JP2002351117A - Electrophotographic film - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve problems of the waste disposal of electrophotographic films as consumables in electrophotography after use. SOLUTION: In the electrophotographic film consisting of a base material and a toner accepting layer, the base material is made of a polymer substance having bio-degradation property.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrophotographic film.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a film used in an electrophotographic recording method, a translucent synthetic plastic film has been conventionally used. These constituent materials, as materials mainly constituting the base material, are films of polyester resin, diacetate resin, triacetate resin, acrylic resin, polycarbonate resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyimide resin and the like. Have been used.

[0003]

On the other hand, the amount of synthetic plastic materials used in various industrial fields tends to increase year by year, and accordingly, the amount of synthetic plastic waste also increases. It is becoming a social problem. Some of these waste plastics are collected and incinerated, while others are landfilled.

When a conventional synthetic plastic is incinerated, it generates a large amount of heat and may damage the incinerator. In addition, many emit harmful gases when incinerated. In landfill disposal, the problem of securing a landfill site and the problem of adverse effects on the natural environment are becoming increasingly considerable.

[0005] Under such circumstances, as for the consumables for electrophotography, with the spread of the consumables, the problem of disposal processing after use becomes important due to environmental problems and the like.

In particular, as for the electrophotographic film for OHP, since the base material is made of synthetic plastic as described above, sufficient consideration must be given to disposal treatment after use. Since the conventional OHP film for electrophotography does not consider the above-mentioned disposal treatment, when a large amount of waste is generated, there is a concern that it may adversely affect the environment. An object of the present invention is to provide excellent electrophotographic recording suitability such as toner fixing property and color developing property, excellent dimensional stability after recording (curl resistance, etc.), excellent anti-blocking property, and maximum adverse effect on the environment of waste. An object of the present invention is to provide a film for electrophotography which is suppressed to a minimum.

[0007]

As a means for solving the above problems, the present invention relates to an electrophotographic film having at least a substrate and a toner receiving layer, wherein the substrate comprises a biodegradable polymer substance. An electrophotographic film is provided.

[0008]

The film for electrophotography of the present invention comprises a substrate and a toner receiving layer formed on the upper surface of the substrate, and the substrate used in the present invention is characterized by comprising a biodegradable plastic. The electrophotographic film of the present invention has good electrophotographic recording suitability and biodegradability, and can minimize adverse effects on the environment due to disposal.

The biodegradable plastic used as the substrate of the electrophotographic film of the present invention refers to a plastic material that breaks bonds at a higher rate than a control under a specific biological environment. Such degradable plastics are roughly classified into the following three types.

1) Macromolecules and proteins produced by microorganisms
Biodegradable synthetic plastics such as polyester and cellulose
Formed by natural polymers such as_Two 
And H _Two So-called “biodegradable process”
Lastic ".

2) A so-called “knead-type disintegrable plastic” which is formed by adding a biodegradable substance such as starch to plastic and has biodegradability.

3) A so-called "photo-degradable plastic" which is provided with photo-degradability by ultraviolet rays by adding a certain additive in addition to biodegradability.

Hereinafter, specific materials of the degradable plastic will be described.

As described above, the biodegradable plastic of 1) can be classified into a) a microorganism-producing system, b) a natural polymer system, and c) a biodegradable synthetic polymer system from petroleum-based raw materials. Specific examples are shown below.

A) Microorganism-producing system The microorganism-producing system includes 3-hydroxybutyric acid (H
B) and a linear polyester of 3-hydroxyvaleric acid (HV) (trade name: Biopol, manufactured by ICI), which is a hydrogen bacterium (Alcaligenes eutro).
fus), and the molecule itself is biodegraded. Further, a linear polyester of 3-hydroxybutyric acid (HB) and 4-hydroxybutyric acid (HB), polyhydroxyalkanoate (PH
A, a general term for polyester compounds produced by microorganisms), β
Curdlan (trade name) (manufactured by Takeuchi Yakuhin), which is a polysaccharide composed of -1,3-glucan, and the like.

B) Natural High Polymers Natural polymers include benzylated wood (cellulose or lignin of wood or the like treated with alkali using caustic soda, etc., and reacted with a chemical substance having a benzyl group or acetyl group to form a plastic). ), Higher fatty acid esterified wood, wheat gluten to which glycerin, glycol, emulsified silicone oil and urea are added, cellulose to which chitosan is added, pullulan, alginic acid, chitin, chitosan, carrageenan, starch and the like.

C) Biodegradable polymer derived from petroleum-based raw materials Examples of biodegradable polymer derived from petroleum-based raw materials include polyester polyether, polyester olefin, ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer, polyester amide, and nylon (10). And copolymers of polyesters, polyethers, polyurethanes and aliphatic polyamides, copolymers of aromatic polyesters and aliphatic polyesters, polyamides and caprolactone.

Examples of the kneading-type disintegrable plastic 2) include a mixture of polycaprolactone (PCL) and polypropylene, a mixture of PCL and nylon-6, and a mixture of PCL and PCL.
And polystyrene, a mixture of PCL and polyethylene terephthalate, a mixture of low-density polyethylene and PCL, a mixture of PCL and hydrous magnesium silicate,
Polyclean (trade name) (Archer Daniels Midland Co., Ltd.) in which corn starch or starch is mixed with a synthetic plastic such as polyethylene or polypropylene, polygrade II, III (trade name) (Ambasset),
Ecostar (trade name) (St. Lawrence Starch), Tone (trade name) (UCC) and the like.
Ecostar is made by dispersing starch in polyethylene, and the mechanism of decomposition is that the dispersed starch is eaten by microorganisms and perforated,
In addition, it is disruption caused by breakage of molecular chains by peroxide.

As the photo-degradable plastic of 3), ECO (trade name) which is a copolymer of ethylene and carbon monoxide is used.
(Dow Chemical, Dupont or UCC), Knucknall P (trade name) (Nihon Unicar), Polygrade (trade name) (Ambasset), Plastigone (trade name) (Idea Masters), Ecolight ( Product name)
(Eco Plastics), low density polyethylene (LDP)
E) to Fe (III) acetylacetonate (AcA)
c) added, dithiocarbamate (DNDC)
Complex of AcAc with Zn (II) DEC and N on LDPE
i (II) DEC added, substituted polyacetin consisting of a specific polymer containing silicon and a decomposition enhancer, xanthone and anthraquinone added to polyolefin, oxime methacrylate or metal complex added to allyl acid ester, Oxidized wax metal additive,
Ecostar Plus (trade name) [manufactured by St. Lawrence Starch Co., Ltd .; this material is obtained by adding a certain additive to the above-mentioned Ecostar to give photodegradability (decomposes according to Norrishll reaction)] and the like. Can be mentioned.

These degradable plastics have no effect on the life cycle of the use form of the plastics themselves, and these materials can be placed in an environment where microorganisms are actively active, such as in soil or water, or in an environment irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Decomposition is started for the first time. This decomposition process is purely biological or photochemical, and the biodegradable plastic decomposed by microorganisms is finally decomposed into carbon dioxide and water.

The kneading type collapsible plastic is:
Corn starch and starch dispersed in plastics are assimilated by microorganisms, the bonds are broken, and the molecular chains are broken by peroxide, which breaks down, but unlike biodegradable plastics, it is not completely degraded Therefore, it should be noted that the risk of secondary pollution is inherent.

Among the above-mentioned biodegradable plastics, in particular, as the base material for the electrophotographic film of the present invention, biodegradable plastics from petroleum-based raw materials, knead-type disintegrable plastics, photodisintegrable plastics and the like can be used. This is preferable from the viewpoint of dimensional stability.

The substrate for the electrophotographic film of the present invention does not need to be transparent. When the substrate is opaque, a colorant can be used to adjust the color tone of the whole electrophotographic film. As a coloring material, conventionally known dyes,
Although pigments and the like can be used, the compatibility with the base material to be used must be sufficiently considered.

Further, the present invention is particularly preferable as a recording film for OHP having a transparent substrate. When used as an OHP film, the haze of the entire electrophotographic film is preferably 50% or less, more preferably 20% or less. The biodegradable plastic used as the base material of the OHP film is preferably a polyester-based plastic having good transparency and capable of forming a film.

In particular, a blend material of an aliphatic polyester and a general-purpose plastic is preferable for improving transparency. Specifically, 3-hydroxybutyrate and 4-hydroxybutyrate
Hydroxybutyrate copolymer polyesters are preferred (Chemistry, 45 (2) 104, (1990). Industrial material 38 (1) 33, (1990)., DOJINNew
s, No. 4, (1989). ).

As the material for forming the toner receiving layer in the electrophotographic film of the present invention, conventionally known materials can be used without any particular problem. Specifically, if the same resin as the resin used as the binder resin of the toner is used as the resin of the toner receiving layer, a relatively high toner fixing property can be obtained. For example, a polyester resin or a styrene-acrylic resin, which is often used as a binder resin for a toner, may be used. The polyester resin is obtained by polycondensing an aromatic or aliphatic dicarboxylic acid monomer with an aromatic or aliphatic diol monomer. Examples of dicarboxylic acids include terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid, naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, trimellitic acid, adipic acid, sebacic acid, and eicosaninic acid, and diol monomers such as ethylene glycol, propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, and 1, 6-hexanediol, neopentyl glycol and the like.

In addition to the materials constituting the toner receiving layer described above, other additional materials can also be contained in the toner receiving layer for the purpose of improving various electrophotographic recording suitabilities.

In order to improve the blocking resistance, inorganic fine particles and the like can be added to the toner receiving layer in an amount of about 0.01 to 1.0 g / m ² .

Similarly, a pH adjuster, a fluorescent dye, a dispersant,
Conventionally known additives such as a lubricant, a preservative, and an antifoaming agent can be included in the toner receiving layer.

The surface specific resistance of the toner receiving layer is 1 × 10
A range of ⁹ Ω to 1 × 10 ¹⁵ Ω is suitable. When the surface specific resistance is less than 1 × 10 ^{9, the} toner image is not sufficiently transferred at the time of copying, and the image density on the transfer film becomes low. On the other hand, when it exceeds 1 × 10 ¹⁵ Ω, the film is liable to be charged with static electricity during the handling of the film, and troubles such as misfeeding and double feeding occur during copying in many cases. In addition, when the surface specific resistance exceeds 1 × 10 ¹⁵ Ω, the electric charges charged during copying are not removed for a long time, causing blocking between the films, which hinders handling.

The surface specific resistance of the toner receiving layer is set to 1 × 10
^A known method may be used to adjust the resistance to the range of ⁹ to 1 × 10 ¹⁵ Ω, but an effective means is to include an antistatic agent in the binder resin of the receptor layer. As the antistatic agent, known ones such as an alkyl phosphate ester salt, an alkyl sulfate ester salt and a quaternary ammonium salt may be used.

The thickness of the toner receiving layer described above is
The thickness is preferably from 0.1 to 100 μm, and more preferably from 2 to 30 μm. The material constituting the toner receiving layer is preferably biodegradable, but the object of the present invention can be sufficiently achieved even if not all the constituent materials are biodegradable. The reason is that the weight ratio of the toner receiving layer occupying the entire electrophotographic film of the present invention is relatively small.

As a method for forming the toner receiving layer, a conventionally known method such as a roll coating method, a rod bar coating method, a spray coating method, and an air knife coating method may be used.

[0034]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following embodiments.

(Embodiment 1) A copolymerized polyester dissolved in a mixed solvent of methyl ethyl ketone / ethyl acetate / toluene = 1/1/1 [molecular weight 15,000, softening point 165]
[C.], 0.1 part of calcium carbonate having an average particle diameter of 1 µm and 0.15 part of potassium dioctyl phosphate (an antistatic agent) were added and uniformly dispersed.
The coating liquid was applied to a base material obtained by forming a sheet of biodegradable plastic “CARDRUN” (trade name) manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. so as to have a thickness of 100 μm, and the coating thickness was not dried using a per coater. In this state, the film was applied so as to have a thickness of 10 μm, and subjected to a heat treatment with hot air at 130 ° C. for 3 minutes to obtain an electrophotographic film having a surface resistivity of 1 × 10 ¹¹ Ω.

When the electrophotographic film was copied continuously for 50 sheets using a high-speed copying machine, no misfeeding or double feeding troubles occurred. There was no image disturbance and the image density was high. The fact that the toner adhered by copying was completely adhered to the toner receiving layer was confirmed by a bonding strength test in which a cellophane tape was adhered to the toner surface and then peeled off. .

After discarding the electrophotographic film in the soil, it was confirmed after 6 months whether or not the biodegradability had progressed.

(Embodiments 2 to 4) A biodegradable plastic having a thickness of 100 μm was used as a substrate.

The materials used in each embodiment are summarized in Table 1 below.

[0040]

[Table 1]

As the toner receiving layer, the same one as in the first embodiment was used.

The electrophotographic film prepared as described above was evaluated for electrophotographic recording suitability and degradability in the same manner as in Embodiment 1. As a result, good electrophotographic recording suitability and biodegradability were confirmed. Was done.

(Embodiment 5) A base material having a thickness of 100
A μm 3-hydroxybutyrate and 4-hydroxybutyrate copolymer polyester was used.

As the toner receiving layer, the same one as in the first embodiment was used.

The haze of the electrophotographic film prepared as described above was 18%. This electrophotographic film was evaluated in the same manner as in the first to fourth embodiments.

The results are the same as those of the first to fourth embodiments. Since they have sufficient transparency, they can be used as OHP films, and have good electrophotographic recording suitability and biodegradability. Do you get it.

[0047]

As described above, the electrophotographic film of the present invention has good electrophotographic recording suitability and at the same time has biodegradability, so that the adverse effect on the environment due to disposal can be minimized. I can do it. Further, sufficient transparency can be obtained, and it can be applied to an electrophotographic film for OHP.

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Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An electrophotographic film having at least a substrate and a toner receiving layer, wherein the substrate is a biodegradable polymer substance. 2. The electrophotographic film according to claim 1, wherein all components of the electrophotographic film are made of a biodegradable polymer material. 3. The haze of the electrophotographic film is 5
The electrophotographic film according to claim 1, wherein the content is 0% or less. 4. The electrophotographic film according to claim 1, wherein the surface resistivity of one or both surfaces of the electrophotographic film is in the range of 1 × 10 ⁹ to 1 × 10 ¹⁵ Ω.