JP2015082003A - Wax masterbatch, toner, and manufacturing method of toner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide wax masterbatch for providing a toner having excellent offset resistance and durability.SOLUTION: Wax masterbatch of the present invention contains resin, wax, and a diester compound. The content of the diester compound in the wax masterbatch is preferably 1 mass% or more and 10 mass% or less. The content of the wax in the wax masterbatch is preferably 25 mass% or less.

Description

  The present invention relates to a wax master batch, a toner, and a method for producing the toner.

  In image formation employing an electrophotographic system, it is desired to improve toner offset resistance (fixability and releasability) in a process of fixing toner to a recording medium such as paper. As a method for improving the offset resistance, a method of incorporating a release agent in the toner is known. However, since the release agent is difficult to mix with the binder resin contained in the toner, it is difficult to uniformly disperse the binder in the binder resin. Therefore, it is known that a toner is produced by preparing a master batch containing a resin and a release agent in advance, and melt-kneading the master batch and a binder resin.

  For example, Patent Document 1 describes a masterbatch containing a release agent and a low-molecular resin that is easily compatible with the release agent. Patent Document 2 describes a masterbatch prepared using a resin and a nonionic surfactant as a compatibilizer for a release agent.

JP 2004-295046 A JP 2008-76759 A

  However, when the master batch described in Patent Document 1 is used, the dispersion state of the wax in the binder resin is segregated, and the particle size of the release agent in the toner is not sufficiently small. Moreover, when the masterbatch described in Patent Document 2 is used, the binder resin is thickened. As a result, even if these master batches are used, it is difficult to obtain a toner excellent in offset resistance (fixability and releasability) and durability.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a wax master batch for obtaining a toner having excellent offset resistance and durability. Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a toner having improved offset resistance and durability by using the above wax masterbatch. A further object of the present invention is to provide a toner production method with improved offset resistance and durability.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following gist.
That is, the wax masterbatch of the present invention contains a resin, a wax, and a diester compound.

  The toner of the present invention includes a plurality of toner particles containing a wax master batch and a binder resin.

  The toner manufacturing method of the present invention includes a wax master batch preparation step for preparing a wax master batch including a resin, a wax, and a diester compound, a plurality of toners including a wax master batch and a binder resin. A toner particle preparation step of preparing particles.

  By using the wax masterbatch of the present invention, a toner having excellent offset resistance and durability can be obtained.

It is a figure explaining how to read the softening point Tm of resin.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope of the object of the present invention. In addition, although description may be abbreviate | omitted suitably about the location where description overlaps, the summary of invention is not limited.

  The wax master batch of this embodiment contains a resin, a wax, and a diester compound. The resin, wax, and diester compound will be described below.

(resin)
The wax masterbatch of this embodiment contains resin as an essential component. Examples of the resin include thermoplastic resins (styrene resin, acrylic resin, styrene acrylic resin, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, vinyl chloride resin, polyester resin, polyamide resin, polyurethane resin, polyvinyl alcohol resin, vinyl ether resin, N- Vinyl resin or styrene-butadiene resin). The resin is preferably a polyester resin in order to improve the low-temperature fixability.

  The polyester resin is obtained by polycondensation or co-condensation of a divalent or trivalent or higher alcohol component and a divalent or trivalent or higher carboxylic acid component.

  Examples of the divalent or trivalent or higher alcohol component include diols (ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, neopentyl glycol). 1,4-butenediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, dipropylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, or polytetramethylene glycol); bisphenols ( Bisphenol A, hydrogenated bisphenol A, polyoxyethylenated bisphenol A, and polyoxypropylenated bisphenol A); trihydric or higher alcohols (sorbitol, 1,2,3,6-hexane) Trol, 1,4-sorbitan, pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol, tripentaerythritol, 1,2,4-butanetriol, 1,2,5-pentanetriol, glycerol, diglycerol, 2-methylpropanetriol, 2- Methyl-1,2,4-butanetriol, trimethylolethane, trimethylolpropane, or 1,3,5-trihydroxymethylbenzene).

  Examples of divalent or trivalent or higher carboxylic acid components include divalent carboxylic acids (maleic acid, fumaric acid, citraconic acid, itaconic acid, glutaconic acid, phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid, succinic acid. Adipic acid, sebacic acid, azelaic acid, malonic acid, or alkyl (or alkenyl) succinic acid (e.g., n-butyl succinic acid, n-butenyl succinic acid, isobutyl succinic acid, isobutenyl succinic acid, n-octyl succinic acid, n-octenyl succinic acid, n-dodecyl succinic acid, n-dodecenyl succinic acid, isododecyl succinic acid, or isododecenyl succinic acid)), trivalent or higher carboxylic acids (1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic acid (trimerit Acid), 1,2,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid, 2,5,7-naphthalene Tricarboxylic acid, 1,2,4-naphthalenetricarboxylic acid, 1,2,4-butanetricarboxylic acid, 1,2,5-hexanetricarboxylic acid, 1,3-dicarboxyl-2-methyl-2-methylenecarboxypropane, 1,2,4-cyclohexanetricarboxylic acid, tetra (methylenecarboxyl) methane, 1,2,7,8-octanetetracarboxylic acid, pyromellitic acid, or empole trimer acid). These carboxylic acid components may be used as ester-forming derivatives (for example, acid halides, acid anhydrides, or lower alkyl esters). Here, “lower alkyl” means an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms.

  Of the above resins, the styrene acrylic resin is a copolymer of a styrene monomer and an acrylic monomer. Specific examples of the styrene monomer include styrene, α-methylstyrene, p-hydroxystyrene, m-hydroxystyrene, vinyltoluene, α-chlorostyrene, o-chlorostyrene, m-chlorostyrene, p-chlorostyrene, Or p-ethylstyrene is mentioned.

  Specific examples of the acrylic monomer include (meth) acrylic acid; (meth) acrylic acid alkyl ester (methyl (meth) acrylate, ethyl (meth) acrylate, n-propyl (meth) acrylate, (meth) Iso-propyl acrylate, n-butyl (meth) acrylate, iso-butyl (meth) acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl (meth) acrylate, methyl (meth) methacrylate, ethyl (meth) methacrylate, ( (Meth) methacrylic acid n-butyl and (meth) methacrylic acid iso-butyl); (meth) acrylic acid hydroxyalkyl ester (2-hydroxyethyl (meth) acrylate, 3-hydroxypropyl (meth) acrylate, (Meth) acrylic acid 2-hydroxypropyl or (meth) acrylic acid 4-hydroxypropyl) It is below.

  When the resin is a polyester resin, the number average molecular weight Mn of the polyester resin is preferably 1200 or more and 2000 or less in order to improve the strength and fixability of the toner particles (wax master batch). The molecular weight distribution of the polyester resin (the value of the ratio between the number average molecular weight Mn and the mass average molecular weight Mw (mass average molecular weight Mw / number average molecular weight Mn)) is preferably 9 or more and 20 or less for the same reason as described above.

  When the resin is a styrene acrylic resin, the number average molecular weight Mn of the styrene acrylic resin is preferably 2000 or more and 3000 or less in order to improve the strength and fixability of the toner particles (wax master batch). The molecular weight distribution (mass average molecular weight Mw / number average molecular weight Mn) of the styrene acrylic resin is preferably 10 or more and 20 or less for the same reason as described above. The number average molecular weight Mn and the mass average molecular weight Mw of the resin can be measured using, for example, gel permeation chromatography.

  The glass transition point Tg of the resin is preferably 30 ° C. or higher and 55 ° C. or lower, and more preferably 30 ° C. or higher and 50 ° C. or lower, in order to improve low temperature fixability and suppress aggregation of toner particles. The glass transition point Tg of the resin can be obtained from the change point of the specific heat of the resin. More specifically, the glass transition point Tg can be obtained by measuring the endothermic curve of the resin using a differential scanning calorimeter (for example, “DSC-6200” manufactured by Seiko Instruments Inc.) as a measuring device. Specifically, 10 mg of a measurement sample is placed in an aluminum pan, an empty aluminum pan is used as a reference, and an endothermic curve of the resin is obtained under the conditions of a measurement temperature range of 25 ° C. to 200 ° C. and a temperature increase rate of 10 ° C./min. A method of obtaining the glass transition point Tg of the resin based on this endothermic curve is mentioned.

  The softening point Tm of the resin is preferably 100 ° C. or lower, and more preferably 95 ° C. or lower. When the softening point Tm is 100 ° C. or lower, sufficient low-temperature fixability can be achieved even during high-speed fixing. In order to adjust the softening point Tm of the resin, for example, a plurality of resins having different softening points Tm may be combined.

For the measurement of the softening point Tm of the resin, an elevated flow tester (for example, “CFT-500D” manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation) can be used. Specifically, a measurement sample is set in an elevated flow tester, and a 1 cm ³ sample is melted under predetermined conditions (die pore diameter 1 mm, plunger load 20 kg / cm ² , heating rate 6 ° C./min). An S-shaped curve (that is, an S-shaped curve related to temperature (° C.) / Stroke (mm)) is obtained by flowing out, and the softening point Tm of the resin is read from the S-shaped curve.

  With reference to FIG. 1, how to read the softening point Tm of the resin will be described. In FIG. 1, the maximum stroke value is S1, and the baseline stroke value lower than the temperature of S1 is S2. The temperature at which the stroke value in the S-shaped curve is (S1 + S2) / 2 is defined as the softening point Tm of the measurement sample (resin).

  The resin content in the wax masterbatch of the present embodiment is preferably 50% by mass or more. When the resin content is 50% by mass or more, when the wax masterbatch is contained in the toner particles, the wax is uniformly dispersed in the toner particles, so that the obtained toner has offset resistance and durability. It will be excellent.

(wax)
The wax masterbatch of this embodiment contains wax as an essential component. The wax acts as a release agent when the toner master batch of the present embodiment is contained in the toner particles. The wax is not particularly limited as long as it has excellent releasability. The wax is, for example, an aliphatic hydrocarbon wax (low molecular weight polyethylene, low molecular weight polypropylene, polyolefin copolymer, polyolefin wax, microcrystalline wax, paraffin wax, or Fischer-Tropsch wax), an oxide of an aliphatic hydrocarbon wax. (Oxidized polyethylene wax and block copolymer of oxidized polyethylene wax), vegetable wax (candelilla wax, carnauba wax, wood wax, jojoba wax, or rice wax), animal wax (honey beeswax, lanolin, or whale wax) , Mineral waxes (ozokerite, ceresin, or vetrolactam), waxes based on fatty acid esters (montanic acid ester wax or caster wax), fatty acid esters partially or Part de oxidized wax (deoxidized carnauba wax), higher alcohols (stearyl alcohol or behenyl alcohol), or these various modified wax.

  The wax content in the wax masterbatch of the present embodiment is preferably 25% by mass or less, and more preferably 10% by mass or more and 25% by mass or less. When the wax content is 10% by mass or more, when the wax master batch of this embodiment is contained in toner particles, the offset resistance and durability are excellent. On the other hand, when the wax content is 25% by mass or less, the obtained toner is excellent in fixability.

(Diester compound)
The wax masterbatch of this embodiment contains a diester compound as an essential component. By containing the diester compound, the viscosity of the resin contained in the wax master batch can be reduced, and the dispersibility of the wax can be improved when the wax master batch is contained in the toner particles. As a result, the toner including toner particles containing the wax master batch of the present embodiment is excellent in offset resistance and durability. The diester compound is a compound composed of a dicarboxylic acid component and an alcohol component, or a compound composed of a carboxylic acid component and a dialcohol component.

  Examples of the carboxylic acid component include palmitic acid, stearic acid, and behenic acid. Examples of the dialcohol component include ethylene glycol, propanediol, or pentanediol. Examples of the dicarboxylic acid component include glutaric acid, adipic acid, pimelic acid, phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, and terephthalic acid. Examples of the alcohol component include lauryl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, and stearyl alcohol.

  The melting point of the diester compound is, for example, 65 ° C. or higher and 76 ° C. or lower. The melting point of the diester compound can be measured using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) in the same manner as the glass transition point Tg of the resin contained in the wax master batch.

  1 mass% or more and 25 mass% or less are preferable, and, as for content of the diester compound in the wax masterbatch of this embodiment, 1 mass% or more and 10 mass% or less are more preferable. When the content of the diester compound is 1% by mass or more, when the wax master batch is contained in the toner particles, the wax can be uniformly dispersed in the toner particles, and the obtained toner has an anti-offset property. Excellent in durability. On the other hand, when the content of the diester compound is 25% by mass or less, even if a diester compound having negative chargeability is used, the chargeability inhibition of the toner can be suppressed when a positively chargeable toner is obtained.

Next, the toner of this embodiment will be described below.
The toner according to the exemplary embodiment includes a plurality of toner particles containing the wax master batch and the binder resin. The toner particles may contain a colorant, a charge control agent, magnetic powder, or an external additive as necessary.

(Binder resin)
The toner particles contain a binder resin as an essential component. Specific examples of the binder resin include those described above as specific examples of the resin. As the binder resin, a styrene acrylic resin or a polyester resin is preferable in order to improve the dispersibility of the colorant in the toner particles, the chargeability of the toner particles, and the fixability of the toner particles to the recording medium.

  Examples of the polyester resin include those described in the specific examples of the resin.

  Examples of the styrene acrylic resin include those described in the specific examples of the resin.

(Coloring agent)
Examples of the colorant include known pigments or dyes. Examples of the black colorant include carbon black. In addition, a colorant that is toned in black using a colorant such as a yellow colorant, a magenta colorant, or a cyan colorant can also be used as the black colorant. When the toner is a color toner, examples of the colorant contained in the toner particles include a yellow colorant, a magenta colorant, and a cyan colorant.

  Examples of the yellow colorant include condensed azo compounds, isoindolinone compounds, anthraquinone compounds, azo metal complexes, methine compounds, and allylamide compounds. Specifically, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow (3, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 62, 74, 83, 93, 94, 95, 97, 109, 110, 111, 120, 127, 128, 129, 147, 151, 154, 155 168, 174, 175, 176, 180, 181, 191, 194), Nephthol Yellow S, Hansa Yellow G, or C.I. I. Bat yellow is mentioned.

  Examples of the magenta colorant include condensed azo compounds, diketopyrrolopyrrole compounds, anthraquinone compounds, quinacridone compounds, basic dye lake compounds, naphthol compounds, benzimidazolone compounds, thioindigo compounds, and perylene compounds. Specifically, C.I. I. Pigment Red (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 19, 23, 48: 2, 48: 3, 48: 4, 57: 1, 81: 1, 122, 144, 146, 150, 166, 169, 177 184, 185, 202, 206, 220, 221 or 254).

  Examples of cyan colorants include copper phthalocyanine compounds, copper phthalocyanine derivatives, anthraquinone compounds, or basic dye lake compounds. Specifically, C.I. I. Pigment blue (1, 7, 15, 15: 1, 15: 2, 15: 3, 15: 4, 60, 62, or 66), phthalocyanine blue, C.I. I. Bat Blue, or C.I. I. Acid blue.

  The content of the colorant in the toner particles is preferably 1 part by mass or more and 10 parts by mass or less, and more preferably 3 parts by mass or more and 7 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin.

  The toner particles contained in the toner of this embodiment contain the wax masterbatch of this embodiment described above. Therefore, the wax in the wax master batch is contained. The content of the wax in the toner particles is preferably 1 part by mass or more and 10 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin. When the wax content is 1 part by mass or more, the occurrence of offset and image smearing during image formation can be satisfactorily suppressed. On the other hand, when the wax content is 10 parts by mass or less, the toner particles are not fused when the produced toner is once stored.

  The toner particles may contain a charge control agent as necessary. By containing a charge control agent, it is possible to improve the charge level and charge rise characteristics and obtain a toner having excellent durability and stability. The charge rising characteristic is an index of whether or not the toner can be charged to a predetermined charge level in a short time. When developing with positively charged toner, a positively chargeable charge control agent is used. When developing with negatively charged toner, a negatively chargeable charge control agent is used.

  Examples of the positively chargeable charge control agent include azine compounds (pyridazine, pyrimidine, pyrazine, orthooxazine, metaoxazine, paraoxazine, orthothiazine, metathiazine, parathiazine, 1,2,3-triazine, 1,2,4-triazine. 1,3,5-triazine, 1,2,4-oxadiazine, 1,3,4-oxadiazine, 1,2,6-oxadiazine, 1,3,4-thiadiazine, 1,3,5-thiadiazine, 1, , 2,3,4-tetrazine, 1,2,4,5-tetrazine, 1,2,3,5-tetrazine, 1,2,4,6-oxatriazine, 1,3,4,5-oxatriazine , Phthalazine, quinazoline, or quinoxaline), direct dyes composed of azine compounds (Azin Fast Red FC, Azin Fast Red 12BK, Azin Violet BO, Azin Brown 3G, Azinlite Round GR, azine dark green BH / C, azine deep black EW, or azine black 3RL), nigrosine compound (nigrosine, nigrosine salt, or nigrosine derivative), acid dye comprising nigrosine compound (nigrosine BK, nigrosine NB, or nigrosine) Z), metal salts of naphthenic acid or higher fatty acids, alkoxylated amines, alkylamides, or quaternary ammonium salts (benzylmethylhexyldecylammonium or decyltrimethylammonium chloride). In addition, a quaternary ammonium salt, a carboxylate, or a resin or oligomer having a carboxyl group as a functional group can also be used. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  Examples of the negatively chargeable charge control agent include organometallic complexes and chelate compounds. Examples of organometallic complexes and chelate compounds include acetylacetone metal complexes such as aluminum acetylacetonate and iron (II) acetylacetonate, and salicylic acid metal complexes such as chromium 3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylate. A salicylic acid metal salt is preferable, and a salicylic acid metal complex or a salicylic acid metal salt is more preferable. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  The content of the positively or negatively chargeable charge control agent in the toner particles is preferably 0.5 parts by mass or more and 10 parts by mass or less, and 1.0 part by mass when the total amount of the toner is 100 parts by mass. More preferred is 5.0 parts by mass or less.

  The toner particles may contain magnetic powder as necessary. When the toner particles contain magnetic powder, the toner particles are used as a magnetic one-component developer. Examples of suitable magnetic powders include iron (eg, ferrite or magnetite), ferromagnetic metals (eg, cobalt or nickel, etc.), alloys containing iron and / or ferromagnetic metals, iron and / or ferromagnetic metals. Examples thereof include a compound, a ferromagnetic alloy subjected to ferromagnetization treatment such as heat treatment, or chromium dioxide.

  The particle size of the magnetic powder is preferably 0.1 μm or more and 1.0 μm or less. When the particle size of the magnetic powder is 0.1 μm or more and 1.0 μm or less, it is easy to uniformly disperse the magnetic powder in the toner particles.

  When the toner of this embodiment is used as a one-component developer, the content of the magnetic powder is preferably 35 parts by mass or more and 60 parts by mass or less, and 40 parts by mass or more and 60 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the total amount of toner. Is more preferable.

  The toner particles contained in the toner of this embodiment may have a so-called core-shell structure containing a toner core and a shell layer. The toner core is the toner particles described above, and the shell layer is a capsule layer covering the toner particles.

  The shell layer is formed from a resin containing a thermosetting resin, for example. Examples of the thermosetting resin include melamine resin, guanamine resin, sulfoamide resin, urea resin, glyoxal resin, aniline resin, or polyimide resin.

  Further, the surface of the toner particles may be externally treated with an external additive. In order to perform the external addition treatment, for example, the external addition conditions are adjusted so that the external additive is not completely buried in the toner particles, and the external addition treatment is performed using a mixer (for example, a Henschel mixer or a Nauter mixer). Just do it.

  Examples of the external additive include particles of silica or metal oxide (for example, alumina, titanium oxide, magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, strontium titanate, or barium titanate). The particle size of the external additive is preferably 0.01 μm or more and 1.0 μm or less in order to improve fluidity and handleability.

  The toner particles before being treated with the external additive may be referred to as “toner mother particles”. The amount of the external additive used is preferably 1 part by mass or more and 10 parts by mass or less, and more preferably 2 parts by mass or more and 5 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the toner base particles in order to improve fluidity and handleability. .

  The toner of the present exemplary embodiment may be used as a so-called one-component developer containing magnetic powder such as ferrite or magnetite. Alternatively, it may be mixed with a desired carrier and used as a so-called two-component developer.

  The carrier is preferably a magnetic carrier. Specifically, a carrier core material coated with a resin can be used. Examples of the carrier core material include particles such as iron, oxidized iron, reduced iron, magnetite, copper, silicon steel, ferrite, nickel, or cobalt, or a metal such as manganese, zinc, or aluminum. Particles of alloys with; particles such as iron-nickel alloys or iron-cobalt alloys; titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, copper oxide, magnesium oxide, lead oxide, zirconium oxide, silicon carbide, magnesium titanate, barium titanate, Ceramic particles such as lithium titanate, lead titanate, lead zirconate, or lithium niobate; particles of high dielectric constant materials such as ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, or Rochelle salt . Further, as the carrier core material, a resin carrier in which the magnetic particles are dispersed in a resin may be used.

  Examples of the resin for coating the carrier core material include (meth) acrylic polymer, styrene polymer, styrene- (meth) acrylic copolymer, olefin polymer (polyethylene, chlorinated polyethylene, or polypropylene). , Polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polycarbonate resin, cellulose resin, polyester resin, unsaturated polyester resin, polyamide resin, polyurethane resin, epoxy resin, silicone resin, fluorine resin (polytetrafluoroethylene, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, or (Polyvinylidene fluoride), phenol resin, xylene resin, diallyl phthalate resin, polyacetal resin, or amino resin.

  The ratio of the resin covering the carrier core material is preferably 1 part by mass or more and 5 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the carrier core material.

  The particle size of the carrier is preferably 20 μm or more and 120 μm or less, and more preferably 25 μm or more and 80 μm or less.

  When the toner of this embodiment is used as a two-component developer, the amount of toner used is preferably 5% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less, and more preferably 5% by mass or more and 12% by mass or less with respect to the total amount of the two-component developer.

(Toner production method)
The toner manufacturing method of the present embodiment includes a wax masterbatch preparation step for preparing a wax masterbatch including a resin, a wax, and a diester compound, and a plurality of toners containing the wax masterbatch and a binder resin. A toner particle preparation step of preparing particles.

  In order to execute the wax masterbatch preparation step, for example, a resin, a wax, and a diester compound may be melt-kneaded, cooled and solidified, and then pulverized to prepare a wax masterbatch. The melt kneading is performed using various melt kneaders (for example, a single screw extruder kneader, a twin screw extruder kneader, a roll mill, or an open roll kneader).

  To execute the toner particle preparation step, the binder resin, the wax master batch obtained in the wax master batch preparation step, and other components as necessary (for example, a colorant, a charge control agent, or magnetic powder) However, the toner particles may be prepared by employing, for example, a kneading pulverization method or a polymerization method so as to be dispersed well.

  The kneading and pulverizing method is performed as follows. First, a binder resin, a wax masterbatch, and other components as necessary are mixed to obtain a mixture. Then, the obtained mixture is melt-kneaded, and the obtained melt-kneaded product is pulverized by a known method to obtain a pulverized product. The obtained pulverized product is classified by a known method to obtain a plurality of toner particles having a desired particle size.

  As the polymerization method, for example, a method of obtaining a toner by atomizing a melt-kneaded product obtained in the same manner as the melt-kneading method into air using, for example, a disk or a multi-fluid nozzle; direct toner using a suspension polymerization method A dispersion polymerization method in which a toner is directly produced using an aqueous organic solvent in which the monomer is soluble but the resulting polymer is insoluble; directly in the presence of a water-soluble polar polymerization initiator An emulsion polymerization method such as a so-called soap-free polymerization method in which a toner is formed by polymerization; a hetero-aggregation method in which primary polar emulsion polymer particles are prepared and then polar particles having an opposite charge are added to associate with each other.

  When the toner particles have a core-shell structure, a step of forming a shell layer (shell layer forming step) is performed so as to cover the surface of the toner particles after the toner particle preparation step. May be. The shell layer forming step includes, for example, a shell layer forming solution preparing step for preparing a shell layer forming solution containing a polymer or prepolymer of a thermosetting resin, and supplying the shell layer forming solution to the surfaces of the toner particles. A feeding step and a resinification step of resinating a polymer or prepolymer of a thermosetting resin.

  In the shell layer forming liquid preparation step, a monomer or prepolymer of a thermosetting resin and an arbitrary solvent may be mixed to obtain a mixture. It is preferable to adjust the pH to about 4 during the stirring and mixing.

  The monomer of said thermosetting resin is selected suitably. Further, the prepolymer of the thermosetting resin is in a state before the polymer in which the degree of polymerization of the monomer of the thermosetting resin is increased to some extent, and is also referred to as an initial polymer or an initial condensate.

  The shell layer forming liquid may contain a known dispersant in order to improve the dispersibility of the thermosetting resin monomer or prepolymer in the solvent. The dispersant remaining in the toner particles can be removed by performing a process such as a cleaning process after the toner is manufactured.

  In the supplying step, the shell layer forming liquid is supplied to the toner including a plurality of toner particles. Examples of the method of performing the supplying step include a method of spraying a shell layer forming liquid on the surface of the toner particles, or a method of immersing the toner particles in the shell layer forming liquid. In the supplying step, the shell layer forming liquid may be diluted with an arbitrary solvent.

  After the supply step, in the resinification step, the monomer or prepolymer of the thermosetting resin contained in the shell layer forming liquid is resinized by arbitrary polymerization or condensation to obtain a thermosetting resin. As a result, a shell layer is formed on the surface of the toner particles. Resinification includes not only complete resinization with a sufficiently high degree of polymerization but also partial resination with a medium degree of polymerization.

  It is preferable that the reaction temperature (resinization temperature) in the resinification step is maintained in a range of 40 ° C. or higher and 90 ° C. or lower. By setting the reaction temperature to 40 ° C. or higher, the hardness of the shell layer can be sufficiently increased. On the other hand, by maintaining the reaction temperature at 90 ° C. or lower, it is possible to suppress the hardness of the shell layer from becoming excessively high, and the shell layer can be easily broken by heating and pressing during fixing.

  The toner after passing through the resinification step may pass through one or more steps selected from a washing step, a drying step, and an external addition step as necessary.

  In the cleaning process, the toner obtained by executing the forming process is cleaned with, for example, water.

  In the drying step, the washed toner is dried by, for example, a dryer (spray dryer, fluidized bed dryer, vacuum freeze dryer, or vacuum dryer). A spray dryer is preferably used because it is easy to suppress aggregation of toner particles during drying. In the case of using a spray dryer, for example, since a dispersion in which an external additive (for example, silica fine particles) is dispersed can be sprayed together with drying, an external addition step described later can be performed simultaneously.

  In the external addition step, an external additive is attached to the surface of the toner particles. As a suitable method for attaching the external additive, the external additive conditions are adjusted so that the external additive is not completely buried in the surface of the toner particles, and a mixer (for example, a Henschel mixer or a Nauter mixer) is used. And a method of mixing the toner and the external additive.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples. In addition, this invention is not limited by these Examples.

<Preparation of diester compound>
Diester compound A
In a four-round flask equipped with a thermometer, a nitrogen inlet tube, a stirrer and a condenser tube, 700 g (4.79 mol) of adipic acid as a dicarboxylic acid component and 300 g (1.40 mol) of myristyl alcohol as an alcohol component were added. I put it in. This was reacted at 200 ° C. for 10 hours at normal pressure while distilling off the reaction water. Then, it filtered with respect to the obtained reaction material, and obtained the diester compound A (melting | fusing point: 73 degreeC).

Diester compound B
A diester compound B (melting point: 76 ° C.) was obtained in the same manner as in the production of the diester compound A, except that 760 g (4.74 mol) of pimelic acid was used instead of adipic acid as the dicarboxylic acid component. .

Diester compound C
The diester was prepared in the same manner as in the production of the diester compound A except that 1000 g (3.90 mol) palmitic acid was used as the carboxylic acid component and 100 g (1.31 mol) propanediol was used as the dialcohol component. Compound C (melting point: 70 ° C.) was obtained.

(Preparation of wax masterbatch)
Wax masterbatch A
A polyester resin (“CBC500” manufactured by Kao Corporation), carnauba wax (“Characteristic Carnauba No. 1” manufactured by Kato Yoko Co., Ltd.), and diester compound A so as to have the composition shown in Table 1, Henschel mixer (manufactured by Nippon Coke Co., Ltd.) "FM-20B") and mixed for 180 seconds at 2400 r / min. Then, it melt-kneaded on the conditions of material supply speed | rate 5kg / hr, shaft rotation speed 150rpm, and cylinder temperature 100 degreeC using the twin-screw extruder (Ikegai "PCM-30"). The obtained melt-kneaded product was cooled and stretched, and then pulverized to a particle size of 2 mm or less with a feather mill (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation) to obtain a wax master batch A.

Wax masterbatch B
Carnauba wax (“Characteristic carnauba No. 1” manufactured by Kato Yoko Co., Ltd.) was changed to Fischer-Tropsch wax (“Paraflint C105” manufactured by Kato Yoko Co., Ltd.). A wax masterbatch B was obtained.

Wax masterbatch C
Carnauba wax (“Characteristic carnauba No. 1” manufactured by Kato Yoko Co., Ltd.) was changed to ester wax (“MPWAX N-252” manufactured by Chukyo Yushi Co., Ltd.), and the same operation as in the production of wax masterbatch A was performed. A wax master batch C was obtained.

Wax masterbatch D
Except having changed the composition of each material into the composition shown in Table 1, operation similar to manufacture of the wax masterbatch A was performed, and the wax masterbatch D was obtained.

Wax masterbatch E
Except having changed the diester compound A into the diester compound B, operation similar to manufacture of the wax masterbatch A was performed, and the wax masterbatch E was obtained.

Wax masterbatch F
Except having changed the diester compound A into the diester compound C, operation similar to manufacture of the wax masterbatch A was performed, and the wax masterbatch F was obtained.

Wax master batch G ~ J
Except having changed the composition into the composition shown in Table 1, operations similar to the production of the wax master batch A were performed to obtain wax master batches G to J.

Wax masterbatch K
A wax masterbatch K was obtained in the same manner as the wax masterbatch A except that the polyester resin and carnauba wax were used in the proportions shown in Table 1 without containing the diester compound A.

Wax masterbatch L
A wax masterbatch L was obtained in the same manner as the wax masterbatch B except that the polyester resin and the Fischer-Tropsch wax were used in the proportions shown in Table 1 without containing the diester compound A.

Wax masterbatch M
A wax masterbatch M was obtained in the same manner as in the wax masterbatch C except that the polyester resin and the ester wax were used in the ratio shown in Table 1 without containing the diester compound A.

Wax masterbatch N
Except for changing the composition to the composition shown in Table 1, an operation similar to the production of the wax masterbatch A was performed to obtain a wax masterbatch N. However, since the content of the polyester resin was small, it was confirmed using a transmission electron microscope (“HF-3300” manufactured by Hitachi High-Tech) that the wax was not uniformly dispersed in the obtained wax master batch. The wax masterbatch N was not used for the production of the toner described later.

  In Table 1 and Table 2 described later, “CBC500” indicates a polyester resin manufactured by Kao Corporation. “Carnava” refers to carnauba wax (“Characteristic Carnauba No. 1” manufactured by Kato Yoko Co., Ltd.). “Fischer Tropsch” indicates Fischer Tropsch wax (“Paraflint C105” manufactured by Kato Yoko Co., Ltd.). “Ester” refers to ester wax (“MPWAX N-252” manufactured by Chukyo Yushi Co., Ltd.). "-" Indicates that it was not contained.

Example 1
As shown in Table 2, 30 parts by mass of wax masterbatch A, 65 parts by mass of a polyester resin (“CBC500” manufactured by Kao Corporation) as a binder resin, and 4 parts by mass of a colorant (manufactured by Dainichi Seika Kogyo Co., Ltd. “ ECR-101 ") and 1 part by mass of a charge control agent (Orient Kogyo Co., Ltd." P-51 ") were charged into a Henschel mixer (" FM-20B "manufactured by Nippon Coke Co., Ltd.). This was mixed at 2400 r / min for 180 seconds. Then, using a twin screw extruder (“PCM-30” manufactured by Ikegai Co., Ltd.), the mixture was melt-kneaded under the conditions of a material supply speed of 5 kg / hr, a shaft rotation speed of 150 rpm, and a cylinder temperature of 150 ° C., and then cooled. The obtained kneaded material was coarsely pulverized with a rotoplex mill (“8/16 type” manufactured by Toa Kikai Co., Ltd.) and then used with a collision plate type pulverizer (“Disversion Separator” manufactured by Nippon Pneumatic Industry Co., Ltd.). And pulverized. Subsequently, the obtained finely pulverized product was classified with an elbow jet (“EJ-LABO type” manufactured by Nittetsu Mining Co., Ltd.) to obtain a powder having a mass average particle diameter of 8.0 μm. 1 part by weight of hydrophobic silica (“RA-200H” manufactured by Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd.) and titanium oxide fine particles (“ST-100” manufactured by Titanium Industry) as external additives are added to 100 parts by weight of the obtained powder. 5 parts by mass was added, and the toner of Example 1 subjected to external addition treatment was obtained by stirring for 180 seconds at 2400 r / min with a Henschel mixer.

  In Table 2, “ECR-101” indicates a colorant manufactured by Dainichi Seika Kogyo Co., Ltd. “P-51” indicates a charge control agent of Orient Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Examples 2 to 10 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3
Except for changing the wax master batch A to wax master batches B to M, the same operations as in Example 1 were performed to obtain toners of Examples 2 to 10 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3.

Comparative Example 4
Carnauba wax (“Characteristic Carnauba No. 1” manufactured by Kato Yoko Co., Ltd.) was used in place of the wax masterbatch A, and the same operation as in Example 1 was performed except that the composition shown in Table 2 was used. A toner was obtained.

Comparative Example 5
The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed except that Fischer-Tropsch wax (“Paraflint C105” manufactured by Kato Yoko Co., Ltd.) was used instead of the wax master batch A and the composition shown in Table 2 was used. A toner was obtained.

Comparative Example 6
Toner of Comparative Example 6 except that ester wax (“MPWAX N-252” manufactured by Chukyo Yushi Co., Ltd.) was used instead of wax masterbatch A and the composition shown in Table 2 was used. Got.

  The evaluation methods or measurement methods (fixability, heat-resistant storage stability, and durability) of the toners obtained in the examples or comparative examples are shown below. In the following evaluation, a color printer (“FS-C5300DN” manufactured by Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.) was used as an evaluation machine.

  Fixability was evaluated using the two-component developers containing the toners obtained in Examples and Comparative Examples. A method for preparing a two-component developer containing toners obtained in Examples and Comparative Examples is shown below. It is blended so that the ratio of the toner obtained in Examples and Comparative Examples is 10% by mass with respect to 100% by mass of the carrier for the color printer (“FS-C5300DN” manufactured by Kyocera Document Solutions Co., Ltd.). And 10 parts by mass of toner with respect to 100 parts by mass of the total of the toner and the carrier) and enclosed in a plastic bottle. Next, the plastic bottle was rotated at a rotation speed of 100 rpm for 30 minutes using a ball mill, and the carrier and toner in the plastic bottle were uniformly stirred and mixed to obtain a two-component developer.

<Fixability>
Using the above evaluator, the two-component developer prepared in the developing device for black of the evaluator is charged, and the toner prepared as described above is charged in the black toner container of the evaluator, and printing is performed. A solid image was formed on the recording medium at a rate of 100%. Using the toner obtained in the example or the comparative example, the applied toner amount is adjusted in the range of 1.4 mg / cm ² or more and 1.5 mg / cm ² or less, and the fixing temperature is changed from 110 ° C. to 180 ° C. An image was formed. The presence or absence of offset generation after image formation was confirmed visually. Fixability was evaluated according to the following criteria.
○ (Good): No offset occurred.
X (Poor): An offset occurred.
Regarding the fixability, if the evaluation was “◯” at a fixing temperature of 120 ° C. or higher and 170 ° C. or lower, it was determined that the required performance was satisfied.

<Heat resistant storage stability>
5 g of the toner obtained in Examples or Comparative Examples was weighed into a glass sample bottle. The sample bottle was left in a constant temperature bath at 55 ° C. (“DKN302” manufactured by Yamato Scientific Co., Ltd.) for 24 hours, and then cooled to room temperature. The cooled toner was sieved using a powder tester (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation). The sieving conditions were a vibration scale of 5 and a 400 mesh sieve. The mass (T) (unit: g) of the toner that passed through the sieve was measured, and the toner passing rate was calculated using the following equation. The heat resistant storage stability was evaluated according to the following criteria.
Toner passing rate (%) = (T / 5) × 100
○ (Good): The toner passing rate was 80% or more.
Δ (average): The toner passing rate was 60% or more and less than 80%.
X (Poor): The toner passing rate was less than 60%.
Regarding the heat resistant storage stability, it was determined that the required performance was satisfied if the evaluation was “Δ or more”.

<Toner durability (image density)>
The two-component developer prepared by the same method as the two-component developer used for fixing property evaluation is put into the developing device for black of the evaluation machine, and Examples or Comparative Examples are put in the black toner container of the evaluation machine. The toner obtained in (1) was added and the image density was evaluated in an environment of 23 ° C. and 50% RH. After continuously printing 1000 sheets at a printing rate of 4%, a solid image was formed on the recording medium at a printing rate of 100%. The image density of the formed solid image was measured using a reflection densitometer (“Gretag Macbeth Spectroeye” manufactured by Gretag Macbeth). Continuous printing with a printing rate of 4% was performed on 5000 sheets, a solid image was formed every 1000 sheets, and the image density was measured and evaluated. The image density was evaluated according to the following criteria.
○ (Good): The image density was 1.20 or more.
X (Poor): The image density was less than 1.20.
Durability was determined as follows. That is, if the image density at the time of continuous printing of 4000 sheets is less than 1.2, it is indicated as x if the image density at the time of 5000 sheets is less than 1.2, and Δ if it is less than 1.2. If the value is 1.2 or more, it was rated as “Good”. If this evaluation was Δ or more, it was determined that the required performance was satisfied.

  Table 3 shows the evaluation results of the toners obtained in Examples 1 to 10 and Comparative Examples 1 to 6.

  As is apparent from Table 3, the toners obtained in Examples 1 to 10 contained the wax master batch of this embodiment, and thus were excellent in all of fixability, heat resistant storage stability, and durability. .

  Since the toner containing the wax masterbatch of this embodiment is excellent in offset resistance and durability, it is suitably used for image formation.

Claims (6)

A wax masterbatch containing a resin, a wax, and a diester compound.
The wax masterbatch according to claim 1, wherein the content of the diester compound in the wax masterbatch is 1% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less.
The wax masterbatch according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a content of the wax in the wax masterbatch is 25% by mass or less.
A toner comprising a plurality of toner particles,
The toner, wherein the plurality of toner particles contain the wax masterbatch according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and a binder resin.
The toner according to claim 4, wherein the binder resin is a polyester resin.
A wax masterbatch preparation step for preparing a wax masterbatch containing a resin, a wax and a diester compound;
A toner particle preparation step of preparing a plurality of toner particles containing the wax masterbatch and a binder resin;
And a method for producing a toner.