, n-butyl acrylate = 98 g, methacrylic acid = 35 g, t-dodecyl mercaptan = 24.1 g
Then, a crystalline material (crystalline material 1) shown in Table 2 below was added according to the formulation shown in Table 1 below, and the temperature was raised to 85 ° C. with stirring to dissolve the crystalline material, and a monomer solution (dissolved the crystalline material) Radical polymerizable monomer solution). Then, a thermometer containing an aqueous solution in which 1 g of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate was dissolved in 2700 mL of pure water,
A four-necked flask having a cooling tube and a stirrer was heated to 85 ° C., and the monomer solution was added dropwise under the temperature condition.
While maintaining the temperature at 5 ° C., ultrasonic vibration was applied to completely disperse the monomer solution in an aqueous solution containing a surfactant. Thereafter, the temperature was lowered to 70 ° C., a water-soluble polymerization initiator solution in which 8.3 g of ammonium persulfate was dissolved in 500 mL of pure water was added dropwise, and the mixture was reacted at 70 ° C. for 4 hours under a nitrogen stream. Thereafter, the mixture was cooled and foreign substances were removed with a pole filter to obtain latex A1.

(3) Preparation of latex B1: styrene =
497 g, n-butyl acrylate = 168 g, methacrylic acid = 35 g, t-dodecyl mercaptan = 0.66
g, a crystalline substance (crystalline substance 1) shown in Table 2 below was added according to the formulation shown in Table 1 below, and the temperature was raised to 85 ° C. with stirring to dissolve the crystalline substance. A dissolved radically polymerizable monomer solution) was prepared.
Then, a four-necked flask equipped with a thermometer, a cooling pipe, and a stirrer in which an aqueous solution in which 1.34 g of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate was dissolved in 2700 mL of pure water was placed.
The mixture was heated to 5 ° C., the monomer solution was added dropwise at the temperature, and ultrasonic vibration was applied while maintaining the temperature at 85 ° C. to completely disperse the monomer solution in an aqueous solution containing a surfactant. Thereafter, the temperature was lowered to 70 ° C., a water-soluble polymerization initiator solution obtained by dissolving 1.48 g of ammonium persulfate in 500 mL of pure water was added dropwise, and reacted at 70 ° C. for 4 hours under a nitrogen stream. Thereafter, the mixture was cooled and foreign substances were removed with a pole filter to obtain latex B1.

(4) Salting-out / fusion step: 1.07 kg of sodium chloride as a salting-out agent and 5.0 L of ion-exchanged water were added and dissolved by stirring. This is designated as sodium chloride solution A. In a reaction vessel equipped with a temperature sensor, a cooling pipe, a nitrogen introduction device, a stirrer, and a comb baffle, the latex A1 produced above and the latex B1 produced were 5.0 kg and 5.0 k, respectively.
g, colorant dispersion 1 = 0.4 kg and ion-exchanged water 20.
And stirred. Then, the mixture was heated to 35 ° C., and sodium chloride solution A was added. Thereafter, after standing for 5 minutes, the temperature was raised, and the temperature was raised to a liquid temperature of 85 ° C. in 5 minutes (heating rate = 10 ° C./min). The mixture was heated and stirred at a liquid temperature of 85 ° C. ± 2 ° C. for 6 hours to carry out salting out / fusion. Then 3
The mixture was cooled to 0 ° C. or lower and the stirring was stopped. The solution is filtered through a sieve having an opening of 45 μm, and this filtrate is used as an association liquid. Then, using a centrifuge, the wet cake-like colored particles were collected by filtration from the associated liquid. Thereafter, the substrate was washed with ion-exchanged water. The wet cake-like colored particles that had been washed as described above were dried with warm air at 40 ° C. to obtain colored particles. This colored particle is referred to as “colored particle 1”. The colored particles 1 had a volume average particle diameter of 6.3 μm, and the resin had a number average molecular weight of 6,100 and a weight average molecular weight of 53,000.

[Production Examples of Colored Particles 2 to 15] Latex A
When preparing crystalline particles 1 and latex B1, colored particles 2 to 15 were obtained in the same manner as colored particle production example 1 except that the crystalline substances shown in table 2 below were used according to the formulation shown in table 1 below. .

[0067]

[Table 1]

[0068]

[Table 2]

* CHD: 1,4-cyclohexanediol * EG: ethylene glycol * 1,4BD: 1,4-butanediol * 1,6HD: 1,6-hexanediol

To each of the colored particles 1 to 15 was added 1.0% by weight of hydrophobic silica (hydrophobicity = 65, number average primary particle size = 12 nm) to obtain a toner. These are referred to as “toner 1” to “toner 15”. Each of the toners 1 to 15 and a ferrite carrier coated with a silicone resin and having a volume average particle diameter of 60 μm were mixed to prepare a developer having a toner concentration of 6%. These are referred to as “developer 1” to “developer 15” corresponding to the toner.

<Examples 1 to 14 and Comparative Example 1> [Actual photo test] Using each of the developers 1 to 15, a photographic test using a digital copying machine Konica 7060 manufactured by Konica Corp. was carried out. (Fixing offset generation temperature) and fixability (halftone fixing rate) were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 3 below. The developing conditions are as follows.

(Developing conditions) Photoconductor; laminated organic photoconductor DC bias: -500 V Dsd (distance between photoconductor and developing sleeve): 600 μm Developer layer regulation: Magnetic H-Cut method Developer layer Thickness: 700 μm ・ Developing sleeve diameter: 40 mm

As the fixing device, a pressure fixing type heat fixing device was employed. The configuration of the fixing device and the fixing conditions are as follows.

(Fixing device) Tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkylvinyl ether copolymer (PFA)
30 mm diameter heater having a diameter of 30 mm with a built-in central part as the upper roller, the surface of which is covered with a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl ether copolymer.
It has a lower roller of mmφ. Linear pressure 0.8kg /
cm and the nip width was 4.3 mm.

(Fixing conditions) Using this fixing device, the printing linear velocity was set to 250 mm / sec. As a cleaning mechanism of the fixing device, a web-type supply system impregnated with polydiphenyl silicone (having a viscosity of 10,000 cp at 20 ° C.) was used. The fixing temperature was controlled by the surface temperature of the upper roll, and was set to 185 ° C. The amount of silicone oil applied was 0.8 μg /
cm ² .

[Evaluation Method] (1) Fixing Offset Occurrence Temperature: The surface temperature (center value) of the heating roller is changed in the range of 150 to 210 ° C. in steps of 5 ° C., and at each surface temperature, A4 having a solid black band image with a width of 5 mm in the vertical direction
After the image is transported and fixed by vertical feed, an A4 image having a 5 mm width solid black band image and a 20 mm width halftone image is transported by horizontal feed perpendicularly to the transport direction, and image contamination due to fixing offset is caused. The temperature at which the occurrence of was measured. The results are shown in Table 3 below.

(2) Halftone fixing rate: The fixing rate of the halftone image when the surface temperature (center value) of the heating roller was fixed at 170 ° C. was measured. The fixation rate was calculated from the image density before and after the fixed image was rubbed with a 1 kg weight wound with a “sarashi cloth” by the following formula.
The results are shown in Table 3 below.

[0078]

## EQU1 ## Fixing ratio = [(image density after rubbing) / (image density before rubbing)] × 100

[0079]

[Table 3]

[0080]

The toner according to the present invention has good anti-offset properties, a wide fixable temperature range, and excellent fixability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a fixing device using a hot roll fixing method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper roller 2 Lower roller 3 Heat source 4 Image support

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Mikio Kamiyama 1st Konica Corporation, Sakura-cho, Hino-shi, Tokyo In-house (72) Inventor Kenji Hayashi 1st-place Konica Corporation, Sakura-cho, Hino-shi, Tokyo In-house (72) Inventor Hiroshi Yamazaki 2970 Ishikawacho, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo Konica Corporation F term (reference) 2H005 AA01 AB03 AB06 CA04 CA08 DA06 EA03 EA06 EA10 2H033 AA02 BA58

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A toner obtained by fusing resin fine particles containing a crystalline substance and an amorphous polymer in an aqueous medium. 2. The crystalline substance has a melting point of 60 to 130 ° C., a number average molecular weight of 1,500 to 15,000, and a melting point of + 20 ° C.
2. The toner according to claim 1, wherein the melt viscosity of the toner is 100 dPa · s or less. 3. A method for producing a toner, comprising: subjecting a radical polymerizable monomer solution in which a crystalline substance is dissolved to emulsion polymerization to obtain fine resin particles, and fusing the fine resin particles in an aqueous medium. 4. The crystalline material has a melting point of 60 to 130 ° C., a number average molecular weight of 1,500 to 15,000, and a melting point of + 20 ° C.
4. The method for producing a toner according to claim 3, wherein the melt viscosity of the toner is 100 dPa · s or less.