JP2002162773A - Electrostatic charge image developing toner, toner container, toner fixing device, toner image fixing method and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner which is suitable for an image forming device, specifically a middle to high speed fixing device having low temperature fixing property at a higher level than that of a conventional device, good hot offset resistance and thermal preservation and is capable of achieving energy-saving at an unprecedented level, and which has good developing property in a long period and thus forming an image of high quality and further has good pulverized property, and also provide a toner container. SOLUTION: The electrostatic charge image developing toner contains at least a binder resin, a coloring agent, and a release agent, and has G' (storage elasticity) of the toner of <=5×105 Pa and tan δ (G"/G' ratio of loss elasticity/ storage elasticity) of the toner of >=1.2, at frequency of 10 Hz at 100 deg.C and applied stress of 1,500-2,000 Pa, and G' of the toner of >=5×102 Pa and tan δof the toner of <=5, at frequency of 10 Hz at 180 deg.C and applied stress of 1,500-2,000 Pa.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner for developing an electrostatic image, a toner container, a toner fixing device, and the like used for developing an electrostatic latent image such as an electrophotographic method, an electrostatic recording method, and an electrostatic printing method. The present invention relates to a toner fixing method and an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a fixing method in electrophotography, a heating heat roller method is widely and generally used. In the case of using the heating heat roller, a low-temperature fixing type toner has been actively developed in response to an increase in energy conservation due to environmental considerations in recent years. In particular, there is a strong demand for low-temperature fixing in medium to high-speed copying systems which require fixing at high temperatures. Correspondingly, styrene, which has been widely used in the past,
Instead of acrylic resins, attempts have been made to use polyester resins that have excellent low-temperature fixability and relatively good heat-resistant storage stability. However, for further low-temperature fixing, it is necessary to control the thermal properties of the resin itself.If the glass transition temperature is too low, the heat-resistant storage stability is deteriorated, or the resin is softened by reducing the molecular weight. If it is performed too much, there is a problem in saving energy only with toner, such as lowering the hot offset generation temperature.

For this reason, along with attempts to make the toner itself fixable at a low temperature, there is a movement to try to save energy from the fixing method. For energy saving of fixing method,
In order to minimize the amount of power required for a standby time (warm-up time of the apparatus) from when the image forming apparatus is turned on until image formation becomes possible, a reduction in the standby time is required. One way to achieve this requirement is to reduce the heat capacity of a fixing member such as a heating heat roller to improve the temperature responsiveness of the toner. For this, it is necessary to make the fixing member thinner than ever and to use a material having good thermal conductivity. As a result, depending on the material, distortion due to pressurization is conceivable, and there is a case where the conventional surface pressure cannot be applied.

[0004] As another method, there is a belt fixing system in which an image is contacted via a sheet instead of a roller. In this method, in addition to lowering the heat capacity of the fixing member, depending on the configuration, the nip width can be increased, and the residual heat effect of the belt can be obtained.
Low-temperature fixing becomes possible. However, there is a problem of belt bending and deflection, and in this case also, high surface pressure cannot be applied.

In such a low-surface-pressure fixing device, since the deformation of the toner particles due to the pressing force is smaller than before, further low-temperature fixing toner is required to deform the particles until a sufficient fixing strength is obtained. Becomes As described above, when the toner is fixed at a low temperature, there is a problem that it becomes difficult to secure a fixing temperature range (hot offset resistance).

In order to prevent offset, it is general to incorporate a release agent such as wax into the toner and exude it at the time of fixing. Must exist as a domain inside. However, depending on the state of existence of the domains, the amount of wax on the surface of the toner particles is increased, and various problems are likely to occur in storage stability and developability. In particular, in the case of a fixing system having a low surface pressure, the release agent is unlikely to seep out. Therefore, there is a great problem in achieving the state of the release agent domain in consideration of this.

Examples of the prior art for suppressing the side effect of the wax content and achieving both low-temperature fixing and anti-offset are disclosed in JP-A-7-295290 and JP-A-8-234.
480, JP-A-9-34163, and the like, the toner is fixed at a lower temperature than conventional toners due to viscoelasticity, but it is insufficient to achieve further low-temperature fixing. In Japanese Patent No. 2904520 and JP-A-2000-56511, low-pressure low-temperature fixing is possible, but it is insufficient to achieve low-temperature fixing by a fixing system capable of shortening the rise time.

In addition, the International Energy Agency (IEA) DSM (Demand-side Ma) in 1999
The technology procurement project of the next-generation copying machine exists in the program, and the required specifications are announced. For the copying machine of 30 cpm or more, the standby time is within 10 seconds, and the power consumption during the standby is 10 to 10 cpm. In order to reduce the power to 30 watts or less (depending on the copying speed), it is required to achieve a drastic energy saving as compared with a conventional copying machine.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus, especially a medium to high speed machine, which has a low level of low-temperature fixability, a good hot offset resistance and a good heat preservability. An object of the present invention is to provide a toner and a toner container that are suitable for a fixing device that can achieve an unprecedented level of energy saving, can form a high-quality image with good developability over a long period, and have good pulverizability. Another object of the present invention is to
An object of the present invention is to provide a toner fixing method and a toner fixing device which can achieve unprecedented low-temperature fixing and energy saving by using the toner and the toner container.

[0010]

The object of the present invention is solved by the following technical means and techniques. (1) In a toner for developing an electrostatic image containing at least a binder resin, a coloring agent, and a release agent, G ′ (storage elastic modulus) of the toner at a frequency of 10 Hz, a temperature of 100 ° C., and a stress of 1500 to 2000 Pa is 5 ×. 10 ( "'ratio): G / G) and the storage modulus (G''the loss modulus (G) ⁵ Pa or less and the toner tanδ is not less than 1.2, the frequency 10H
z, temperature G is 180 ° C., stress is 1500 to 2000 Pa, G ′ of toner is 5 × 10 ² Pa or more, and tan δ of toner is
Is 5 or less. (2) A molecular weight distribution diagram in which the abscissa represents log (M) (M is molecular weight) and the ordinate represents weight%.
The toner according to the above (1), wherein the peak position of the molecular weight distribution by PC is in the range of 3.3 to 4, and the half width of the peak is 1.5 or less. (3) In a toner for developing an electrostatic image containing at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a release agent, the G ′ (storage modulus) of the toner at a frequency of 10 Hz, a temperature of 100 ° C., and a stress of 1,000 to 1500 Pa is 4 ×. 10 ( "'ratio): G / G) and the storage modulus (G''the loss modulus (G) ⁵ Pa or less and the toner tanδ is not less than 1.3, the frequency 10H
z, the temperature at 180 ° C., the stress G of the toner at 1000 to 1500 Pa are 5 × 10 ² Pa or more, and the toner tan δ
Is 5 or less. (4) A molecular weight distribution diagram in which the abscissa represents log (M) (M is molecular weight) and the ordinate represents weight%.
The toner according to the above (3), wherein the peak position of the molecular weight distribution by PC is in the range of 3.3 to 4, and the half width of the peak is 1.1 or less. (5) The toner according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the ratio of the molecular weight distribution of the THF-soluble component of the toner by GPC of 100,000 or more is 3% by weight or less. (6) The chloroform-insoluble content of the binder resin in the toner is 2 to 2.
The toner according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the toner content is 20%. (7) At least two of a binder resin containing a chloroform-insoluble component and a binder resin containing no chloroform-insoluble component
(1) characterized in that it is composed of species
To (6). (8) The toner according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein 80% by weight or more of the binder resin is a polyester resin. (9) The polyester resin has an acid value of 8 to 45 mgKOH /
g, wherein the hydroxyl value is 50 mgKOH / g or less. (10) The toner according to any one of the above (1) to (9), which contains a metal salicylate compound. (11) Two or more binder resins are used, which are incompatible with each other and have a sea-island-like phase-separated structure, and a release agent is substantially contained in the island-like resin. (1) to (10). (12) The toner according to (3) to (11) above, wherein the volume average particle diameter of the toner is 5 to 7 μm. (13) Two rollers for heating and fixing the toner image by passing the toner image formed on the recording material with the toner of (1) to (12) between the rollers, and the two rollers A toner fixing device, wherein the fixing roller on the side of the roller that contacts the toner image is an inelastic roller. (14) A toner fixing device which heat-fixes a toner image formed on the recording material by using the toner of (1) to (12) above with an endless or endless belt. (15) A toner fixing device which heat-fixes a toner image by passing a support carrying a toner image formed by the toners of (3) to (12) between two rollers. A thickness of a fixing roller on a side in contact with the toner image is 1.0 mm or less, and a surface pressure (roller load / contact area) applied between the two rollers is 1 × 10 ⁵ Pa or less. . (16) The toner image on the recording material formed by using the toners of (1) to (12) is passed between two rollers whose fixing roller on the side in contact with the toner image is an inelastic roller. And fixing the toner. (17) A toner fixing method characterized by fixing a toner image on a recording material formed using the toners of (1) to (12) while making contact with an endless or endless belt. (18) The toner image formed on the recording material formed by using the toners of (3) to (12) is fixed to a fixing roller having a thickness of 1.0 mm or less on a side contacting the toner image. Pressure (roller load / contact area) applied to the surface is 1 × 10 ⁵ Pa
A fixing method for a toner, comprising fixing with the following fixing device. (19) A toner container filled with the toner of (1) to (12). (20) An image forming apparatus equipped with the toner container of (19).

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
The toner is a viscoelastic material, and the ratio of the viscous component to the elastic component is
Fixing characteristics are affected. For low-temperature fixing, it is required that the elastic component becomes small at a low temperature, and the toner is deformed and easily adhered to a recording material such as paper. On the other hand, for the offset resistance, it is required that the elastic component does not become too small at a high temperature and the cohesive force between the toners is maintained. The value of the viscoelasticity changes depending on the applied force. The larger the force, the smaller the elastic component tends to be, and the toner is easily deformed at a low temperature, but it is difficult to maintain the cohesive force between toners at a high temperature. Conversely, when the value is small, the elastic component is not easily reduced and the toner is not easily deformed, but the cohesive force between the toners is easily maintained up to high temperatures. The present invention pays attention to this point, and is characterized in that not only the elastic component decreases at low temperature but also the elastic component decreases even with a small force.

The toner of the present invention, in particular, the toner of the first embodiment, has a temperature of 100.degree.
In order to make the viscoelasticity at Hz and a stress of 1500 to 2000 Pa have the above characteristics, it is effective to sharpen the molecular weight distribution of the resin constituting the toner and increase the absolute amount of the low molecular weight as much as possible. I confirmed that there was. Accordingly, the molecular weight distribution (molecular weight distribution by GPC) of the THF-soluble component of the binder resin in the toner is represented by the logarithm of the molecular weight log (M) on the horizontal axis and the peak position in the molecular weight distribution diagram on the vertical axis in weight%. It is in the range of 3.3 to 4, and is obtained when the half width of the peak is 1.5 or less.

In the toner according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the molecular weight distribution of the THF-soluble portion of the toner by GPC is represented by log (M) on the abscissa and by weight% on the ordinate. Preferably, the peak position is in the range of 3.3 to 4, and the peak half width is 1.1 or less.

Incidentally, the toner viscoelasticity in the present invention is measured as follows. Using a Rheostress RS50 system manufactured by Haake, using a parallel plate having a diameter of 20 mm, the gap was set to 2 mm, the frequency was set to 10 Hz, the temperature was set to 100 ° C. or 180 ° C., and the measurement was performed within a stress range of 100 to 3000 Pa. The toner used was a pellet having a diameter of 20 mm and a thickness of 2 mm.

On the other hand, the temperature 18 related to the offset resistance
In order to make the viscoelasticity at 0 ° C., a frequency of 10 Hz and a stress of 1500 to 2000 Pa or 1000 to 1500 Pa have the above characteristics, the effect of the crosslinking component is large. In particular, the greater the proportion of the low molecular weight component in the THF-soluble component, the greater the effect of the crosslinking component on the offset resistance. Therefore, the toner of the present invention preferably contains a chloroform-insoluble component, and the content thereof is 2 to 20%. Thereby, not only the offset resistance, but also the heat storage stability is improved. However, when the chloroform-insoluble content is more than 20%, the ratio of the elastic component becomes too high, and the low-temperature fixing is easily hindered.

Further, not only the crosslinking component but also the high molecular weight component in the THF-soluble component has an effect on the offset resistance. However, the effect is small as compared with the effect of the cross-linking component, and depending on the ratio of the high-molecular weight component, the sharp melt property at low temperatures may be rather hindered.

Accordingly, THF in the binder resin of the toner
It is preferable that the ratio of the molecular weight distribution of the soluble component by GPC of 100,000 or more is 3% by weight or less. For this purpose, in the resin constituting the toner, it is preferable that the ratio of the molecular weight distribution of the THF-soluble component by GPC of 100,000 or more is 10% by weight or less.

Conventionally, in the step of melting and kneading the toner constituent materials in the process of toner production, the cross-linking component is cut by shearing force, and becomes a high molecular weight component in the THF-soluble component. However, even if there is a THF-insoluble component, if the low-molecular-weight component is very large in the soluble component and there is no high-molecular-weight component, the island of the cross-linking component exists in the low-molecular-weight sea. ,
It is considered that a shearing force is hardly applied to the cross-linking component, and the cross-linking component is hardly cut.

To obtain such a toner, it is possible to use only one kind of resin. However, by using two or more kinds of resins, it is easy to obtain the toner characteristics of the present invention. In this case, one of them shall not contain chloroform-insoluble matter,
It is effective that the other contains a chloroform-insoluble component in that the crosslinking component is not easily cut. In addition, it is preferable to use a resin containing 5 to 40% of chloroform-insoluble component as the resin containing chloroform-insoluble component.

The molecular weight distribution of the binder resin in the toner is determined by GPC.
(Gel permeation chromatography)
It is measured as follows. In a 40 ° C heat chamber
Stabilize the column and allow the solvent at this temperature
And flow THF at a flow rate of 1 ml per minute.
THF sample solution of resin prepared to 0.05-0.6% by weight
Inject 50-200 μl of the liquid and measure. Sample molecular weight
In the measurement, the molecular weight distribution of the sample
Calibration curve pairs generated with dispersed polystyrene standards
It was calculated from the relationship between the numerical value and the count number. For making calibration curve
As standard polystyrene samples, for example, Pressu
re Chemical Co. Or toyo soda
Industry company molecular weight 6 × 10 ^Two, 2.1 × 10^Three, 4 × 10
^Three, 1.75 × 10^Four, 5.1 × 10^Four, 1.1 × 10^Five,
3.9 × 10^Five, 8.6 × 10^Five, 2 × 10⁶, 4.48
× 10⁶Use at least 10 standard points
Suitably, a polystyrene sample is used. Also the detector
Uses an RI (refractive index) detector.

The chloroform-insoluble content of the binder resin in the toner is measured as follows. About 1.0 g of the binder resin was weighed, and about 50 g of chloroform was added thereto and sufficiently dissolved to obtain a solution.
01) Filtration is performed at room temperature using 5 kinds of C filter paper. Subsequently, the filter paper residue is an insoluble matter, and is represented by the ratio (wt%) between the used toner and the filter paper residue. In addition, when measuring the chloroform-insoluble content in the binder resin when the toner is used, about 1.0 g of the toner is weighed and performed in the same manner as the binder resin.
Since solid matter such as pigment exists in the filter paper residue, it is separately determined by thermal analysis.

The resin constituting the toner is not particularly limited as long as the toner satisfies the above conditions, and various resins can be applied as described later, and a polyester resin is particularly preferable. Polyester resins have sharp melt properties and have high cohesive strength even at low molecular weights, so that they are easily compatible with low-temperature fixability and offset resistance. When using not only the polyester resin but also other resins, it is preferable that 80% by weight or more of the binder resin is a polyester resin so as not to impair the good properties of the polyester resin.

In order to achieve low-temperature fixability as a polyester resin used for a toner, the acid value of the polyester resin is 8 m.
gKOH / g or more is preferable. On the other hand, in order to improve the hot offset property of the toner, the acid value is 45 mg.
Those having a KOH / g or less are preferred. Regarding the hydroxyl value of the polyester resin, 50 mg KO is required in order to achieve the desired low-temperature fixability and ensure good charging characteristics.
H / g or less is preferable.

The method for measuring the acid value and the hydroxyl value is described in J.
According to the method specified in IS K0070. However, if the sample does not dissolve, use a solvent such as dioxane or THF as the solvent.

For the offset resistance, it is preferable to include a metal salicylate compound in the toner because the hot offset resistance can be improved. In addition, exudation of the release agent is also important for offset resistance. In the case of the toner of the present invention assuming that the toner is also effective for fixing at a lower surface pressure than the conventional one, the exudation of the release agent is particularly important.

In order to easily exude the release agent, it is preferable to increase the dispersion diameter of the release agent, but if it is too large, various problems occur. In particular, when a polyester resin is used, the dispersion diameter of the release agent tends to be larger than that of a conventional styrene-acrylic resin.

In the present invention, at least two or more types of resins are used, which have an incompatible sea-island phase-separated structure, and an incompatible release agent is included in the insular resin. It is preferred that In this case, the sea-like resin is preferably a polyester resin, and the island-like resin is preferably a resin in which wax is more easily dispersed than the sea-like resin.

During pulverization in the process of producing the toner, if there is an interface in the toner, stress concentrates there. Therefore, in the conventional method in which the sea-island structure is formed only by the resin and the release agent, the larger the dispersion diameter of the release agent, the more stress is concentrated on the interface between the resin and the release agent, and as a result, the amount of the release agent present on the toner surface Cause more problems. However, by employing a sea-island structure composed of a resin and a resin as in the present invention, two types of interfaces are formed: an interface between the resin and the resin, and an interface between the resin and the release agent. As a result, the amount of the release agent present on the toner particle surface decreases. However, since the resin containing the release agent is present on the surface of the toner, the release agent is present near the surface of the toner particles, and the release agent is not easily exuded.

However, in this configuration, not all of the release agent needs to be included in the island resin. Generally, the release agent has a distribution within a certain range of the dispersion diameter, and there is also a release agent having a small dispersion diameter that hardly forms a pulverized interface. Therefore, it is preferable that 95% by number or more of the release agent having a dispersion diameter of 0.5 μm or more in the major axis is included in the island-shaped resin. Further, even if the diameter-dispersing agent dispersion diameter is included in the island-shaped resin, it is better not to be too large. More preferably, 99% by number or more of the release agents having a dispersion diameter of 0.5 μm or more do not exceed 2 μm. With such a configuration, the crushing interface increases,
It also leads to improved grindability.

Although the particle size of the toner of the present invention is not particularly limited, it is preferable that the volume average particle size is 5 to 10 μm in order to obtain high image quality excellent in fine line reproducibility. For low-pressure fixing, since the fixing temperature can be lowered by reducing the toner particle size, the volume average particle size is more preferably 5 to 7 μm. this is,
It is considered that reducing the particle size increases the number of toners that come into contact with the fixing member and increases the thermal responsiveness of the toners.

The toner volume average particle diameter can be measured by various methods. In the present invention, a Coulter Counter TAII manufactured by Coulter Electronics Co., Ltd. of the United States is used.

The method for producing the toner of the present invention is not limited.
An ordinary pulverization method, a production method other than the pulverization method such as a polymerization method, or a combination thereof may be used.

Next, the materials used for the toner of the present invention will be described in detail. The polyester resin used as a binder resin in the present invention is usually obtained by condensation polymerization of an alcohol and a carboxylic acid.

Examples of the alcohol include glycols such as ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol and propylene glycol;
Examples include etherified bisphenols such as bis (hydroxymethyl) cyclohexane and bisphenol A, other dihydric alcohol monomers, and trihydric or higher polyhydric alcohol monomers.

Examples of the carboxylic acid include divalent organic acid monomers such as maleic acid, fumaric acid, phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, succinic acid and malonic acid;
1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic acid, 1,2,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid, 1,2,4-cyclohexanetricarboxylic acid, 1,2,4-naphthalenetricarboxylic acid, 1,2,5-hexanetricarboxylic acid, 1,3-dicarboxyl-2-methylenecarboxypropane, 1,
Examples thereof include trivalent or higher polyvalent carboxylic acid monomers such as 2,7,8-octanetetracarboxylic acid.

The polyester resin used in the present invention can be used alone, but it is preferable to use two or more types. In this case, as described above, it is preferable to use two or more types of a resin containing a chloroform-insoluble component and a resin not containing the same. Thereby, it is easy to obtain toner characteristics suitable for low-temperature fixability and offset resistance. here,
As the polyester resin, those having a glass transition temperature Tg of 55 ° C. or higher, preferably 60 ° C.
The above, more preferably 60 to 68 ° C.

In the present invention, the Tg of the resin is Rigaku THRMOFLEX TG81 manufactured by Rigaku Corporation.
According to 10, the measurement is performed under the condition of a heating rate of 10 ° C./min.

In the present invention, as described above, it is most suitable to use a polyester resin as the resin component in the toner. However, resins other than the polyester resin may be used alone or as a blend as long as the toner viscoelasticity is satisfied. In use, low-temperature fixing can be achieved. Also, when a polyester resin is used, other resins can be used in combination as long as the performance of the toner is not impaired.

Examples of usable resins other than the polyester resin include the following. In addition, these resins are not limited to being used alone, and may be used in combination of two or more kinds.

Polystyrene, chloropolystyrene, polyα-methylstyrene, styrene / chlorostyrene copolymer, styrene / propylene copolymer, styrene / butadiene copolymer, styrene / vinyl chloride copolymer, styrene / vinyl acetate copolymer Copolymer, styrene / maleic acid copolymer, styrene / acrylate copolymer (styrene / methyl acrylate copolymer, styrene / ethyl acrylate copolymer, styrene / butyl acrylate copolymer,
Styrene / octyl acrylate copolymer, styrene / phenyl acrylate copolymer, etc., styrene / methacrylic ester copolymer (styrene / methyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene / ethyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene / methacrylic) Styrene resin (styrene or styrene-substituted product) such as butyl acrylate copolymer, styrene / phenyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene / α-methyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene / acrylonitrile / acrylate copolymer, etc. A homopolymer or copolymer), vinyl chloride resin, styrene / vinyl acetate copolymer, rosin-modified maleic resin, phenolic resin, epoxy resin, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, ionomer resin, polyurethane resin, silicone resin,
Ketone resin, ethylene / ethyl acrylate copolymer,
Petroleum resins and hydrogenated petroleum resins such as xylene resin and polyvinyl butyral resin.

The method for producing these resins is not particularly limited, and any of bulk polymerization, solution polymerization, emulsion polymerization, and suspension polymerization can be used. Further, the glass transition temperature Tg of the above resin is preferably 55 ° C. or more, more preferably 60 ° C. or more from the viewpoint of heat storage properties, similarly to the polyester resin.

As the colorant used in the toner of the present invention,
For example, dyeing such as carbon black, lamp black, iron black, aniline blue, phthalocyanine blue, phthalocyanine green, Hansa Yellow G, rhodamine 6C lake, chaco oil blue, chrome yellow, quinacridone, benzidine yellow, rose bengal and triallylmethane dyes Any conventionally known dyes and pigments such as pigments can be used alone or in combination, and can be used as a black toner or a full-color toner. The amount of these colorants to be used is generally 1 to 30% by weight, preferably 3 to 20% by weight, based on the toner resin component.

As the release agent used in the toner of the present invention, all known release agents can be used. In particular, a free fatty acid type carnauba wax, montan wax and rice oxide wax can be used alone or in combination. . As the carnauba wax, a microcrystalline wax is preferable, and a wax having an acid value of 5 or less is preferable. The montan wax generally refers to a montan-based wax refined from a mineral, and is preferably a microcrystal and has an acid value of 5 to 14 like carnauba wax. The oxidized rice wax is obtained by oxidizing rice bran wax with air, and preferably has an acid value of 10 to 30.

As other release agents, any conventionally known release agents such as solid silicone varnish, higher fatty acid higher alcohol, montan ester wax, and low molecular weight polypropylene wax can be mixed and used. The amount of the release agent used is 1 to 20 with respect to the toner resin component.
Parts by weight, preferably 3 to 10 parts by weight.

The toner of the present invention can contain a charge controlling agent, a fluidity improving agent, and the like, if necessary. Nigrosine dyes, metal complex dyes,
Any conventionally known polarity controlling agent such as a quaternary ammonium salt can be used alone or in combination. The amount of the polarity control agent used is 0.1 to 1 with respect to the toner resin component.
0 parts by weight, preferably 1 to 5 parts by weight. In particular, salicylic acid metal complexes, preferably 3 which can have a 6-coordinate configuration
Complexes with metals of higher valency react with the highly reactive part of the resin and wax to form a lightly crosslinked structure, which has been found to have not only an effect as a charge control agent, but also an effect of improving hot offset resistance. are doing. Here, examples of the trivalent or higher-valent metal include Al, Fe, Cr, Zr, and the like.

As the fluidity improver, any conventionally known fluidity improver such as silicon oxide, titanium oxide, silicon carbide, aluminum oxide and barium titanate can be used alone or in combination. The use amount of these fluidity improvers is from 0.1 to 5 parts by weight, preferably from 0.5 to 2 parts by weight, based on the weight of the toner.

The toner of the present invention can be used as a magnetic toner containing a magnetic substance. The magnetic material contained in the toner may be a metal such as iron oxide, iron, cobalt or nickel such as magnetite, hematite or ferrite. Or aluminum, cobalt, copper, lead, magnesium, tin, zinc, antimony, beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, calcium, manganese, selenium,
Examples include alloys of metals such as titanium, tungsten, and vanadium, and mixtures thereof. In particular, magnetite is preferred in terms of magnetic properties.

These ferromagnetic materials have an average particle size of 0.1 to 2
μm is desirable, and the amount contained in the toner is about 15 to 200 parts by weight, particularly preferably 20 to 20 parts by weight, per 100 parts by weight of the resin component.
100 parts by weight.

The toner of the present invention can be used as a one-component developer or a two-component developer combined with a carrier. As the carrier when the toner of the present invention is used as a two-component developer, all known carriers can be used, for example, iron powder, ferrite powder, magnetic powder such as nickel powder, glass beads, and the like. And the like, whose surface is treated with a resin or the like.

The resin powder that can be coated on the carrier in the present invention includes a styrene-acryl copolymer,
Silicone resin, maleic acid resin, fluorine resin, polyester resin epoxy resin and the like are available. In the case of a styrene-acrylic copolymer, those having a styrene content of 30 to 90% by weight are preferred. In this case, if the styrene content is less than 30% by weight, the developing characteristics are low, and if it exceeds 90% by weight, the coating film becomes hard and easily peels off, shortening the life of the carrier. In addition, the resin coating of the carrier in the present invention may contain an adhesion-imparting agent, a curing agent, a lubricant, a conductive material, a charge control agent, and the like, in addition to the above resin.

According to the present invention, in a fixing device for heating and fixing a toner image by passing a support carrying a toner image between two rollers, the fixing roller on the side contacting the toner image is non-fixed. By using the toner of the present invention in a fixing device that is an elastic roller, it is possible to perform low-temperature fixing more than before. In particular, it is effective to use the toner of the present invention in a roller fixing device or a belt heating fixing device having a lower surface pressure than a conventional fixing device. This not only makes it possible to fix the toner at a low temperature, but also reduces the heat capacity of the fixing member and shortens the waiting time from when the power of the fixing device is turned on to when the fixing device is turned on, so that energy can be saved. Further, in a fixing device that heats and fixes the toner image by passing the support carrying the toner image between the two rollers, the thickness of the fixing roller on the side that contacts the toner image is 1.0 mm or less. Surface pressure (roller load / contact area) applied between two rollers is 1 × 1
0 to ⁵ Pa less fixing device, temperature 100 ° C. of the toner of the present invention, frequency 10 Hz, stress 1000~1500P
It is effective to use a toner having a G ′ (storage elastic modulus) of 4 × 10 ⁵ Pa or less and a tan δ of 1.3 or more.

An example of a fixing device used in the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 1 denotes a fixing roller, and 2 denotes a pressure roller. The fixing roller 1 has an RTV, silicone rubber, tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether (PFA), polytetrafluorocarbon on the surface of a hollow cylinder upper metal core 3 made of a high heat conductor such as aluminum, iron, stainless steel or brass. An anti-offset layer 4 such as ethylene (PTFE) is coated. A heating lamp 5 is disposed inside the fixing roller 1. In many cases, the same material as that of the fixing roller 1 is used for the metal cylinder 6 of the pressure roller 2, and the surface of the metal cylinder 6 is coated with an offset prevention layer 7 such as PFA or PTFA. Although not necessary, a heating lamp 8 is disposed inside the pressure roller 2. The fixing roller and the pressure roller rotate by being pressed against each other by springs at both ends. The image receiving member S of the unfixed toner image T is passed between the fixing roller 1 and the pressure roller 2 to perform fixing.

One of the heat roller fixing devices used in the present invention is such that the offset prevention layer of the fixing roller is made of PTFE or PF.
A, an inelastic roller such as FEP. Another one of the heat roller fixing methods used in the present invention has a metal cylinder thickness of the fixing roller of 1.0 mm or less. As a result, the temperature rise characteristics of the fixing roller are improved, and the temperature can be raised to a desired temperature in a very short time. In this case, the preferable thickness of the metal cylinder varies depending on the strength and thermal conductivity of the material used, but is preferably 0.2 to 0.1 mm.
7 mm. Although a higher roller surface pressure is advantageous for fixing a toner image, in this fixing device in which the thickness of the metal cylinder of the fixing roller is 1.0 mm or less, a large load is applied because the roller distortion is caused. And the load is 1.
5 × 10 ⁵ Pa or less, preferably 0.5 to 1.0 Pa
× 10 ⁵ Pa. The surface pressure is a value obtained by dividing a load applied to both ends of the roller by a roller contact area. The roller contact area is determined by passing a sheet, such as OHP paper, whose surface properties change greatly due to heating, between rollers heated to the feasible temperature, stopping on the way, holding for several tens of seconds, then discharging, and changing the surface properties. Obtain the area of the place where it was done.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the belt heat fixing device used in the present invention. 9 is a fixing roller in which a metal (aluminum, iron, etc.) core 10 is coated with an elastic body 11 (silicone rubber, etc.), and 12 is a metallic hollow cylindrical core 13 (aluminum, iron, copper, stainless steel, etc.). A heating roller having a heating lamp 14 inside or the like. S is a temperature sensor for measuring the surface temperature of the fixing belt B in contact with the heating roller R3. A fixing belt 15 is stretched between the fixing roller 9 and the heating roller 12. The fixing belt 15 has a small heat capacity.
Substrate (30 to 150 μm such as nickel or polyimide)
), And an anti-offset layer (a thickness of about 50 to 300 μm of silicone rubber or a thickness of about 10 to 50 μm of a fluorine resin).
Reference numeral 16 denotes a pressure roller in which a metal core 17 is covered with an elastic body 18.
Is pressed from below to form a nip portion between the fixing belt 15 and the pressure roller 16. And one
9 is a guide for supporting the image receiver S of the unfixed toner image T.

These are merely examples. For example, the heating lamps 20 and 2 are provided inside the fixing roller 9 and the pressure roller 16.
It is also possible to provide 1. In the present invention, a fixing device using a fixing roller or a fixing belt having a configuration other than these examples is also applied. The dimensions of each member are set according to various required conditions.

Regardless of whether the toner of the present invention is used as a one-component developer or a two-component developer, the toner is filled in a container, and the container filled with the toner is distributed separately from the image forming apparatus. Generally, a user mounts an image on an image forming apparatus to form an image. What is used as the container is not limited, and is not limited to a conventional bottle type or cartridge type. The image forming apparatus is not limited as long as it is an apparatus for forming an image by electrophotography, and includes, for example, a copying machine and a printer.

[0057]

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to the following examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1 Production of Toner Used in Examples of the Present Invention Among the constituent materials of the toner, the properties of the polyester resin are those shown in Table 1. Toner A Toner constituent material 100 parts by weight of polyester resin a Defree fatty acid type Carnauba wax 5 parts by weight Carbon black (# 44: manufactured by Mitsubishi Kasei Co., Ltd.) 10 parts by weight Metal-containing azo compound 1 part by weight After sufficiently stirring and mixing the above toner constituting materials in a Henschel mixer, the mixture was heated to 130 to 140 ° C. with a roll mill. After heating and melting at a temperature for about 30 minutes and cooling to room temperature, the obtained kneaded material was pulverized and classified by a jet mill, a mechanical pulverizer, or an air classifier to obtain a toner base having a volume average particle size of about 9.5 μm.
0.5 wt% of hydrophobic silica was added to and mixed with the obtained toner base to obtain a final toner.

Toner B The same constituent material as toner A is used, except that polyester resin b of toner A is replaced by 75 parts by weight of polyester resin b and 25 parts by weight of polyester resin c. Into toner.

Toner C The same constituent material as toner A was used except that polyester resin a of toner A was replaced by 50 parts by weight of polyester resin d and 50 parts by weight of polyester resin e. Into toner.

Toner D Toner Constituent Material 50 parts by weight of polyester resin f 50 parts by weight of polyester resin e 5 parts by weight of oxidized rice wax 10 parts by weight of carbon black (# 44: manufactured by Mitsubishi Kasei Corporation) 1 part by weight of quaternary ammonium salt compound After sufficiently stirring and mixing the toner constituent materials in a Henschel mixer, the mixture is heated and melted at a temperature of 130 to 140 ° C. for about 30 minutes by a roll mill, cooled to room temperature, and the obtained kneaded material is jet-milled or mechanically crushed by a wind mill. The mixture was pulverized and classified by a classifier to obtain a toner base having a volume average particle size of about 9.5 μm.
0.5 wt% of hydrophobic silica was added to and mixed with the obtained toner base to obtain a final toner.

Toner E Toner Constituent Material Polyester Resin f 45 parts by weight Polyester Resin e 40 parts by weight Styrene-methyl acrylate copolymer resin 15 parts by weight (no chloroform-insoluble matter, Tg 61 ° C.) Low molecular weight polyethylene wax 5 parts by weight Carbon black ( # 44: manufactured by Mitsubishi Kasei Co., Ltd.) 10 parts by weight 1 part by weight of quaternary ammonium salt compound The above-mentioned toner constituent materials were sufficiently stirred and mixed in a Henschel mixer, and then heated and melted at a temperature of 130 to 140 ° C. for about 30 minutes by a roll mill. After cooling to room temperature, the obtained kneaded material was pulverized and classified by a jet mill, a mechanical pulverizer, or an air classifier to obtain a toner base having a volume average particle size of about 9.5 μm.
0.5 wt% of hydrophobic silica was added to and mixed with the obtained toner base to obtain a final toner. This toner had higher pulverizability than the conventional toners A to D.

Toner F Toner constituent material 50 parts by weight of polyester resin g 50 parts by weight of polyester resin h 5 parts by weight of free fatty acid type carnauba wax 10 parts by weight of carbon black 1 part by weight of metal-containing azo dye 1 part by weight of the above toner constituent material in a Henschel mixer After sufficiently stirring and mixing in a roll mill, the mixture is heated and melted at a temperature of 130 to 140 ° C. for about 30 minutes, cooled to room temperature, and the obtained kneaded material is pulverized and classified by a jet mill, a mechanical pulverizer, and an air classifier to obtain a volume. A toner base having an average particle size of about 9.5 μm was obtained.
0.5 wt% of hydrophobic silica was added to and mixed with the obtained toner base to obtain a final toner.

Toner G The same method as in the case of toner F is used except that the metal-containing azo dye of the toner F is replaced by 1 part by weight and the zirconium salicylate compound is 2 parts by weight. As a result, a toner having a volume average particle size of about 9.5 μm was obtained.

Toner H After sufficiently stirring and mixing the constituent materials of the toner G in a Henschel mixer, a roll mill is used at a temperature of 130 to 140 ° C. for about 3 hours.
After heating and melting for 0 minutes and cooling to room temperature, the obtained kneaded material was pulverized and classified by a jet mill, a mechanical pulverizer, or an air classifier to obtain a toner base having a volume average particle size of about 6.5 μm. 0.8 wt% of hydrophobic silica was added to and mixed with the obtained toner base to obtain a final toner.

Toner I Toner Constituent Material Polyester resin g 50 parts by weight Polyester resin h 45 parts by weight Polyethylene grafted with styrene, acrylonitrile, and butyl acrylate (no chloroform-insoluble matter, Tg 68 ° C.) 5 parts by weight Decarried fatty acid type carnauba 5 parts by weight of wax 10 parts by weight of carbon black 2 parts by weight of zirconium salicylate compound The above-mentioned toner constituent materials are sufficiently stirred and mixed in a Henschel mixer, then heated and melted at a temperature of 130 to 140 ° C. for about 30 minutes by a roll mill, and cooled to room temperature. The kneaded product was pulverized and classified by a jet mill, a mechanical pulverizer, or an air classifier to obtain a toner base having a volume average particle size of about 6.5 μm. 0.8 wt% of hydrophobic silica was added to and mixed with the obtained toner base to obtain a final toner. The volume average particle diameter was the same as that of the toner H, but the pulverizability was higher than that of the toner H, and the pulverizability was equivalent to that of the toner G having a larger volume average particle diameter than the toner I.

Toner J Toner Constituent Material Polyester Resin i 50 parts by weight Polyester Resin j 45 parts by weight Polyethylene grafted with styrene, acrylonitrile, and butyl acrylate (no chloroform-insoluble matter, Tg 68 ° C.) 5 parts by weight Decarried fatty acid type carnauba 5 parts by weight of wax 10 parts by weight of carbon black 2 parts by weight of iron (III) salicylate compound The above-mentioned toner constituent material was converted into a toner in the same manner as in the case of toner I, to obtain a toner having a volume average particle diameter of about 6.5 μm.

Toner K Toner component material Polyester resin d 80 parts by weight Styrene-2-ethylhexyl acrylate-n-butyl methacrylate copolymer resin (chloroform-insoluble content 13%, Tg 63 ° C.) 20 parts by weight Low molecular weight polyethylene wax 5 parts by weight Carbon black 10 parts by weight Metal-containing azo dye 1 part by weight After sufficiently stirring and mixing the above-mentioned toner constituent materials in a Henschel mixer, the mixture was heated and melted at a temperature of 130 to 140 ° C. for about 30 minutes by a roll mill, and cooled to room temperature. The kneaded product was pulverized and classified by a jet mill, a mechanical pulverizer, or an air classifier to obtain a toner base having a volume average particle size of about 9.5 μm.
0.5 wt% of hydrophobic silica was added to and mixed with the obtained toner base to obtain a final toner.

Toner L Toner Constituent Material 100 parts by weight of polyester resin k 5 parts by weight of free fatty acid type carnauba wax 10 parts by weight Carbon black 10 parts by weight Zirconium salicylate compound 2 parts by weight After sufficiently stirring and mixing the above toner constituent materials in a Henschel mixer, The mixture is heated and melted at a temperature of 130 to 140 ° C. for about 30 minutes by a roll mill, cooled to room temperature, and then the obtained kneaded material is pulverized and classified by a jet mill or a mechanical pulverizer or an air classifier to obtain a volume average particle size of about 9.5 μm. Was obtained.
0.5 wt% of hydrophobic silica was added to and mixed with the obtained toner base to obtain a final toner.

[0070]

[Table 1]

The evaluation items and the evaluation method of the toner are as follows.
The evaluation results are shown in Tables 2 to 4. Toner composition and release agent dispersion state Toner particles were ultrathin sectioned to about 100 nm, stained with ruthenium tetroxide, and then observed with a transmission electron microscope (TEM).
And the photograph was taken at 10,000 times magnification. Resin structure ○… Resin has sea-island structure and release agent is present in island-like resin −… No resin-island structure Release resin dispersed state ◎… No release agent exceeding 1.5 μm ○… 2 μm No release agent exceeding Δ: There are release agents exceeding 2 μm, but the number is small (5% or less of release agents of 0.5 μm or more). ×: Many release agents exceeding 2 μm are present. (Except x)

Pulverizability The toner coarsely pulverized to an average particle size of 1 mm or less was determined by the processing amount per unit time when pulverized under a certain condition using an IDS type pulverizer manufactured by Nippon Pneumatic Co., Ltd. ◎: 4 kg or more, ○: 3 to 4 kg, Δ: 1 to 3 kg,
×: less than 1 kg, ▲: 4 kg or more, but a large amount of fine powder was generated (except for x and ▲, allowable range) Penetration for heat-resistant storage After about 20 g of toner was put into a 20 ml glass bottle, tapping was performed 50 times, and the toner was solidified. At 50 ° C. for 24 hours, and then the penetration was measured. ◎: penetration, ：: 25 mm or more, Δ: 15 to 25 mm,
×: less than 15 mm (allowable range other than ×) Fixing characteristics Ricoh's copier MF-2200 is modified so that the original fixing device can be removed and another fixing device can be attached, and the set temperature of the fixing device can be changed. I did it. The toner and the developer described in the examples, the fixing device described in the examples, and Ricoh type 6200 paper were set on the sheets, and a copy test was performed. The toners A to L were mixed with a carrier in which spherical ferrite having an average particle diameter of 100 μm was coated with a silicone resin to obtain a two-component developer. The developer was obtained by stirring 93 parts by weight of the carrier and 3 parts by weight of the toner for 5 minutes using a Turbula mixer.

The following three types of fixing devices are used for evaluation. The heat roller fixing device shown in FIG. 1 has the following configuration. The metal cylinder of the fixing roller is SUS and the thickness is 3.0 mm. The offset prevention layer of the fixing roller is PTFE and the thickness is 20 μm.
m The metal cylinder of the pressure roller is SUS and the thickness is 2 mm. The offset prevention layer of the pressure roller is 50 μm thick PFA on a 4 μm thick silicone rubber. The surface pressure is 2.5 × 10 ⁵ Pa. The linear velocity is 180 mm / sec. The belt heat fixing device shown in Fig. 2 has the following structure. The fixing roller is a silicone foam. The metal cylinder of the pressure roller is SUS and the thickness is 1 mm. The offset prevention layer of the pressure roller is a PFA tube + silicone rubber and the thickness is 1 mm. Roller 2 mm thick Aluminum belt base 50 μm Polyimide belt Offset prevention layer 15 μm silicone rubber Surface pressure 1 × 10 ⁵ Pa Line speed 200 mm / sec The heat roller fixing device shown in FIG. The metal cylinder of the fixing roller is made of aluminum and has a thickness of 0.5 mm. The offset prevention layer of the fixing roller is made of PTFE and has a thickness of 0.5 mm. 16μ
m The metal cylinder of the pressure roller is made of aluminum and has a thickness of 1 mm. The offset prevention layer of the pressure roller has a thickness of 3 μm on a silicone rubber and has a thickness of 30 μm on a PFA surface pressure of 9 × 10 ⁴ Pa and a linear velocity of 180 mm / sec.

The fixing lower limit temperature and the hot offset occurrence temperature were determined by changing the fixing temperature. The fixing lower limit temperature was a temperature at which the smear density was less than 0.4 by ID in the smear method. The evaluation conditions for the high-temperature offset were such that the linear speed of the paper feed was 50 mm / sec, which was a severe condition against occurrence of the offset. Fixing lower limit temperature in the fixing device (except for x and xx, further lower temperature fixing than conventional low-temperature and low-temperature fixing toner): less than 165 ° C .;
185 to 195 ° C., XX to 195 ° C. or higher Fixing lower limit temperature in the fixing device (allowable range other than XX, XX) 未 満: less than 125 ° C.,…: 125 to 135 ° C., △: 135
１４145 ° C.,…: 145 to 155 ° C., ×: 155 ° C. or higher Fixing lower limit temperature in the fixing device (an allowable range other than ×, XX) 未 満: less than 145 ° C.,…: 145 to 155 ° C., △: 155
~ 165 ° C, × ... 165-175 ° C, XX ... 175 ° C or more Hot offset occurrence temperature ◎ ... 210 ° C or more, ○ ... 200-210 ° C, △ ... 190
~ 200 ° C, × ... 180 ~ 190 ° C, XX ... less than 180 ° C

Durability A fixing device is used for the toner D, and a fixing device is used for the other toners. Other than the above, the same apparatus as used for the evaluation of the fixing property is used. Changes in the initial image and the charge amount of the initial developer after the completion of 50,000 sheets were examined. The set temperatures of the respective fixing devices were 185 ° C. of the heat roller fixing device, and 165 ° C. of the heat roller fixing device. ◎: Good image quality with almost no decrease in Q / M, ：: Q / M
There is a decrease, but the image quality is good. Δ: Q / M decreases and the image quality changes, but there is no problem. X: Image quality deterioration (other than x is acceptable)

Example 1 Fixability was evaluated using toner A and a fixing device. As a result, the minimum fixing temperature was lower than that of the conventional low-temperature fixing toner, and the toner had a sufficient margin before the occurrence of offset. In the durability evaluation, from the initial stage to after copying 500,000 sheets, a high-quality image with high image density, no transfer unevenness, and no background stain was obtained. Here, the heat resistance storage stability of the used toner was also good.

Example 2 Fixability was evaluated using toner A and a fixing device. With a fixing device having a low heat capacity, fixing can be performed at a lower temperature than in the fixing device, and energy consumption can be reduced. Also in this case, there is a margin until the occurrence of the offset.

Comparative Example 1 Fixability was evaluated using toner A and a fixing device. Although the fixing can be performed at the same temperature as in the first embodiment using the fixing device, a waiting time from when the power of the heater is turned on to when the temperature is reached is increased. It is not a suitable toner.

Examples 3 and 4 In Example 3, fixing evaluation was performed using toner B and a fixing device, and in Example 4, fixing evaluation was performed using toner B and a fixing device. In both cases, Examples 1 and 2 using toner A
The margin before the occurrence of the offset is higher than in the case of.
By using the toner B in which a resin having chloroform-insoluble content and a resin having no chloroform-insoluble content were blended, the balance between low-temperature fixability and offset resistance was improved.

Examples 5 and 6 In Example 5, the fixing evaluation was performed using the toner C and the fixing device, and in Example 6, the fixing evaluation was performed using the toner C and the fixing device. As the hydroxyl value of the resin was increased, the affinity for the recording paper was improved, and the effect of lowering the fixing temperature was high in Example 6 using a fixing device having a low surface pressure.

Comparative Examples 2 and 3 Toner A was used in Comparative Example 2, and Toner B was used in Comparative Example 3.
Fixing evaluation was performed using a fixing device. The fixing temperature of the fixing device or the fixing device decreased, but the toner was not suitable for the fixing device.

Embodiments 7, 8, and 9 In Embodiment 7, the toner E and the fixing device are used.
In Example 9, fixing evaluation was performed using the toner D and the fixing device, and in Example 9, fixing evaluation was performed using the toner D and the fixing device. Since the peak position of the molecular weight distribution is low and the molecular weight distribution is sharp, the ratio of the low molecular weight component increases,
Can be fixed at a lower temperature than in the case where is used. Further, this toner is a toner that can effectively use the fixing device capable of shortening the standby time. Even if the proportion of the low molecular weight component is increased, the toner has a sufficient margin before the occurrence of offset because the chloroform-insoluble content is large. This may be due to the fact that the shearing force is less likely to be applied during kneading, and the release agent dispersing diameter is slightly larger than that of the toners up to Example 6, so that the release agent can easily seep out. However, although the change is not a significant change in the continuous copy test, the image quality is lower than that of the initial image. Therefore, it can be said that the dispersion state of the release agent should not be worse than this.

Examples 10 and 11 and Comparative Example 4 In Example 10, the toner E and the fixing device were used. In Example 11, the toner E and the fixing device were used.
Then, fixing evaluation was performed using the toner E and a fixing device.
This toner E is the polyester resin 2 used in the toner D.
Species and a resin that is incompatible with these,
The minimum fixing temperature was higher than when toner D was used. From this result, it can be said that the higher the ratio of the polyester resin to the entire binder resin, the easier it is to achieve low-temperature fixing. According to TEM observation, this toner E differs from toner D in that the binder resin forms a sea-island structure,
The presence of the release agent in the island resin was confirmed. In addition, none of the diapers had a particularly large dispersion diameter. In the durability evaluation using this toner, there was no change in image quality as in the case where toner D was used.

Embodiments 12, 13, and 14 In Embodiment 12, toner F and a fixing device are used. In Embodiment 13, toner F and a fixing device are used.
In No. 4, fixing evaluation was performed using the toner F and a fixing device. As a result of the evaluation, low-temperature fixing can be performed on any fixing device.
The toner had a sufficient margin until the occurrence of offset. As a result of evaluation of durability using this toner F, a good image which was the same as the initial image was obtained until 500,000 sheets were copied.

Embodiments 15, 16, and 17 In Embodiment 15, the toner G and the fixing device are used. In Embodiment 16, the toner G and the fixing device are used.
In No. 7, fixing evaluation was performed using the toner G and a fixing device. The toner F was different from the toner F in that the metal-containing azo dye was changed to a zirconium salicylate compound. However, the offset generation temperature was higher in any fixing device than in the case of using the toner F.

Embodiments 18, 19 and 20 Embodiment 18 uses the toner H and the fixing device, Embodiment 19 uses the toner H and the fixing device, and Embodiment 2
At 0, fixing evaluation was performed using the toner H and a fixing device. Due to the smaller particle size of the toner, the fixing temperature was lower when a fixing device or a fixing device having a low surface pressure was used.

Examples 21, 22, and 23 Toner I formed a sea-island structure from TEM observation, and the presence of a release agent in the island-like resin was confirmed. The state of dispersion of the release agent was very good. This toner has better heat-resistant storage stability than toner H. This is because not only the dispersion diameter of the releasing agent is reduced but also a high Tg resin incompatible with the polyester resin is present on the toner surface. Is affecting. For this toner I, fixing evaluation was performed using a fixing device in Example 21, a fixing device in Example 22, and a fixing device in Example 23. As a result of the evaluation, the temperature at which the offset occurred was slightly lowered, but in any of the fixing devices, the toner was able to achieve both low-temperature fixability and offset resistance.

Embodiments 24, 25 and 26 In Embodiment 24, the toner J and the fixing device are used. In Embodiment 25, the toner J and the fixing device are used.
In No. 6, fixing evaluation was performed using the toner J and the fixing device. As a result of the evaluation, low-temperature fixing can be performed on any fixing device.
The toner had a high margin before the occurrence of offset. The durability was evaluated using this toner J. As a result, a good image which was the same as the initial image was obtained until 500,000 copies were made.

Comparative Examples 5, 6, 7 In Comparative Example 5, toner K and a fixing device were used, and Comparative Example 6 was used.
In Example 7, fixing evaluation was performed using the toner K and the fixing device, and in Comparative Example 7, fixing evaluation was performed using the toner K and the fixing device. As a result of the evaluation, the fixing device had the same fixing lower limit temperature as that of the conventional low-temperature fixing toner. With such a toner, the fixing device having a low surface pressure or the fixing device did not have the fixing lower limit temperature suitable for this device.

Comparative Examples 8, 9, 10 In Comparative Example 8, the toner L and the fixing device were used, and Comparative Example 9 was used.
In Example 2, the fixing evaluation was performed using the toner L and the fixing device, and in Comparative Example 10, the fixing evaluation was performed using the toner L and the fixing device. As a result of the evaluation, the fixing device and the fixing device could fix at a very low temperature, and the fixing device could fix at a low temperature, but the offset occurrence temperature was low.

[0091]

[Table 2]

[0092]

[Table 3]

[0093]

[Table 4]

[0094]

According to the present invention, low-temperature fixing can be achieved as compared with the prior art, and the hot offset resistance and the heat preservability are good, and the initial high image quality does not change over a long period of time. A toner suitable for an apparatus capable of reducing energy consumption by pressure can be provided. Further, the present invention can provide a container containing the above toner and an image forming apparatus equipped with the container.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a heat fixing roller of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a belt heat fixing system according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 fixing roller 2 pressure roller 3 hollow core upper core 4 offset prevention layer 5 heating lamp 6 metal cylinder 7 offset prevention layer 8 heating lamp 9 fixing roller 10 metal (aluminum, iron, etc.) core 11 elastic body (silicone rubber) 12 Heating roller 13 Metallic hollow cylindrical metal core (pipe made of aluminum, iron, copper, stainless steel, etc.) 14 Heating lamp 15 Fixing belt 16 Pressure roller 17 Metal core 18 Elastic body 19 Unfixed toner image T Guide for supporting the image receiver S of the present invention 20 Heat lamp 21 Heat lamp T Unfixed toner image S Image receiver of unfixed toner image T

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G03G 9/087 G03G 15/20 102 9/097 9/08 331 15/08 507 344 15/20 102 15 / 08 507L (72) Inventor Yoichiro Watanabe 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Company (72) Inventor Masahide Yamashita 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Company (72 ) Inventor Akihiro Oban 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Toyoshi Sawada 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Mitsuteru Kato 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo F-term in Ricoh Co., Ltd. (Reference) 2H005 AA01 AA06 AA15 CA08 CA14 CA25 DA01 EA03 EA05 EA10 2H033 AA02 AA09 A A32 BA11 BA21 BB06 BB13 BB34 2H077 EA03 EA14 3J103 AA13 AA24 AA41 AA51 AA85 BA03 BA16 BA17 BA23 BA41 FA01 FA18 FA20 GA02 GA57 GA58 GA60 GA66

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. An electrostatic image developing toner containing at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a release agent, the frequency of which is 10H.
z, G ′ (storage modulus) of the toner at a temperature of 100 ° C. and stress of 1500 to 2000 Pa is 5 × 10 ⁵ Pa or less, and tan δ (ratio of loss modulus (G ″) to storage modulus (G ′)) of the toner : G ″ / G ′) is 1.2 or more, frequency 10 Hz, temperature 180 ° C., stress 1500 to 2000 P
(a) G ′ of the toner in (a) is 5 × 10 ² Pa or more and tan δ of the toner is 5 or less. 2. A molecular weight distribution diagram in which the abscissa represents log (M) (M is molecular weight) and the ordinate represents weight%, wherein the peak position of the molecular weight distribution of THF-soluble portion of the toner by GPC is 3.3 or more.
4. The toner according to claim 1, wherein the peak value is in the range of 4 and the peak half width is 1.5 or less. 3. An electrostatic image developing toner containing at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a release agent, wherein the frequency is 10H.
z, the G '(storage modulus) of the toner at a temperature of 100 ° C. and a stress of 1,000 to 1500 Pa is 4 × 10 ⁵ Pa or less, and the tan δ (the ratio of the loss modulus (G ″) to the storage modulus (G ′)) of the toner : G ″ / G ′) is 1.3 or more, frequency 10 Hz, temperature 180 ° C., stress 1000 to 1500 P
(a) G ′ of the toner in (a) is 5 × 10 ² Pa or more and tan δ of the toner is 5 or less. 4. A molecular weight distribution diagram in which the abscissa represents log (M) (M is molecular weight) and the ordinate represents weight%, wherein the peak position of the molecular weight distribution of THF-soluble portion of the toner by GPC is 3.3 to less.
The toner according to claim 3, wherein the toner has a peak width at half maximum of 1.1 or less. 5. The toner according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the molecular weight distribution of the THF-soluble component of the toner by GPC of 100,000 or more by GPC is 3% by weight or less. 6. The toner according to claim 1, wherein a chloroform-insoluble content of the binder resin in the toner is 2 to 20%. 7. The binder resin according to claim 1, wherein the binder resin comprises at least two kinds of binder resins containing a chloroform-insoluble component and a binder resin containing no chloroform-insoluble component. The toner according to any one of the above. 8. The toner according to claim 1, wherein 80% by weight or more of the binder resin is a polyester resin. 9. The polyester resin having an acid value of 8 to 45 mg.
9. The toner according to claim 8, wherein the KOH / g and the hydroxyl value are 50 mgKOH / g or less. 10. The toner according to claim 1, further comprising a metal salicylate compound. 11. Use is made of two or more binder resins which are incompatible with each other and have a sea-island-like phase-separated structure, and that the release agent is substantially contained in the island-like resin. The toner according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: 12. The toner according to claim 3, wherein the volume average particle diameter of the toner is 5 to 7 μm. 13. Two rollers for heating and fixing the toner image by passing a toner image formed by the toner according to claim 1 on a recording material between the rollers, and A toner fixing device wherein the fixing roller on the side of the two rollers that contacts the toner image is a non-elastic roller. 14. A toner fixing method wherein a toner image formed on a recording material by the toner according to claim 1 is heated and fixed while being in contact with an endless or endless belt. apparatus. 15. A support carrying a toner image formed by the toner according to claim 3,
A toner fixing device that heats and fixes a toner image by passing between two rollers, wherein a thickness of a fixing roller on a side contacting the toner image is 1.0 mm or less, and a surface pressure applied between the two rollers. (Roller load / contact area) is 1 × 1
0 ⁵ Pa or less. 16. A toner image formed on a recording material using the toner according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the fixing roller on the side in contact with the toner image is an inelastic roller.
A fixing method of a toner, wherein the fixing is performed by passing between rollers. 17. A toner fixing method comprising: fixing a toner image formed on a recording material using the toner according to claim 1 to an endless or endless belt. 18. A toner image formed on a recording material using the toner according to claim 3 and a fixing roller having a thickness of 1.0 mm or less, which is in contact with the toner image, is disposed between two rollers. The applied surface pressure (roller load / contact area) is 1 × 10 ⁵ P
a. A fixing method of a toner, wherein the fixing is performed by a fixing device described below. 19. A toner container filled with the toner according to claim 1. 20. An image forming apparatus provided with the toner container according to claim 19.