JP6334917B2 - Inkjet recording method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording method and water-insoluble polymer particles contained in a water-based ink for ink jet recording.

The ink jet recording method is a recording method in which characters and images are obtained by ejecting ink droplets directly from a very fine nozzle onto a recording medium and attaching them. This method is widely spread because it is easy to make full color and is inexpensive, and has many advantages such as the ability to use plain paper as a recording medium and non-contact with the substrate.
Recently, in order to impart weather resistance and water resistance to printed matter, ink for ink jet recording using a pigment as a colorant and resin fine particles as a binder is used in an ink jet recording system.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a hydrophilic monofunctional ethylenically unsaturated monomer having a water solubility of 2.0 × 10 ⁻³ g / g as an aqueous inkjet ink having excellent friction resistance and ejection properties. An aqueous inkjet ink containing functional group-containing resin fine particles obtained by emulsion polymerization of a hydrophobic monofunctional ethylenically unsaturated monomer having a cm ³ or less is disclosed.
Patent Document 2 discloses latex fine particles having a specific bulk density and a specific surface dielectric constant as latex fine particles having excellent dispersion stability used for inkjet inks.

On the other hand, in addition to printing on the above-described conventional plain paper and high-absorbency recording medium called copy paper, low-absorbent coated paper such as offset coated paper, or polyvinyl chloride resin, polypropylene resin, polyester There has been a demand for printing on a recording medium for commercial printing using a film of a non-liquid-absorbing resin such as a resin.
When printing is performed on these low-absorbing and non-absorbing recording media by the ink jet recording method, the liquid component is slowly absorbed or not absorbed, so that it takes time to dry the recording medium and the initial scratching is poor. It is known.
In order to solve these problems, an ink jet recording method using a recording medium having an ink absorbing layer has been proposed.
For example, Patent Document 3 discloses a recording medium having a low water absorption and a paper surface pH of 8 or more coated with a coating layer containing a pigment, as an ink jet recording method that has a wide paper compatibility and excellent abrasion resistance of printed matter. An ink jet recording method for printing ink having a pH of 8 or more containing a particulate color material, an emulsion resin, and a surfactant has been disclosed, and a recording apparatus provided with a drying device has also been proposed.
However, since improvements from the recording medium and the recording apparatus have problems such as cost and power consumption, improvement of the ink jet recording method from the ink composition is required.

JP 2011-12253 A JP-T-2006-524269 JP 2008-260279 A

The technique described in Patent Document 1 is intended to improve the friction resistance, ejection property, etc. by improving the ink composition, but in order to improve the drying property, friction resistance, etc., the heat treatment step is performed after printing. In need of. In that example, an aqueous ink was applied onto art paper and heated at 100 ° C. for 3 minutes to obtain an ink film for evaluation. Using this film, the friction resistance and the like were evaluated, and the filtration rate of the filter. The ink ejection properties are evaluated. Thus, the technique described in Patent Document 1 is not satisfactory in terms of friction resistance and dischargeability.
An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording method excellent in scratch resistance and dischargeability when printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium, and water-insoluble polymer particles contained in the ink for ink jet recording.

The present inventors paid attention to a water-based ink containing a pigment, water-insoluble polymer particles B, and an organic solvent C, and the content of a structural unit derived from a hydrophilic anionic monomer constituting the water-insoluble polymer particles B. And the content of the water-insoluble polymer particles B in the water-based ink is adjusted to a specific range, and the above-mentioned problems can be solved by using a specific water-based ink combined with an organic solvent C having a specific boiling point. It was.
That is, the present invention provides the following [1] and [2].
[1] An ink jet recording method for recording on a recording medium using a water-based ink for ink-jet recording, wherein the water-based ink contains a pigment, water-insoluble polymer particles B, an organic solvent C, and water.
The water-insoluble polymer particle B contains a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2), and the (meth) acrylic acid (b -1) is a structural unit derived from 1.0% by mass or more and 6.0% by mass or less of all the structural units of the water-insoluble polymer particles B, and the glass transition temperature of the water-insoluble polymer particles B is 10 ° C. or more and 90% or less. And the content of the water-insoluble polymer particles B in the water-based ink is 1.0% by mass or more and 4.0% by mass or less,
The organic solvent C contains one or more organic solvents having a boiling point of 90 ° C. or higher, and the boiling point is 250 ° C. or lower as a weighted average value weighted by the content (mass%) of each organic solvent,
An ink jet recording method, wherein the recording medium has a water absorption of 0 g / m ² or more and 10 g / m ² or less at a contact time of 100 msec between the recording medium and pure water.

[2] Water-insoluble polymer particles contained in water-based ink for ink-jet recording, containing a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) Because
The glass transition temperature of the water-insoluble polymer particles is 10 ° C. or higher and 90 ° C. or lower,
The structural unit derived from the (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) is 1.0% by mass or more and 6.0% by mass or less in all the structural units of the water-insoluble polymer particles.
The molar ratio of (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) introduced into the reaction system during the production of the water-insoluble polymer particles [(b-1) / (b- 2)] is produced by increasing at least once during the reaction.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium, the water-insoluble polymer particle contained in the inkjet recording method excellent in abrasion resistance and discharge property and the ink for inkjet recording can be provided.
In the present invention, “low water absorption” is a concept including low absorption and non-absorption, and the amount of water absorption of the recording medium at a contact time of 100 msec between the recording medium and pure water is 0 g / m. means that ^two or more 10 g / m ² or less.

[Inkjet recording method]
The inkjet recording method of the present invention is a method of recording on a low water-absorbing recording medium using an inkjet recording aqueous ink (hereinafter also simply referred to as “aqueous ink”), the aqueous ink comprising a pigment, water, Insoluble polymer particles B (hereinafter also simply referred to as “polymer particles B”), an organic solvent C, and water,
The water-insoluble polymer particle B contains a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2), and the (meth) acrylic acid (b -1) is a structural unit derived from 1.0% by mass or more and 6.0% by mass or less of all the structural units of the water-insoluble polymer particles B, and the glass transition temperature of the water-insoluble polymer particles B is 10 ° C. or more and 90% or less. And the content of the water-insoluble polymer particles B in the water-based ink is 1.0% by mass or more and 4.0% by mass or less,
The organic solvent C contains one or more organic solvents having a boiling point of 90 ° C. or higher, and the boiling point is 250 ° C. or lower as a weighted average value weighted by the content (% by mass) of each organic solvent. And
“Aqueous” means that water accounts for the largest proportion of the medium contained in the ink, and includes a mixed solvent of water and one or more organic solvents.
Further, “(meth) acrylic acid” and “(meth) acrylic acid ester ((meth) acrylate)” mean acrylic acid and / or methacrylic acid, acrylic acid ester and / or methacrylic acid ester, respectively. The same applies to the following.

According to the ink jet recording method of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a printed matter having excellent ink ejection properties after intermittent recording (printing) and excellent scratch resistance after printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium. The reason is not clear, but it is thought as follows.
The water-insoluble polymer particles B are considered to exhibit abrasion resistance by forming polymer layers in which the polymer particles B are fused to each other on a low water-absorbing recording medium and the pigment particles are connected. In the present invention, by containing 1% by mass or more of the polymer particles B in the ink, it functions as a binder for connecting the pigment particles contained in the printing surface, and the scratch resistance is improved, and by containing 4.0% by mass or less. It is considered that ink thickening due to the interaction of the polymer particles B is suppressed under the drying condition on the ink nozzle surface, and the ejection property is good even after intermittent recording (printing).
Further, the amount of the structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) constituting the polymer particle B is 1.0% by mass or more, and due to the spread of the hydration layer by the structural unit derived from (b-1), It is considered that the polymer particles B are fused together to obtain a sufficient strength, and the scratch resistance is expressed. On the other hand, it is considered that when the amount of the structural unit derived from (b-1) is 6.0% by mass or less, moderate fusion between the polymer particles B is maintained, and the discharge property is good.
Further, when the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polymer particle B is 10 ° C. or higher and 90 ° C. or lower, the polymer particles B have appropriate fluidity and fusing property, and it is considered that both dischargeability and scratch resistance can be achieved.
Moreover, since the weighted average value of boiling points is 250 ° C. or less as the organic solvent C, the increase in viscosity due to the polymer particles B until the discharge can be suppressed by the interaction between the organic solvent C and the polymer particles B. Since the drying speed of the organic solvent C itself on the low water-absorbing recording medium is high, it is considered that the scratch resistance is improved in a short time after discharge.

  Furthermore, the molar ratio [(b-1) / (b-) of (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) introduced into the reaction system during the production of polymer particles B. 2)] is increased at least once during the reaction to produce a portion containing a large amount of structural units derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1), and this portion is in the vicinity of the surface of the polymer particle B. Therefore, since the negative charge repulsion on the surface of the polymer particle B due to the structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) increases, the dispersion stability of the polymer particles B is promoted, and the ink nozzle It is considered that the water-based ink is less likely to thicken even under the condition that the surface is dry, and the discharge property is further improved.

<Water-based ink for inkjet recording>
The water-based ink for ink-jet recording used in the ink-jet recording method of the present invention contains a pigment, polymer particles B, an organic solvent C, and water.

[Pigment]
The pigment used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and can be used in the form of a self-dispersing pigment, a pigment dispersed with a water-soluble polymer, water-insoluble polymer particles containing the pigment, or the like.
The pigment used in the present invention may be either an inorganic pigment or an organic pigment.
Examples of the inorganic pigment include carbon black and metal oxide, and carbon black is particularly preferable for black ink. Examples of carbon black include furnace black, thermal lamp black, acetylene black, and channel black.
Examples of the organic pigment include azo pigments, diazo pigments, phthalocyanine pigments, quinacridone pigments, isoindolinone pigments, dioxazine pigments, perylene pigments, perinone pigments, thioindigo pigments, anthraquinone pigments, and quinophthalone pigments.
The hue is not particularly limited, and any chromatic pigment such as yellow, magenta, cyan, red, blue, orange, and green can be used.

(Self-dispersing pigment)
The self-dispersing pigment that can be used in the present invention includes one or more hydrophilic functional groups (anionic hydrophilic groups such as carboxy groups and sulfonic acid groups, or cationic hydrophilic groups such as quaternary ammonium groups). It means a pigment that can be dispersed in an aqueous medium without using a surfactant or a resin by binding to the surface of the pigment directly or via another atomic group such as an alkanediyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms. . In order to make the pigment a self-dispersing pigment, for example, a necessary amount of the hydrophilic functional group may be chemically bonded to the pigment surface by a conventional method. Commercially available self-dispersing pigments include CAB-O-JET 200, 300, 352K, 250C, 260M, 270Y, 450C, 465M, 470Y, 480V (manufactured by Cabot) and BONJET. Examples thereof include CW-1, CW-2 (manufactured by Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.), Aqua-Black 162 (manufactured by Tokai Carbon Co., Ltd.), SDP-100, SDP-1000, SDP-2000 (manufactured by SENSIENT). The self-dispersing pigment is preferably used as an aqueous dispersion dispersed in water.

[Pigments dispersed with water-soluble polymer]
The pigment dispersed with the water-soluble polymer is preferably an aqueous dispersion in which the pigment is dispersed with the water-soluble polymer. Examples of the water-soluble polymer include a copolymer having a carboxyl group including acrylic acid or methacrylic acid. Examples of commercially available water-soluble polymers include JONCRYL67, JONCRYL678, JONCRL683, JONCRYL60J, and the like.
The pigment dispersed with the water-soluble polymer is preferably used as an aqueous dispersion containing the pigment dispersed by adding a pigment to water in which the water-soluble polymer is dissolved and applying a shear stress. Examples of means for applying a shear stress include a kneader such as a roll mill and a kneader, a high-pressure homogenizer such as a microfluidizer (manufactured by Microfluidics), a media type dispersing machine such as a paint shaker and a bead mill. Examples of commercially available media dispersers include Ultra Apex Mill (manufactured by Kotobuki Industries Co., Ltd.), Picomill (manufactured by Asada Tekko Co., Ltd.), and the like. A plurality of these devices can be combined.

[Water-insoluble polymer particles containing pigment]
The pigment used in the present invention is more preferably used as water-insoluble polymer particles containing a pigment (hereinafter also referred to as “pigment-containing polymer particles A”).
The form of the pigment-containing polymer particles A is not particularly limited as long as the particles are formed of at least the pigment and the water-insoluble polymer a. For example, a particle form in which the pigment is encapsulated in the water-insoluble polymer a, a particle form in which the pigment is uniformly dispersed in the water-insoluble polymer a, a particle form in which the pigment is exposed on the surface of the water-insoluble polymer particle a, And mixtures thereof are also included.

(Water-insoluble polymer a)
The water-insoluble polymer a constituting the pigment-containing polymer particle A is used to disperse the pigment in the aqueous medium and maintain the dispersion stably.
The water-insoluble polymer a is a hydrophilic unit represented by the structural unit derived from the ionic monomer (a-1), the structural unit derived from the hydrophobic monomer (a-2) having an aromatic ring, and the formula (1) described later. It is preferable to contain 1 or more types selected from the structural unit derived from a nonionic monomer (a-3), It is more preferable to contain 2 or more types of these structural units, It contains 3 types of said Is more preferable.
The water-insoluble polymer a includes, for example, an ionic monomer (a-1), a hydrophobic monomer (a-2) having an aromatic ring, and a hydrophilic nonionic monomer (a-) represented by the formula (1) described later. 3) can be obtained by addition polymerization by a known method.

[Ionic monomer (a-1)]
The ionic monomer (a-1) is used for the dispersion stability of the pigment aqueous dispersion during the production of the “aqueous dispersion of pigment-containing polymer particles A” (hereinafter also referred to as “pigment aqueous dispersion”). From the viewpoint of improving the storage stability of the water-based ink, it is used as a monomer component of the water-insoluble polymer a.
Examples of the ionic monomer (a-1) include an anionic monomer and a cationic monomer. From the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the pigment aqueous dispersion and the storage stability of the water-based ink, and the viewpoint of improving the dischargeability. Therefore, an anionic monomer is preferable.
As an anionic monomer, 1 or more types chosen from a carboxylic acid monomer, a sulfonic acid monomer, a phosphoric acid monomer, etc. are mentioned.
Examples of the carboxylic acid monomer include acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid, itaconic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, citraconic acid, and 2-methacryloyloxymethyl succinic acid.
Examples of the sulfonic acid monomer include styrene sulfonic acid, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, and 3-sulfopropyl (meth) acrylate.
Examples of the phosphoric acid monomer include vinyl phosphonic acid, vinyl phosphate, bis (methacryloxyethyl) phosphate, diphenyl-2-acryloyloxyethyl phosphate, diphenyl-2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphate, and the like.
Among the anionic monomers, carboxylic acid monomers are preferable, acrylic acid and methacrylic acid are more preferable, and methacrylic acid is further preferable from the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the pigment aqueous dispersion and the storage stability of the water-based ink.

Examples of the cationic monomer include one or more selected from unsaturated tertiary amine-containing vinyl monomers and unsaturated ammonium salt-containing vinyl monomers.
Examples of unsaturated tertiary amine-containing monomers include N, N-dimethylaminoethyl (meth) acrylate, N, N-dimethylaminopropyl (meth) acrylate, N, N-diethylaminoethyl (meth) acrylate, and N, N-dimethyl. Examples include aminopropyl (meth) acrylamide, N, N-dimethylarylamine, vinylpyrrolidone, 2-vinylpyridine, 4-vinylpyridine, 2-methyl-6-vinylpyridine, 5-ethyl-2-vinylpyridine, and the like.
Examples of the unsaturated ammonium salt-containing monomer include N, N-dimethylaminoethyl (meth) acrylate quaternized product, N, N-diethylaminoethyl (meth) acrylate quaternized product, and N, N-dimethylaminopropyl (meth) acrylate quaternized product. And the like.
Among the cationic monomers, N, N-dimethylaminoethyl (meth) acrylate, N, N-dimethylaminopropyl (meth) acrylamide and vinyl pyrrolidone are preferable.
The ionic monomers (a-1) exemplified above can be used alone or in admixture of two or more.

[Hydrophobic monomer having an aromatic ring (a-2)]
The hydrophobic monomer (a-2) having an aromatic ring has a scratch resistance when printed on a low water-absorbing recording medium from the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the pigment aqueous dispersion and the storage stability of the water-based ink. Used from the viewpoint of improvement.
Examples of the hydrophobic monomer (a-2) having an aromatic ring include one or more selected from a styrene monomer, an aromatic group-containing (meth) acrylate, and a styrene macromonomer.
As the styrenic monomer, styrene and 2-methylstyrene are preferable from the same viewpoint as described above, and styrene is more preferable.
As the aromatic group-containing (meth) acrylate, from the same viewpoint as above, benzyl (meth) acrylate and phenoxyethyl (meth) acrylate are preferable, and benzyl (meth) acrylate is more preferable.
The styrenic macromonomer is a compound having a polymerizable functional group at one end and a number average molecular weight of 500 or more and 100,000 or less. From the same viewpoint as described above, the number average molecular weight is preferably 1,000 or more, more preferably. It is 2,000 or more, more preferably 3,000 or more, and preferably 10,000 or less, more preferably 9,000 or less, and still more preferably 8,000 or less. The number average molecular weight is a value measured using polystyrene as a standard substance by gel permeation chromatography using chloroform containing 1 mmol / L dodecyldimethylamine as a solvent.
Examples of commercially available styrenic macromonomers include AS-6 (S), AN-6 (S), HS-6 (S) (trade name of Toagosei Co., Ltd.), and the like.
As the hydrophobic monomer (a-2) having an aromatic ring, two or more kinds selected from a styrene monomer, an aromatic group-containing (meth) acrylate, and a styrene macromonomer are used in combination from the same viewpoint as described above. It is more preferable that styrene or benzyl (meth) acrylate and a styrenic macromonomer are used in combination.

[Hydrophilic nonionic monomer represented by formula (1) (a-3)]
The hydrophilic nonionic monomer (a-3) represented by the formula (1) is used for improving the dispersion stability of the pigment aqueous dispersion and the storage stability of the water-based ink. It is used from the viewpoint of improving the scratch resistance.

(In the formula, R ¹ represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and R ² represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, or a hydrogen atom substituted with an alkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms. A good phenyl group is shown, m shows an average added mole number, and is a number of 2 or more and 100 or less.)

In the above formula (1), R ¹ is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and a methyl group is preferable from the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the pigment aqueous dispersion and the storage stability of the water-based ink.
R ² is preferably a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, from the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the pigment aqueous dispersion and the storage stability of the water-based ink. More preferably, an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms is more preferable, and a methyl group is still more preferable.
In the above formula (1), m is a viewpoint that lowers the ink viscosity when the solvent is volatilized, improves the scratch resistance when printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium, and improves the storage stability and ejection property of the water-based ink. In view of the above, it is preferably 2 or more, more preferably 3 or more, still more preferably 4 or more, and m is preferably 50 or less, more preferably 20 or less, still more preferably 10 or less.
As the monomer (a-3) represented by the above formula (1), polyethylene glycol mono (meth) acrylate, methoxypolyethylene glycol mono (meth) acrylate, octoxypolyethylene glycol mono (meth) acrylate, and stearoxypolyethylene glycol One or more selected from mono (meth) acrylate and the like can be mentioned, and methoxypolyethylene glycol mono (meth) acrylate is more preferable.
Specific examples of commercially available monomers represented by the formula (1) include NK ester TM-20G, 23G, 40G, 60G, 90G, 230G, 450G, and 900G (above, Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.), PE-200 (manufactured by NOF Corporation), light ester MTG (manufactured by Kyoeisha Chemical Co., Ltd.), light ester 041MA (manufactured by Kyoeisha Chemical Co., Ltd.) and the like.

The water-insoluble polymer a used in the present invention contains structural units derived from monomers other than the monomers (a-1), (a-2) and (a-3) as long as the object of the present invention is not impaired. can do.
Other monomers include alkyl (meth) acrylates having 1 to 22 carbon atoms such as methyl (meth) acrylate and 2-ethylhexyl (meth) acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl (meth) acrylate, and 3-hydroxypropyl (meth) acrylate. And silicone-based macromonomers such as organopolysiloxane having a polymerizable functional group at one end.

Content (unneutralized amount) of the monomer (a-1), (a-2) and (a-3) in the monomer mixture (hereinafter also simply referred to as “monomer mixture”) at the time of producing the water-insoluble polymer a The same applies hereinafter), or the content of the structural unit derived from the components (a-1), (a-2) and (a-3) in the water-insoluble polymer a is the pigment aqueous dispersion. From the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the ink and the storage stability of the water-based ink, and from the viewpoint of improving the scratch resistance when printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium, it is as follows.
When the ionic monomer (a-1) is contained, the content is preferably 3% by mass or more, more preferably 5% by mass or more, still more preferably 8% by mass or more, and still more preferably 10% by mass or more. Yes, and preferably 40% by mass or less, more preferably 30% by mass or less, still more preferably 25% by mass or less, and still more preferably 20% by mass or less.
When the hydrophobic monomer (a-2) having an aromatic ring is contained, the content thereof is preferably 15% by mass or more, more preferably 30% by mass or more, still more preferably 37% by mass or more, and still more preferably. It is 45% by mass or more, and is preferably 84% by mass or less, more preferably 80% by mass or less, still more preferably 74% by mass or less, and still more preferably 70% by mass or less.
Moreover, when a styrene-type macromonomer is included as a monomer (a-2), a styrene-type macromonomer and other monomers (a-2), such as a styrene-type monomer and / or aromatic group containing (meth) acrylate, It is preferable to use together. The content of the styrenic macromonomer is preferably 2% by mass or more, more preferably 4% by mass or more, still more preferably 5% by mass or more, and preferably 15% by mass or less, more preferably 12% by mass or less. More preferably, it is 10 mass% or less.

When the hydrophilic nonionic monomer (a-3) is contained, the content thereof is preferably 13% by mass or more, more preferably 15% by mass or more, further preferably 18% by mass or more, and still more preferably 20% by mass. And more preferably 45% by mass or less, more preferably 40% by mass or less, still more preferably 38% by mass or less, and still more preferably 35% by mass or less.
Further, when the monomer (a-1), (a-2) and (a-3) are contained, [(a-1) component / [(a-2) component + (a-3) component]] The mass ratio is preferably 0.03 or more, more preferably 0.05 or more, still more preferably 0.10 or more, from the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the pigment water dispersion and the storage stability of the water-based ink. And preferably it is 0.50 or less, More preferably, it is 0.40 or less, More preferably, it is 0.30 or less.

(Production of water-insoluble polymer a)
The water-insoluble polymer a is produced by copolymerizing the monomer mixture by a known polymerization method. As the polymerization method, a solution polymerization method is preferable.
Although there is no restriction | limiting in the organic solvent a used by a solution polymerization method, From a viewpoint of improving the productivity of the pigment aqueous dispersion mentioned later, 1 or more types chosen from a C4-C8 ketone, alcohol, ether, and ester. Compounds are preferred, ketones having 4 to 8 carbon atoms are more preferred, and methyl ethyl ketone is even more preferred.
In the polymerization, a polymerization initiator or a polymerization chain transfer agent can be used. As the polymerization initiator, an azo compound is more preferable, and 2,2′-azobis (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) is more preferable. As the polymerization chain transfer agent, mercaptans are preferable, and 2-mercaptoethanol and the like are more preferable.

Although preferable polymerization conditions vary depending on the type of polymerization initiator and the like, the polymerization temperature is preferably 50 ° C. or higher and 90 ° C. or lower, and the polymerization time is preferably 1 hour or longer and 20 hours or shorter. The polymerization atmosphere is preferably a nitrogen gas atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere such as argon.
After completion of the polymerization reaction, the produced polymer can be isolated from the reaction solution by a known method such as reprecipitation or solvent distillation. In addition, unreacted monomers and the like can be removed from the obtained polymer by reprecipitation, membrane separation, chromatographic methods, extraction methods and the like.
From the viewpoint of improving the productivity of the pigment aqueous dispersion, the water-insoluble polymer a is a polymer solution as it is because the organic solvent a contained therein is used as the organic solvent b described later without removing the solvent used in the polymerization reaction. It is preferable to use as.
The solid content concentration of the water-insoluble polymer a solution is preferably 25% by mass or more, more preferably 30% by mass or more, and preferably 60% by mass or less, from the viewpoint of improving the productivity of the pigment aqueous dispersion. % Or less is more preferable, and 40 mass% or less is still more preferable.

  The weight average molecular weight of the water-insoluble polymer a used in the present invention is preferably 10,000 or more, more preferably 15,000 or more, from the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the pigment water dispersion and the storage stability of the water-based ink. 20,000 or more is more preferable, and 30,000 or more is more preferable. Further, from the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the pigment aqueous dispersion and the storage stability of the water-based ink, and from the viewpoint of improving the scratch resistance when printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium, 150,000 or less is preferable. 1,000 or less is more preferable. The weight average molecular weight of the water-insoluble polymer a can be measured by the method described in the examples.

[Production of pigment-containing polymer particles A]
The pigment-containing polymer particles A are preferably produced as an aqueous dispersion (pigment water dispersion) of the pigment-containing polymer particles A from the viewpoint of improving the productivity of the water-based ink.
The pigment water dispersion can be obtained by a method having the following steps (1) and (2).
Step (1): A step of dispersing a mixture containing water-insoluble polymer a, organic solvent b, pigment, and water (hereinafter also referred to as “pigment mixture”) to obtain a dispersion-treated product Step (2): Step A step of removing the organic solvent b from the dispersion-treated product obtained in (1) to obtain a pigment aqueous dispersion

<Step (1)>
Step (1) is a step of obtaining a dispersion-treated product by subjecting a mixture (pigment mixture) containing water-insoluble polymer a, organic solvent b, pigment, and water to a dispersion treatment.
In the step (1), it is preferable to first obtain a pigment mixture by mixing a water-insoluble polymer a, an organic solvent b, a pigment, water, and, if necessary, a neutralizing agent and a surfactant. The order of addition is not limited, but the water-insoluble polymer a, the organic solvent b, the neutralizing agent, water, and the pigment are preferably added in this order.

(Organic solvent b)
Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular in the organic solvent b used at a process (1), C1-C3 aliphatic alcohol, C4-C8 ketone, ether, ester, etc. are preferable, and wetting to a pigment From the viewpoint of improving the property, the solubility of the water-insoluble polymer a, and the adsorptivity of the water-insoluble polymer a to the pigment, a ketone having 4 to 8 carbon atoms is more preferable, methyl ethyl ketone and methyl isobutyl ketone are more preferable, and methyl ethyl ketone is more preferable. Even more preferred.
The mass ratio of the water-insoluble polymer a to the organic solvent b [water-insoluble polymer a / organic solvent b] is 0.10 or more from the viewpoint of improving the wettability to the pigment and the adsorptivity of the water-insoluble polymer a to the pigment. Is preferable, 0.15 or more is more preferable, 0.20 or more is more preferable, 0.70 or less is preferable, 0.60 or less is more preferable, and 0.50 or less is further preferable.

(Neutralizer)
In the present invention, a neutralizing agent can be used from the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the pigment water dispersion, the storage stability of the water-based ink, and the dischargeability. When a neutralizing agent is used, the pH of the pigment aqueous dispersion is preferably 7 or more, more preferably 7.5 or more, and the pH is preferably 11 or less, more preferably 9.5 or less. It is preferable to neutralize.
Examples of the neutralizing agent include alkali metal hydroxides, ammonia, and organic amines.
Examples of the alkali metal hydroxide include lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and cesium hydroxide, and sodium hydroxide is preferable.
Examples of the organic amine include trimethylamine, ethylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine, and triethanolamine.
The neutralizing agent is preferably an alkali metal hydroxide or ammonia from the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the pigment water dispersion, the storage stability of the water-based ink, and the ejection property, and sodium hydroxide and ammonia may be used in combination. More preferred.
The neutralizing agent is preferably used as an aqueous neutralizing agent solution from the viewpoint of sufficiently and uniformly promoting neutralization. From the above viewpoint, the concentration of the neutralizing agent aqueous solution is preferably 3% by mass or more, more preferably 10% by mass or more, further preferably 15% by mass or more, more preferably 30% by mass or less, and preferably 25% by mass or less. More preferred.

The mass ratio of the neutralizing agent aqueous solution to the organic solvent b [neutralizing agent aqueous solution / organic solvent b] increases the adsorptivity of the water-insoluble polymer a to the pigment and neutralization of the polymer to promote the dispersion stability of the pigment dispersion and From the viewpoint of storage stability of water-based ink, reduction of coarse particles, and improvement of water-based ink discharge performance, 0.01 or more is preferable, 0.05 or more is more preferable, 0.10 or more is more preferable, and 0. 50 or less is preferable, 0.30 or less is more preferable, and 0.20 or less is still more preferable.
You may use a neutralizing agent and neutralizing agent aqueous solution individually or in mixture of 2 or more types.
The degree of neutralization of the water-insoluble polymer a is preferably 30 mol% or more from the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the pigment aqueous dispersion and the storage stability of the water-based ink, the reduction of coarse particles, and the dischargeability of the water-based ink. More preferably, mol% or more is more preferable, 50 mol% or more is more preferable, 300 mol% or less is preferable, 200 mol% or less is more preferable, and 150 mol% or less is still more preferable.
Further, from the viewpoint of improving the dispersibility of the water-insoluble polymer a in water, the degree of neutralization with an alkali metal hydroxide is preferably 30 mol% or more, more preferably 40 mol% or more, and 50 It is more preferably at least mol%, more preferably at most 150 mol%, more preferably at most 125 mol%, further preferably at most 100 mol%.
Here, the degree of neutralization is obtained by dividing the molar equivalent of the neutralizing agent by the molar amount of the anionic group of the water-insoluble polymer a.

(Content of each component in the pigment mixture)
The content of the pigment is 10% by mass or more in the pigment mixture from the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the pigment water dispersion, the storage stability of the system ink, and the dischargeability, and the productivity of the pigment water dispersion. 12 mass% or more is more preferable, 14 mass% or more is more preferable, and 30 mass% or less is preferable, 25 mass% or less is more preferable, and 20 mass% or less is still more preferable.
The content of the water-insoluble polymer a is preferably 2.0% by mass or more in the pigment mixture from the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the pigment water dispersion, the storage stability of the water-based ink, and the ejection property. % Or more is more preferable, 5.0 mass% or more is more preferable, 15 mass% or less is preferable, 10 mass% or less is more preferable, and 8.0 mass% or less is still more preferable.
The content of the organic solvent b is preferably 10% by mass or more, more preferably 12% by mass or more in the pigment mixture, from the viewpoint of improving the wettability to the pigment and the adsorptivity of the water-insoluble polymer a to the pigment. % By mass or more is more preferable, and 35% by mass or less is preferable, 30% by mass or less is more preferable, and 25% by mass or less is more preferable.
The water content is preferably 40% by mass or more, more preferably 45% by mass or more in the pigment mixture from the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the pigment water dispersion and improving the productivity of the pigment water dispersion. 50 mass% or more is more preferable, 75 mass% or less is preferable, 70 mass% or less is more preferable, and 65 mass% or less is still more preferable.

  The mass ratio of the pigment to the water-insoluble polymer a [pigment / water-insoluble polymer a] is preferably 0.4 or more from the viewpoint of lowering the ink viscosity at the time of solvent volatilization and improving the storage stability and ejection property of the water-based ink. 1 or more is more preferable, 1.5 or more is more preferable, 9 or less is preferable, 6 or less is more preferable, and 4 or less is still more preferable.

(Dispersion of pigment mixture)
In step (1), the pigment mixture is further dispersed to obtain a dispersion-treated product. There is no restriction | limiting in particular in the dispersion method which obtains a dispersion-processed material. Although the average particle size of the pigment particles can be atomized only by the main dispersion until the desired particle size is reached, preferably the pigment mixture is pre-dispersed and further subjected to shear stress to perform the main dispersion. It is preferable to control the average particle size of the particles so as to have a desired particle size.
The temperature in the preliminary dispersion in step (1) is preferably 0 ° C. or higher, preferably 40 ° C. or lower, more preferably 30 ° C. or lower, still more preferably 20 ° C. or lower, and the dispersion time is preferably 0.5 hours or longer, 1 hour or more is more preferable, 30 hours or less is preferable, 10 hours or less is more preferable, and 5 hours or less is still more preferable.
When the pigment mixture is predispersed, a commonly used mixing and stirring device such as an anchor blade or a disper blade can be used. Among the mixing and stirring devices, a high-speed stirring and mixing device is preferable.

The temperature in the main dispersion in the step (1) is preferably 0 ° C. or higher, preferably 40 ° C. or lower, more preferably 30 ° C. or lower, and further preferably 20 ° C. or lower.
Examples of means for applying the shear stress of this dispersion include kneaders such as roll mills and kneaders, high-pressure homogenizers such as microfluidizers (manufactured by Microfluidics), media-type dispersers such as paint shakers and bead mills. Examples of commercially available media dispersers include Ultra Apex Mill (manufactured by Kotobuki Industries Co., Ltd.), Picomill (manufactured by Asada Tekko Co., Ltd.), and the like. A plurality of these devices can be combined. Among these, it is preferable to use a high-pressure homogenizer from the viewpoint of reducing the particle size of the pigment.
When this dispersion is performed using a high-pressure homogenizer, the pigment can be controlled to have a desired particle size by controlling the processing pressure and the number of passes.
The processing pressure is preferably 60 MPa or more, more preferably 100 MPa or more, further preferably 130 MPa or more, more preferably 200 MPa or less, more preferably 180 MPa or less, and still more preferably 170 MPa or less, from the viewpoints of productivity and economy.
Further, the number of passes is preferably 3 times or more, more preferably 5 times or more, still more preferably 7 or more, and preferably 30 times or less, more preferably 25 times or less, and even more preferably 15 times or less. .

<Step (2)>
Step (2) is a step of removing the organic solvent b from the dispersion treated product obtained in step (1) to obtain a pigment water dispersion. The removal of the organic solvent b can be performed by a known method.
Before removing the organic solvent b from the viewpoint of suppressing the generation of aggregates in the process of removing the organic solvent b and improving the dispersion stability of the pigment aqueous dispersion, the storage stability of the water-based ink, and the discharge performance. It is preferable to adjust the mass ratio of organic solvent b to water (organic solvent b / water) by adding water to the dispersion-treated product obtained in step (1).
The mass ratio of (organic solvent b / water) is preferably 0.08 or more, more preferably 0.10 or more, and preferably 0.40 or less, more preferably 0.20 or less.
In addition, the non-volatile component concentration (solid content concentration) of the pigment aqueous dispersion after adjusting the mass ratio (organic solvent b / water) is a viewpoint that suppresses the generation of aggregates in the process of removing the organic solvent b, and the pigment. From the viewpoint of improving the productivity of the aqueous dispersion, it is preferably 5% by mass or more, more preferably 8% by mass or more, further preferably 10% by mass or more, more preferably 30% by mass or less, and more preferably 25% by mass or less. Preferably, 20 mass% or less is more preferable. A part of the water contained in the pigment aqueous dispersion may be removed simultaneously with the organic solvent b.

Examples of the apparatus for removing the organic solvent b used in the step (2) include a batch simple distillation apparatus, a vacuum distillation apparatus, a thin film distillation apparatus such as a flash evaporator, a rotary distillation apparatus, a stirring evaporator, and the like. From the viewpoint of well removing the organic solvent b, a rotary distillation apparatus and a stirring evaporation apparatus are preferable. Among the rotary distillation apparatuses, a rotary vacuum distillation apparatus such as a rotary evaporator is preferable, and among the stirring evaporators, a stirring tank thin film evaporator is preferable.
The temperature of the dispersion-treated product when removing the organic solvent b can be appropriately selected depending on the type of the organic solvent b to be used, but is preferably 20 ° C. or higher, more preferably 25 ° C. or higher, and more preferably 30 ° C. or higher, under reduced pressure. And 80 degrees C or less is preferable, 70 degrees C or less is more preferable, and 65 degrees C or less is still more preferable.
The pressure at this time is preferably 0.01 MPa or more, more preferably 0.02 MPa or more, further preferably 0.05 MPa or more, more preferably 0.5 MPa or less, more preferably 0.2 MPa or less, and 0.1 MPa or less. Is more preferable.
The time for removing the organic solvent b is preferably 1 hour or longer, more preferably 2 hours or longer, still more preferably 5 hours or longer, preferably 24 hours or shorter, more preferably 12 hours or shorter, still more preferably 10 hours or shorter. .
The removal of the organic solvent b is preferably carried out until the solid content concentration is preferably 10% by mass or more, more preferably 20% by mass or more, and preferably 35% by mass or less, more preferably 30% by mass or less. It is preferable to carry out until it becomes.

The obtained concentrate is preferably subjected to a centrifugal separation process to be separated into a liquid layer part and a solid part, and the liquid layer part is recovered. The recovered liquid layer portion is mainly a dispersion in which the pigment-containing polymer particles A are dispersed in water, and the solid portion is mainly a solid content composed of coarse particles generated due to poor dispersion or aggregation. Accordingly, a pigment aqueous dispersion can be obtained from this liquid layer portion.
It is preferable to add a moisturizer such as glycerin, an antiseptic, an antifungal agent and the like to the obtained pigment aqueous dispersion from the viewpoint of preventing drying and preventing spoilage.
The organic solvent b in the obtained pigment aqueous dispersion is preferably substantially removed, but may remain as long as the object of the present invention is not impaired. The amount of the residual organic solvent b is preferably 0.1% by mass or less, and more preferably 0.01% by mass or less.
The non-volatile component concentration (solid content concentration) of the pigment aqueous dispersion of the obtained pigment-containing polymer particles A is 10% from the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the pigment aqueous dispersion and facilitating the preparation of the water-based ink. % Or more, preferably 15% by mass or more, more preferably 30% by mass or less, and even more preferably 25% by mass or less.

The obtained pigment aqueous dispersion of the pigment-containing polymer particles A is obtained by dispersing the solid content of the pigment and the water-insoluble polymer a in water as a main medium.
The average particle diameter of the pigment-containing polymer particles A in the aqueous pigment dispersion is determined from the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the aqueous pigment dispersion and the storage stability of the water-based ink. From the viewpoint of improving the properties, 40 nm or more is preferable, 60 nm or more is more preferable, 80 nm or more is more preferable, 150 nm or less is preferable, and 140 nm or less is even more preferable.
The average particle diameter of the pigment-containing polymer particles A is measured by the method described in the examples.
In addition, the average particle diameter of the pigment-containing polymer particles A in the water-based ink using the pigment-containing polymer particles A is the same as the average particle diameter in the pigment water dispersion, and the preferred average particle diameter mode is the pigment water dispersion. This is the same as the preferred embodiment of the average particle size in the body.

[Water-insoluble polymer particles B]
The water-based ink used in the present invention contains water-insoluble polymer particles B (polymer particles B) from the viewpoint of improving the scratch resistance of printed matter printed on a low water-absorbing recording medium. The polymer particles B preferably do not contain a colorant from the viewpoint of improving the storage stability and dischargeability of the water-based ink. The polymer particles B are preferably used as a dispersion containing the polymer particles B from the viewpoint of improving the productivity of the water-based ink.
The water-insoluble polymer particle B of the present invention is a water-based ink for ink jet recording containing a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2). Water-insoluble polymer particles contained,
The glass transition temperature of the water-insoluble polymer particles is 10 ° C. or higher and 90 ° C. or lower,
The structural unit derived from the (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) is 1.0% by mass or more and 6.0% by mass or less in all the structural units of the water-insoluble polymer particles.
The molar ratio of (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) introduced into the reaction system during the production of the water-insoluble polymer particles [(b-1) / (b- 2)] are water-insoluble polymer particles produced by increasing at least once during the reaction.

Examples of the monomer that gives the structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) include acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, and methacrylic acid is preferable.
The content of the structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) is 1.0% by mass or more in the total structural unit of the polymer particle B from the viewpoint of improving scratch resistance, and preferably 1. 5% by mass or more, more preferably 2.0% by mass or more, further preferably 1.8% by mass or more, and 6.0% by mass or less, preferably 5.8% by mass or less, more preferably 5.5% by mass or less, more preferably 5.3% by mass or less.
In addition, content in a structural unit can be calculated from the preparation amount of the monomer at the time of manufacturing the polymer particle B.

As a monomer which gives the structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2), (meth) acrylic acid ester containing an alkyl group and (meth) acrylic acid ester containing an aromatic group can be mentioned.
As the (meth) acrylic acid ester containing an alkyl group, those having an alkyl group having 1 to 22 carbon atoms are preferable. For example, methyl (meth) acrylate, ethyl (meth) acrylate, (meth) acrylic acid ( Iso) propyl, (meth) acrylic acid (iso or tertiary) butyl, (meth) acrylic acid (iso) amyl, (meth) acrylic acid cyclohexyl, (meth) acrylic acid 2-ethylhexyl, (meth) acrylic acid (iso) ) Octyl, (meth) acrylic acid (iso) decyl, (meth) acrylic acid (iso) dodecyl, (meth) acrylic acid (iso) stearyl and the like.
In addition, “(iso or tertiary)” and “(iso)” mean both cases in which these groups are present and cases in which these groups are not present, and in the case where these groups are not present, they represent normal.
Examples of the (meth) acrylic acid ester containing an aromatic group include benzyl (meth) acrylate and phenoxyethyl (meth) acrylate.
Among the monomers that give the structural unit derived from the (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2), the (meth) acrylic acid ester preferably has an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, more preferably 1 to 8 carbon atoms. Are preferred, and methyl methacrylate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate are more preferred.

The content of the structural unit derived from the (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) is preferably 94 from the viewpoint of improving the scratch resistance in all the structural units of the polymer particle B from the viewpoint of improving the scratch resistance. It is 0.0 mass% or more, More preferably, it is 94.5 mass% or more, and is 99.0 mass% or less, Preferably it is 98.0 mass% or less.
From the viewpoint of improving the scratch resistance, the total content of the structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and the structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) In all structural units, it is preferably 95.0% by mass or more, more preferably 96.0% by mass or more, still more preferably 98.0% by mass or more, and 100.0% by mass or less.
The mass ratio [(b-1) / (b-2)] of the structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) to the structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) is scratch resistance. From the viewpoint of improving the property, it is preferably 0.02 or more, more preferably 0.03 or more, further preferably 0.04 or more, and preferably 0.20 or less, more preferably 0.15 or less, and further Preferably it is 0.10 or less.

From the viewpoint of improving the scratch resistance, the glass transition temperature of the polymer particles B is 10 ° C. or higher, preferably 20 ° C. or higher, more preferably 30 ° C. or higher, still more preferably 40 ° C. or higher, still more preferably 45 ° C. It is above, and it is 90 degrees C or less, Preferably it is 85 degrees C or less, More preferably, it is 80 degrees C or less, More preferably, it is 78 degrees C or less. The glass transition temperature of the polymer particle B can be adjusted to a desired value by adjusting the type of monomer other than (meth) acrylic acid (b-1), for example, the ratio of (b-2) and the constitution.
The glass transition temperature of polymer B is measured by the method described in the examples.

As the polymer particles B, those appropriately synthesized may be used, or commercially available products may be used.
(Synthesis of polymer particle B)
The polymer particle B is produced by copolymerizing a mixture of (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) by a known polymerization method. For example, the polymerization method preferably includes an emulsion polymerization method and a suspension polymerization method, and more preferably an emulsion polymerization method.
In the polymerization, a polymerization initiator can be used. Examples of the polymerization initiator include persulfates and water-soluble azo polymerization initiators, and persulfates such as ammonium persulfate and potassium persulfate are preferable.
In the polymerization, a surfactant can be used. Examples of the surfactant include nonionic surfactants, anionic surfactants, and cationic surfactants, and nonionic surfactants are preferable from the viewpoint of improving the dispersion stability of the resin particles. Examples of nonionic surfactants include polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers, polyoxyethylene alkyl aryl ethers, polyoxyethylene fatty acid esters, oxyethylene / oxypropylene block copolymers, and the like, which improve the dispersion stability of resin particles. From the viewpoint, polyoxyethylene alkyl ether is preferable.
Although preferable polymerization conditions vary depending on the type of polymerization initiator and the like, the polymerization temperature is preferably 50 ° C. or higher and 90 ° C. or lower, and the polymerization time is preferably 1 hour or longer and 20 hours or shorter. The polymerization atmosphere is preferably a nitrogen gas atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere such as argon.

Furthermore, (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and (meth) acrylic introduced into the reaction system during the production of the polymer particles B from the viewpoint of improving the scratch resistance of the printed matter printed on the low water-absorbing recording medium. The molar ratio [(b-1) / (b-2)] with the acid ester (b-2) is preferably increased at least once during the reaction.
For example, after the monomer mixture having a molar ratio [(b-1) / (b-2)] is introduced into a reaction vessel containing a polymerization initiator and a solvent while maintaining the polymerization temperature, Examples thereof include a method in which a monomer mixture having a value larger than the molar ratio is introduced and changed. Specifically, (i) an aqueous dispersion in which (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) are mixed, or (ii) (meth) acrylic prepared separately. The dropping of the aqueous dispersion of acid (b-1) and the aqueous dispersion of (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) was started simultaneously, and the dropping flow rate (parts by mass) was adjusted so that the respective molar ratios were within a predetermined range. / Min), and a method of dropping for a predetermined time.
A method in which a part of the monomer is charged into the monomer dropping container and the remaining monomer or the remaining monomer mixed solution is dropped into the reaction system at a constant rate is a method in which the molar ratio is increased at least once during the reaction. Not applicable.

Examples of a method for increasing the molar ratio [(b-1) / (b-2)] include a method of changing the molar ratio stepwise or intermittently, and the number of changes is preferably one or more, preferably Is 10 times or less, more preferably 5 times or less, still more preferably 3 times or less. By increasing the molar ratio even once during the reaction as in this method, the resulting polymer particles B can be obtained by reacting at a constant molar ratio [(b-1) / (b-2)]. The polymer particle B having a larger proportion of the structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) on the surface of the polymer particle B than the polymer is generated, and negative charge repulsion on the surface of the polymer particle B is increased. It is considered that the dispersion stability between the polymer particles B is promoted.
When the molar ratio is continuously changed, any of linear change, exponential change, and other changes may be used, but the degree of change is preferably 0.0001 or more per minute, more preferably 0. 0009 or more, preferably 0.5 or less, more preferably 0.4 or less.
In addition, it is preferable that at least one of the molar ratio differences before and after the change [molar ratio after change−molar ratio before change] is in the range of 0.01 to 0.4. In addition, as described above, there are various modes of changing the molar ratio. In any case, the change amount of the molar ratio [(b-1) / (b-2)] (difference between the maximum value and the minimum value). ) Is preferably 0.03 or more, more preferably 0.05 or more, still more preferably 0.06 or more, and preferably 0.3 or less, more preferably 0.2 or less, still more preferably 0.1 or less. More preferably, it is 0.08 or less.

After completion of the polymerization reaction, the produced polymer can be isolated from the reaction solution by a known method such as reprecipitation or solvent distillation. In addition, unreacted monomers and the like can be removed from the obtained polymer by reprecipitation, membrane separation, chromatographic methods, extraction methods and the like.
The water-insoluble polymer B is preferably used as a polymer dispersion using water as a dispersion medium without removing the solvent used in the polymerization reaction, from the viewpoint of blendability into the ink.
The solid content concentration of the water-insoluble polymer B solution is preferably 30% by mass or more, more preferably 40% by mass or more, and preferably 60% by mass or less, from the viewpoint of blending with the pigment-containing polymer particles A and the ink. More preferably, it is 50 mass% or less.

(Weight average molecular weight of polymer particle B)
The weight average molecular weight of the polymer particles B used in the present invention is preferably 100,000 or more, more preferably 200,000 or more, and still more preferably, from the viewpoint of improving scratch resistance when printed on a low water-absorbing medium. Is 500,000 or more, preferably 2,500,000 or less, more preferably 1,000,000 or less.
(Average particle diameter of polymer particles B)
Further, the average particle diameter of the polymer particles B in the dispersion containing the polymer particles B or in the water-based ink is from the viewpoint of improving the storage stability of the water-based ink and the printing density when printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium. The thickness is preferably 10 nm or more, more preferably 30 nm or more, still more preferably 50 nm or more, and preferably 300 nm or less, more preferably 200 nm or less, still more preferably 150 nm or less, and still more preferably 130 nm or less.
In addition, the weight average molecular weight and average particle diameter of the polymer particle B are measured by the method described in the examples.

(Commercial dispersion of polymer particles B)
Examples of the dispersion of commercially available polymer particles B include acrylic resins such as “Neocryl A1127” (manufactured by DSM NeoResins, anionic self-crosslinking aqueous acrylic resin), “Joncrill 390” (manufactured by BASF Japan Ltd.), “ Urethane resins such as WBR-2018 and WBR-2000U (manufactured by Taisei Fine Chemical Co., Ltd.), styrene-butadiene resins such as SR-100 and SR102 (manufactured by Nippon A & L Co., Ltd.), and Jonkrill 7100 ”,“ Johncrill 734 ”,“ Johncrill 538 ”(above, manufactured by BASF Japan Ltd.) and other styrene-acrylic resins, and“ Vinyl Blanc 701 ”(manufactured by Nissin Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), etc. Can be mentioned.
Examples of the form of the polymer particle B include a dispersion in which the polymer particle B is dispersed in water, and may contain a dispersant such as a surfactant as necessary. The dispersion of polymer particles B also acts as a fixing emulsion for fixing the ink droplets ejected from the ink jet nozzles to the recording medium and improving the scratch resistance.
The content of the polymer particle B in the dispersion containing the polymer particle B is preferably 10% by mass or more, and more preferably 20% by mass or more from the viewpoint of dispersion stability of the polymer particle B and convenience when blending the ink. 30 mass% or more is more preferable, 70 mass% or less is preferable, 60 mass% or less is more preferable, and 55 mass% or less is still more preferable.

[Organic solvent C]
The organic solvent C is used from the viewpoint of suppressing an increase in viscosity due to polymer particles and improving the discharge property of the water-based ink.
The organic solvent C contains one or more organic solvents having a boiling point of 90 ° C. or higher, and the boiling point of the organic solvent C is 250 ° C. or lower as a weighted average value weighted by the content (% by mass) of each organic solvent. When using 2 or more types of organic solvents as the organic solvent C, it is preferable to use a plurality of organic solvents having different boiling points.

The weighted average value of the boiling points of the organic solvent C is preferably 150 ° C. or higher, more preferably 180 ° C. or higher, still more preferably 200 ° C. or higher, from the viewpoint of preventing the ink from drying in the ink jet nozzle. From the viewpoint of accelerating the drying property of printed matter printed on a water-absorbing recording medium and improving the scratch resistance, it is preferably 240 ° C. or lower, more preferably 235 ° C. or lower, and further preferably 230 ° C. or lower.
An organic solvent having a lower boiling point has a higher saturated vapor pressure at a specific temperature and a higher evaporation rate. In addition, as the proportion of the organic solvent having a high evaporation rate at a specific temperature increases, the evaporation rate of the mixed organic solvent at the specific temperature increases. Therefore, the weighted average value of the boiling points of the organic solvent C is an index of the evaporation rate of the mixed solvent.

Examples of the compound used as the organic solvent C include polyhydric alcohols, polyhydric alcohol alkyl ethers, nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds, amides, amines, sulfur-containing compounds, and the like, and improve the storage stability and ejection properties of water-based inks. From the viewpoint of making them, one or more selected from polyhydric alcohols and polyhydric alcohol alkyl ethers are preferred, and polyhydric alcohols are more preferred. A plurality of polyhydric alcohols included in the concept of a polyhydric alcohol can be mixed and used, and a plurality of polyhydric alcohol alkyl ethers can also be mixed and used.
The content of one or more selected from polyhydric alcohol and polyhydric alcohol alkyl ether in the organic solvent C is preferably 80% by mass or more, more preferably 90% by mass or more, still more preferably 95% by mass or more. In particular, 100% by mass is more preferable, and 100% by mass is even more preferable.

  Examples of the polyhydric alcohol include ethylene glycol (boiling point 197 ° C.), diethylene glycol (boiling point 244 ° C.), polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol (boiling point 188 ° C.), dipropylene glycol (boiling point 232 ° C.), polypropylene glycol, 1,3- Propanediol (boiling point 210 ° C), 1,3-butanediol (boiling point 208 ° C), 1,4 butanediol (boiling point 230 ° C), 3-methyl-1,3-butanediol (boiling point 203 ° C), 1,5 -Pentanediol (boiling point 242 ° C), 1,6-hexanediol (boiling point 250 ° C), 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol (boiling point 196 ° C), 1,2,6-hexanetriol (boiling point 178 ° C) 1,2,4-butanetriol (boiling point 190 ° C.), 1,2,3-butanetriol Boiling point 175 ° C.), petriol (boiling point 216 ° C.), and the like. Further, triethylene glycol (boiling point 285 ° C.), tripropylene glycol (boiling point 273 ° C.), glycerin (boiling point 290 ° C.) or the like can be used in combination with a compound having a boiling point of less than 250 ° C. Among these, propylene glycol and diethylene glycol are preferable from the viewpoint of improving dischargeability and scratch resistance when printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium.

  Examples of the polyhydric alcohol alkyl ether include ethylene glycol monoethyl ether (boiling point 135 ° C.), ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (boiling point 171 ° C.), diethylene glycol monomethyl ether (boiling point 194 ° C.), diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (boiling point 202 ° C.), Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (boiling point 230 ° C), triethylene glycol monomethyl ether (boiling point 122 ° C), triethylene glycol monoisobutyl ether (boiling point 160 ° C), tetraethylene glycol monomethyl ether (boiling point 158 ° C), propylene glycol monoethyl ether (boiling point) 133 ° C.), dipropylene glycol monobutyl ether (boiling point 227 ° C.), dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether (boiling point 9). ° C.), tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether (boiling point 100 ° C.), tripropylene glycol monobutyl ether. Triethylene glycol monobutyl ether (boiling point 276 ° C.) or the like can be used in combination with a compound having a boiling point of less than 250 ° C. Among these, dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether is preferable from the viewpoint of improving dischargeability and scratch resistance when printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium.

Examples of the nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound include N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (boiling point 202 ° C.), 2-pyrrolidone (boiling point 245 ° C.), 1,3-dimethylimidazolidinone (boiling point 220 ° C.), ε-caprolactam ( Boiling point 136 ° C.).
Examples of the amide include formamide (boiling point 210 ° C.), N-methylformamide (boiling point 199 ° C.), N, N-dimethylformamide (boiling point 153 ° C.), and the like.
Examples of the amine include monoethanolamine (boiling point 170 ° C.), diethanolamine (boiling point 217 ° C.), triethanolamine (boiling point 208 ° C.) and triethylamine (boiling point 90 ° C.).
Examples of the sulfur-containing compound include dimethyl sulfoxide (boiling point 189 ° C.). In addition, sulfolane (boiling point 285 ° C.) and thiodiglycol (boiling point 282 ° C.) can be used in combination with a compound having a boiling point of less than 250 ° C.

Among these, when printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium, from the viewpoint of improving ejection properties and abrasion resistance, a combination of two or more polyhydric alcohols, a combination of two or more polyhydric alcohol alkyl ethers, and many A combination of one or more monohydric alcohols and one or more polyhydric alcohol alkyl ethers is preferable, a combination of one or more polyhydric alcohols, and one or more polyhydric alcohols and one or more polyhydric alcohol alkyl ethers are more preferable. A combination of two or more polyhydric alcohols is more preferred, and a combination of propylene glycol and diethylene glycol is even more preferred.
The total content of propylene glycol and diethylene glycol in the water-based ink is preferably 15% by mass or more, and preferably 20% by mass or more from the viewpoint of improving ejection properties and scratch resistance when printed on a low water-absorbing recording medium. Is more preferably 23% by mass or more, and from the same viewpoint, 55% by mass or less is preferable, 45% by mass or less is more preferable, and 40% by mass or less is still more preferable.

[Other ingredients]
Commonly used wetting agents, penetrants, dispersants, surfactants, viscosity modifiers, antifoaming agents, antiseptics, antifungal agents, rustproofing agents, and the like can be added to the water-based ink.

[Method for producing water-based ink]
The water-based ink used in the present invention can be obtained by mixing and stirring the pigment aqueous dispersion, the polymer particles B, water, the organic solvent C, and, if necessary, the surfactant.
From the viewpoint of suppressing aggregation of the pigment aqueous dispersion and the water-insoluble polymer B at the time of mixing, it is desirable to mix the mixing order at the time of mixing.

[Composition of water-based ink]
(Pigment content)
The content of the pigment in the water-based ink is intended to improve the printing density when printing on a highly absorbent medium, and accelerates the drying on the paper surface when printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium. From the viewpoint of improving the content, it is preferably 1% by mass or more, more preferably 2% by mass or more, and further preferably 3% by mass or more. From the viewpoint of reducing the ink viscosity at the time of solvent volatilization, increasing the dot diameter when printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium, improving the printing density, and improving the storage stability and ejection properties of the water-based ink. 15 mass% or less is preferable, 10 mass% or less is more preferable, and 6 mass% or less is still more preferable. The blending amount of the pigment aqueous dispersion in the water-based ink can be determined so that the pigment content falls within the above range.

(Content of pigment-containing polymer particle A)
When using an aqueous pigment dispersion, the content of the pigment-containing polymer particles A in the water-based ink accelerates the drying on the paper surface when printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium, and improves the scratch resistance and print density. In view of the above, 1.4% by mass or more is preferable, 2.8% by mass or more is more preferable, and 4.2% by mass or more is more preferable. From the viewpoint of reducing the ink viscosity at the time of solvent volatilization, increasing the dot diameter when printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium, improving the printing density, and improving the storage stability and ejection properties of the water-based ink. 21 mass% or less is preferable, 14 mass% or less is more preferable, and 8.4 mass% or less is still more preferable.

(Content of water-insoluble polymer a)
When the pigment aqueous dispersion is used, the content of the water-insoluble polymer a in the water-based ink improves the storage stability and dischargeability of the water-based ink, and improves the scratch resistance of the printed matter printed on the low water-absorbing recording medium. From a viewpoint of improving, 0.4 mass% or more is preferable, 0.8 mass% or more is more preferable, and 1.2 mass% or more is still more preferable. From the viewpoint of reducing the ink viscosity at the time of solvent volatilization, increasing the dot diameter when printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium, improving the printing density, and improving the storage stability and ejection properties of the water-based ink. 6 mass% or less, preferably 4 mass% or less, more preferably 2.4 mass% or less.

(Content of polymer particle B)
The content of the polymer particles B in the water-based ink used in the present invention is 1.0% by mass or more, preferably 1 from the viewpoint of improving the scratch resistance of the printed matter printed on the low water-absorbing recording medium. .2% by mass or more, more preferably 1.4% by mass or more, further preferably 1.6% by mass or more, and still more preferably 1.8% by mass or more, and printing was performed on a low water-absorbing recording medium. From the viewpoint of improving the scratch resistance of the printed matter, it is 4.0% by mass or less, preferably 3.8% by mass or less, more preferably 3.6% by mass or less, and still more preferably 3.2% by mass or less. More preferably, it is 3.0 mass% or less.

(Mass ratio [pigment / water-insoluble polymer particle B])
The mass ratio of the pigment to the water-insoluble polymer particle B [pigment / water-insoluble polymer particle B] is from the viewpoint of increasing the drying property of the printed matter printed on the low water-absorbing recording medium, and improving the scratch resistance and the print density. Preferably it is 0.3 or more, more preferably 0.5 or more, still more preferably 0.7 or more, and preferably 4.0 or less, more preferably 3.0 or less, still more preferably 2.5 or less. is there.

(Content of organic solvent C)
The content of the organic solvent C in the water-based ink is preferably 20% by mass or more, more preferably 25% by mass or more, and still more preferably 28% by mass or more, from the viewpoint of improving ink dischargeability. Also, from the viewpoint of improving the storage stability of the water-based ink, from the viewpoint of increasing the drying property of the printed matter printed on the low water-absorbing recording medium, and improving the scratch resistance, it is preferably 60% by mass or less, and 50% by mass or less. Is more preferable, and 45 mass% or less is still more preferable.

(Water content)
The content of water is 20 in the water-based ink from the viewpoint of improving the printing density, dischargeability, and scratch resistance when printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium, and from the viewpoint of improving the storage stability of the water-based ink. % By mass or more is preferable, 30% by mass or more is more preferable, and 40% by mass or more is still more preferable. Further, from the viewpoint of improving the ink ejection properties, it is preferably 75% by mass or less. When other components other than the pigment, the polymer particles B, the organic solvent C, and water are contained in the ink, a part of the water content can be replaced with other components and contained.

[Ink properties]
The viscosity at 32 ° C. of the water-based ink is preferably 2.0 mPa · s or more, more preferably 3.0 mPa · s or more, and further preferably 5.0 mPa · s or more, from the viewpoint of improving the discharge property of the water-based ink. Further, from the viewpoint of improving the storage stability and dischargeability of the water-based ink, it is preferably 12 mPa · s or less, more preferably 9.0 mPa · s or less, and even more preferably 7.0 mPa · s or less.
The viscosity of the ink at 32 ° C. is measured by the method described in the examples.
The pH of the water-based ink is 7 from the viewpoint of improving the storage stability and dischargeability of the water-based ink and from the viewpoint of improving the dot diameter spread, print density, and scratch resistance when printing on a low water-absorbing recording medium. 0.0 or higher is preferable, 8.0 or higher is more preferable, and 8.5 or higher is even more preferable. Moreover, from a viewpoint of member tolerance and skin irritation, pH is preferably 11.0 or less, more preferably 10.0 or less, and further preferably 9.5 or less. In addition, pH is measured by the method as described in an Example.

[Inkjet recording method]
In the inkjet recording method of the present invention, the water-based ink obtained above is ejected onto a recording medium using a known inkjet recording apparatus, and printing and images are recorded.
As the ink jet recording apparatus, there are a thermal type and a piezo type. In the present invention, the piezo type is more preferable.
The water absorption of the recording medium used in the present invention is 0 g / m ² or more and 10 g / m ² or less as the water absorption of the recording medium at a contact time of 100 msec between the recording medium and pure water.
In addition, the said water absorption is measured by the method as described in an Example.

Examples of the recording medium used in the present invention include low-absorbency coated paper and film.
As the coated paper, for example, general-purpose glossy paper “OK Top Coat Plus” (Oji Paper Co., Ltd., basis weight 104.7 g / m ² , water absorption at a contact time of 100 milliseconds (the following water absorption is the same) 4.9 g / m ^2), multicolored foam gloss paper (manufactured by Oji paper Co., Ltd., 104.7g / m ^2, the water absorption amount ^{5.2g / m 2), UPM Finesse} gloss (UPM Co., 115g / m ^2, the water absorption 3 0.1 g / m ² ), UPM Finesse Matt (manufactured by UPM, 115 g / m ² , water absorption 4.4 g / m ² ), TerraPress Silk (manufactured by Stora Enso, 80 g / m ² , water absorption 4.1 g / m) ² ), LumiArt (manufactured by Stora Enso, 90 g / m ² ) and the like.
Examples of the film include a polyester film, a vinyl chloride film, a polypropylene film, a polyethylene film, and a nylon film. These films may be subjected to surface treatment such as corona treatment as necessary.
Examples of generally available films include Lumirror T60 (manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc., polyethylene terephthalate, thickness 125 μm, water absorption 2.3 g / m ² ), PVC80BP (manufactured by Lintec Corporation, vinyl chloride, water absorption 1. 4 g / m ² ), KAINUS KEE70CA (manufactured by Lintec Corporation, polyethylene), YUPO SG90 PAT1 (manufactured by Lintec Corporation, polypropylene), Bonile RX (manufactured by Kojin Film & Chemicals Co., Ltd., nylon) and the like.

The present invention further discloses water-insoluble polymer particles contained in the following ink jet recording method and water-based ink for ink-jet recording, with respect to the above-described embodiments.
<1> An inkjet recording method for recording on a recording medium using an aqueous ink for inkjet recording,
The water-based ink contains a pigment, water-insoluble polymer particles B, an organic solvent C, and water,
The water-insoluble polymer particle B contains a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2), and the (meth) acrylic acid (b -1) The structural unit derived is 1.0% by mass or more and 6.0% by mass or less in all the structural units of the water-insoluble polymer particle B (polymer particle B),
The glass transition temperature of the water-insoluble polymer particles B is 10 ° C. or more and 90 ° C. or less, and the content of the water-insoluble polymer particles B in the water-based ink is 1.0% by mass or more and 4.0% by mass or less,
The organic solvent C contains one or more organic solvents having a boiling point of 90 ° C. or higher, and the boiling point is 250 ° C. or lower as a weighted average value weighted by the content (mass%) of each organic solvent,
An ink jet recording method, wherein the recording medium has a water absorption of 0 g / m ² or more and 10 g / m ² or less at a contact time of 100 msec between the recording medium and pure water.

<2> The inkjet recording method according to <1>, wherein the pigment is in the form of water-insoluble polymer particles (pigment-containing polymer particles A) containing a pigment.
<3> The inkjet recording method according to <1> or <2>, wherein the pigment-containing polymer particles A are formed of at least a pigment and a water-insoluble polymer a.
<4> The water-insoluble polymer a is represented by the structural unit derived from the ionic monomer (a-1), the structural unit derived from the hydrophobic monomer (a-2) having an aromatic ring, and the formula (1). The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <3>, comprising one or more selected from structural units derived from the hydrophilic nonionic monomer (a-3).
<5> The molar ratio of (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) introduced into the reaction system when the polymer particle B is produced [[b- 1) / (b-2)] is a copolymer produced by increasing at least once during the reaction, preferably 10 times or less, more preferably 5 times or less, and even more preferably 3 times or less. The inkjet recording method according to any one of 1> to <4>.
<6> At least one of the difference before and after the change in the molar ratio [(b-1) / (b-2)] [the molar ratio after change-the molar ratio before change] is 0.01 or more and 0.4 or less. The inkjet recording method according to <5>, which is a range.
<7> The change amount (difference between the maximum value and the minimum value) of the molar ratio [(b-1) / (b-2)] is preferably 0.03 or more, more preferably 0.05 or more, and still more preferably 0. 0.06 or more, and preferably 0.3 or less, more preferably 0.2 or less, still more preferably 0.1 or less, and still more preferably 0.08 or less, <5> or <6> The ink jet recording method described in 1.

<8> The content of the structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) is preferably 1.5% by mass or more, more preferably 2.0% by mass or more, in all the structural units of the polymer particle B. More preferably, it is 1.8% by mass or more, and preferably 5.8% by mass or less, more preferably 5.5% by mass or less, and further preferably 5.3% by mass or less. <7> The inkjet recording method according to any one of the above.
<9> The content of the structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) is preferably 1.5% by mass or more, more preferably 2.0% by mass or more, in all the structural units of the polymer particle B. More preferably, it is 1.8% by mass or more, and preferably 5.8% by mass or less, more preferably 5.5% by mass or less, and further preferably 5.3% by mass or less. The inkjet recording method according to any one of <8>.
<10> The total content of the structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and the structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) is preferably among all the structural units of polymer particle B. Is 95.0 mass% or more, more preferably 96.0 mass% or more, still more preferably 98.0 mass% or more, and 100.0 mass% or less. The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <9>, further preferably 100.0% by mass or less.
<11> The mass ratio [(b-1) / (b-2)] of the structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) to the structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2). , Preferably 0.02 or more, more preferably 0.03 or more, further preferably 0.04 or more, and preferably 0.20 or less, more preferably 0.15 or less, still more preferably 0.10 or less. The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <10>, wherein

<12> The glass transition temperature of the polymer particle B is preferably 20 ° C. or higher, more preferably 30 ° C. or higher, still more preferably 40 ° C. or higher, still more preferably 45 ° C. or higher, and preferably 85 ° C. or lower. The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <11>, wherein the inkjet recording method is more preferably 80 ° C. or lower, and still more preferably 78 ° C. or lower.
<13> An alkyl (meth) acrylic polymer particle B has (meth) acrylic acid and preferably has an alkyl group having 1 to 22 carbon atoms, more preferably 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and still more preferably 1 to 8 carbon atoms. It is a copolymer with an acid ester, preferably a copolymer of (meth) acrylic acid, methyl methacrylate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, according to any one of <1> to <12> above. Inkjet recording method.
<14> The weight average molecular weight of the polymer particles B is preferably 100,000 or more, more preferably 200,000 or more, still more preferably 500,000 or more, preferably 2,500,000 or less, more preferably 1 The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <13>, wherein the inkjet recording method is 1,000,000 or less.
<15> The average particle diameter of the polymer particles B in the dispersion containing the polymer particles B or in the water-based ink is preferably 10 nm or more, more preferably 30 nm or more, still more preferably 50 nm or more, and preferably 300 nm. The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <14>, more preferably 200 nm or less, still more preferably 150 nm or less, and still more preferably 130 nm or less.

<16> The weighted average value of the boiling points of the organic solvent C is preferably 150 ° C. or higher, more preferably 180 ° C. or higher, still more preferably 200 ° C. or higher, and preferably 240 ° C. or lower, more preferably 235 ° C. or lower. The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <15>, more preferably 230 ° C. or lower.
<17> The organic solvent C preferably contains one or more selected from polyhydric alcohols and polyhydric alcohol alkyl ethers, more preferably two or more polyhydric alcohols in combination, two or more polyhydric alcohol alkyl ethers. Combined use or combined use of one or more polyhydric alcohols and one or more polyhydric alcohol alkyl ethers, more preferably combined use of two or more polyhydric alcohols, or one or more polyhydric alcohols and polyhydric alcohol alkyl ether 1 The inkjet according to any one of <1> to <16>, wherein the inkjet is a combination of two or more species, more preferably a combination of two or more polyhydric alcohols, and still more preferably a combination of propylene glycol and diethylene glycol. Recording method.

<18> The content of the pigment in the water-based ink is preferably 1% by mass or more, more preferably 2% by mass or more, still more preferably 3% by mass or more, and preferably 15% by mass or less, more preferably The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <117>, which is 10% by mass or less, more preferably 6% by mass or less.
<19> The content of the pigment-containing polymer particles A in the water-based ink is preferably 1.4% by mass or more, more preferably 2.8% by mass or more, still more preferably 4.2% by mass or more, and The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <18>, preferably 21% by mass or less, more preferably 14% by mass or less, and still more preferably 8.4% by mass or less.
<20> The content of the water-insoluble polymer a in the water-based ink is preferably 0.4% by mass or more, more preferably 0.8% by mass or more, still more preferably 1.2% by mass or more, and preferably Is 6 mass% or less, More preferably, it is 4 mass% or less, More preferably, it is 2.4 mass% or less, The inkjet recording method in any one of said <1>-<19>.
<21> The content of the polymer particles B in the aqueous ink is preferably 1.2% by mass or more, more preferably 1.4% by mass or more, still more preferably 1.6% by mass or more, and still more preferably 1. 8 mass% or more, and preferably 3.8 mass% or less, more preferably 3.6 mass% or less, still more preferably 3.2 mass% or less, and even more preferably 3.0 mass% or less. The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <20>.
<22> The mass ratio of the pigment to the insoluble polymer particles B [pigment / water-insoluble polymer particles B] is preferably 0.3 or more, more preferably 0.5 or more, still more preferably 0.7 or more, and The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <21>, which is preferably 4.0 or less, more preferably 3.0 or less, and still more preferably 2.5 or less.
<23> The content of the organic solvent C in the aqueous ink is preferably 20% by mass or more, more preferably 25% by mass or more, still more preferably 28% by mass or more, and preferably 60% by mass or less. The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <22>, preferably 50% by mass or less, more preferably 45% by mass or less.

<24> Water-insoluble polymer particles contained in a water-based ink for inkjet recording, comprising a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2). Because
The glass transition temperature of the water-insoluble polymer particles is 10 ° C. or higher and 90 ° C. or lower,
The structural unit derived from the (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) is 1.0% by mass or more and 6.0% by mass or less in all the structural units of the water-insoluble polymer particles.
The molar ratio of (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) introduced into the reaction system during the production of the water-insoluble polymer particles [(b-1) / (b- 2)] is produced by increasing at least once during the reaction.

  In the following production examples, examples and comparative examples, “parts” and “%” are “parts by mass” and “mass%” unless otherwise specified.

(1) Measurement of weight average molecular weight of water-insoluble polymer Gel permeation was carried out using a solution in which phosphoric acid and lithium bromide were dissolved in N, N-dimethylformamide at concentrations of 60 mmol / L and 50 mmol / L, respectively. The weight average molecular weight was previously determined as a standard substance by a chromatography method [GPC device manufactured by Tosoh Corporation (HLC-8120GPC), column (TSK-GEL, α-M × 2), manufactured by Tosoh Corporation, flow rate: 1 mL / min]. Was measured using polystyrene specified by monodispersion.
(2) Glass transition temperature Using a differential scanning calorimeter (Q100, manufactured by TA Instruments Japan Co., Ltd.), the sample was heated up to 200 ° C, and from that temperature to 0 ° C at a cooling rate of 10 ° C / min. Cooled down. Next, the sample was heated at a heating rate of 10 ° C./min and measured to 200 ° C. Of the endothermic peaks observed, the peak temperature having the maximum peak area was defined as the maximum endothermic peak temperature. The peak temperature was taken as the glass transition temperature.

(3) Measurement of solid content concentration of pigment aqueous dispersion 10.0 g of sodium sulfate constant in a desiccator was weighed into a 30 ml container made of polypropylene (φ = 40 mm, height = 30 mm). After 0 g was added and mixed, it was accurately weighed and maintained at 105 ° C. for 2 hours to remove volatiles, and then left in a desiccator for 15 minutes to measure the mass. The mass of the sample after removal of the volatile matter was taken as the solid content and divided by the mass of the added sample to obtain the solid content concentration.
(4) Measurement of average particle diameter of pigment-containing polymer particle A and polymer particle B A cumulant analysis was performed using a laser particle analysis system “ELS-8000” (manufactured by Otsuka Electronics Co., Ltd.). The measurement conditions were a temperature of 25 ° C., an angle between incident light and a detector of 90 °, and the number of integrations of 100. The refractive index of water (1.333) was input as the refractive index of the dispersion solvent. The measurement concentration was 5 × 10 ⁻³ mass% (in terms of solid content concentration).

(5) pH of ink
The pH of the ink at 25 ° C. was measured using a desktop pH meter “F-71” (manufactured by Horiba, Ltd.) using a pH electrode “6337-10D” (manufactured by Horiba, Ltd.).
(6) Viscosity of ink Viscosity was measured at 32 ° C. using an E-type viscometer “TV-25” (manufactured by Toki Sangyo Co., Ltd., using standard cone rotor 1 ° 34 ′ × R24, rotation speed 50 rpm). .

(7) Water absorption amount of the recording medium at a contact time of 100 msec between the recording medium and pure water Using an automatic scanning absorption meter (KM500win manufactured by Kumagaya Riki Kogyo Co., Ltd.), conditions of 23 ° C. and 50% relative humidity Then, the amount of transition of pure water at a contact time of 100 ms was measured to obtain a water absorption amount of 100 ms. The measurement conditions are shown below.
"Spiral Method"
Contact Time: 0.010 to 1.0 (sec)
Pitch (mm): 7
Length Per Sampling (degree): 86.29
Start Radius (mm): 20
End Radius (mm): 60
Min Contact Time (ms): 10
Max Contact Time (ms): 1000
Sampling Pattern (1-50): 50
Number of Sampling Points (> 0): 19
"Square Head"
Slit Span (mm): 1
Slit Width (mm): 5

Production Example I (Production of water-insoluble polymer a1 solution)
In a reaction vessel equipped with two dropping funnels 1 and 2, a monomer, a solvent and a polymerization initiator (2,2′-azobis (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) ( Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd., trade name: V-65) and a polymerization chain transfer agent (2-mercaptoethanol) were added and mixed, followed by nitrogen gas substitution to obtain an initial charged monomer solution.
Next, the monomer, the solvent, the polymerization initiator, and the polymerization chain transfer agent shown in “Drip monomer solution 1” in Table 1 are mixed to obtain a dripping monomer solution 1, which is then placed in the dropping funnel 1 and replaced with nitrogen gas. went. Also, the monomer, solvent, polymerization initiator, and polymerization chain transfer agent shown in “Drip monomer solution 2” in Table 1 are mixed to obtain a drop monomer solution 2, which is then placed in the dropping funnel 2 and replaced with nitrogen gas. It was.
Under a nitrogen atmosphere, the initially charged monomer solution in the reaction vessel was maintained at 77 ° C. with stirring, and the dropped monomer solution 1 in the dropping funnel 1 was gradually dropped into the reaction vessel over 3 hours. Subsequently, the dropping monomer solution 2 in the dropping funnel 2 was gradually dropped into the reaction vessel over 2 hours. After completion of dropping, the mixed solution in the reaction vessel was stirred at 77 ° C. for 0.5 hour.
Next, a polymerization initiator solution in which 1.1 parts of the polymerization initiator (V-65) was dissolved in 47.3 parts of methyl ethyl ketone was prepared, added to the mixed solution, and aged by stirring at 77 ° C. for 0.5 hours. Went. The polymerization initiator solution was further prepared, added and aged for 12 times. Next, the reaction solution in the reaction vessel was maintained at 80 ° C. for 1 hour, and 8456 parts of methyl ethyl ketone was added so that the solid content concentration was 36.0% to obtain a water-insoluble polymer a1 solution. The weight average molecular weight of the water-insoluble polymer a1 was 67,000.
The details of the monomers in Table 1 are as follows.
Styrenic macromer: AS-6 (S), manufactured by Toa Gosei Co., Ltd. (effective component concentration 50 mass%, number average molecular weight 6000)
NK ester TM-40G: methoxypolyethylene glycol monomethacrylate (ethylene oxide average addition mole number = 4), manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.

Production Example II-1 (Production of aqueous dispersion of pigment-containing polymer particles A)
178.7 parts of the water-insoluble polymer a1 solution (solid content concentration 36.0%) obtained in Production Example I was mixed with 45 parts of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) to obtain a MEK solution of the water-insoluble polymer a1. The MEK solution of the water-insoluble polymer a1 is charged into a 2 L volume of the disper and 511.4 parts of ion-exchanged water, 22.3 parts of 5N sodium hydroxide aqueous solution, and 25% aqueous ammonia solution 1 are stirred under the condition of 1400 rpm. .7 parts was added to adjust the neutralization degree with sodium hydroxide to 78.8 mol% and the neutralization degree with ammonia to 21.2 mol%, while cooling in a 0 ° C. water bath at 1400 rpm. For 15 minutes.
Next, 150 parts of carbon black (trade name: Monarch 717, manufactured by Cabot Corporation) was added and stirred at 6400 rpm for 1 hour. The obtained pigment mixture was subjected to 9-pass dispersion treatment at a pressure of 150 MPa using a microfluidizer “M-7115” (manufactured by Microfluidics) to obtain a dispersion treatment product (solid content concentration: 25.0%).
324.5 parts of the dispersion-treated product obtained in the above step was placed in a 2 L eggplant flask, 216.3 parts of ion-exchanged water was added (solid content concentration 15.0%), and a rotary distillation apparatus “Rotary evaporator” (N- 1000S, manufactured by Tokyo Rika Kikai Co., Ltd.), the organic solvent was removed by holding at a pressure of 0.09 MPa for 3 hours in a warm bath adjusted to 32 ° C. at a rotation speed of 50 r / min. Furthermore, the warm bath was adjusted to 62 ° C., the pressure was lowered to 0.07 MPa, and the solution was concentrated to a solid content concentration of 25%.
The obtained concentrate was put into a 500 ml angle rotor and centrifuged at 7000 rpm for 20 minutes using a high-speed cooling centrifuge (Himac CR22G, manufactured by Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd., set temperature 20 ° C.). The solution was filtered through a 2 μm filter (MAP-010XS, manufactured by Loki Techno Co., Ltd.).
300 parts of the filtrate obtained above (52.5 parts of pigment, 22.5 parts of water-insoluble polymer a1) and Proxel LVS (manufactured by Arch Chemicals Japan, antifungal agent, effective 20%, 80% water) 68 parts are added, 40.23 parts of ion-exchanged water is further added so that the solid content concentration is 22.0%, and the mixture is stirred at room temperature for 1 hour to obtain an aqueous dispersion of pigment-containing polymer particles A (pigment water dispersion). Body; average particle size 95 nm), pH 9.0).

Production Example II-2 (Production of aqueous dispersion of pigment-containing polymer particles A-2 to 5)
Carbon black (Monarch 717) used in Production Example II-1 was replaced with a cyan pigment (Daiichi Seika Kogyo Co., Ltd., trade name: Chromofine Blue 6338JC), a magenta pigment (Daiichi Seika Kogyo Co., Ltd., trade name: Chromofine). Red 6114JC), a water-insoluble polymer particle A-2 (cyan) containing a pigment in the same manner as in Production Example II-1, except that it was changed to a yellow pigment (manufactured by Sanyo Dye Co., Ltd., trade name: Fast Yellow 7414). , A-3 (magenta), A-4 (yellow) aqueous dispersions were obtained.

Production Examples III-1 to III-9 (Production of aqueous dispersions of polymer particles B-1 to 9)
In a reaction vessel equipped with a dropping funnel, the monomers shown in "Initially charged monomer solution" in Table 2, Latemul E-118B (polyoxyethylene alkyl ether sodium sulfate, manufactured by Kao Corporation, surfactant), polymerization initiator A certain potassium persulfate (manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) and ion-exchanged water were added and mixed, followed by nitrogen gas substitution to obtain an initial charged monomer solution. Moreover, the monomer, surfactant, polymerization initiator, and ion-exchanged water shown in “Drip monomer solution” in Table 2 were mixed to obtain a drop monomer solution, which was placed in a dropping funnel, and nitrogen gas substitution was performed.
While stirring the initially charged monomer solution in the reaction vessel in a nitrogen atmosphere, the temperature was raised from room temperature to 80 ° C. over 30 minutes, and the monomer in the dropping funnel was gradually added to the reaction vessel over 3 hours while maintaining the temperature at 80 ° C. It was dripped in. After completion of the dropwise addition, the mixture was stirred for 1 hour while maintaining the temperature in the reaction vessel. Subsequently, it filtered with 200 mesh and obtained polymer particle B-1-9. The weight average molecular weight of the polymer particles B-1 to 9 was in the range of 500,000 to 1,000,000.

Example I-1 (Production of aqueous dispersion of polymer particles B-10)
In a reaction vessel equipped with two dropping funnels 3 and 4, the monomers, surfactant, polymerization initiator and ion exchange water shown in “Initially charged monomer solution” in Table 2 were added and mixed to perform nitrogen gas replacement. The initial charge monomer solution was obtained.
On the other hand, a monomer, a surfactant, a polymerization initiator, and ion-exchanged water shown in “Drip monomer solution B-10-2” in Table 3 were mixed to obtain a dripping monomer solution, which was put in the dropping funnel 3 and nitrogen. Gas replacement was performed. Moreover, the monomer shown in "Drip monomer solution B-10-3" in Table 3, a surfactant, a polymerization initiator, and ion-exchanged water are mixed to obtain a drop monomer solution, which is put into a dropping funnel 4 and nitrogen. Gas replacement was performed.
While stirring the initially charged monomer solution in the reaction vessel in a nitrogen atmosphere, the temperature was raised from room temperature to 80 ° C. over 30 minutes, and the monomer solution in the dropping funnel 3 was added for 1.5 hours while maintaining the temperature at 80 ° C. The solution was gradually dropped into the reaction vessel. Next, the dropping monomer solution in the dropping funnel 4 was gradually dropped into the reaction vessel over 1.5 hours. After completion of the dropwise addition, the mixture was stirred for 1 hour while maintaining the temperature in the reaction vessel. Subsequently, it filtered with 200 meshes and obtained the water dispersion of polymer particle B-10. The weight average molecular weight of the polymer particle B-10 was 500,000. In addition, the increase of the molar ratio [(b-1) / (b-2)] of (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) is once, and changes The difference in molar ratio before and after [molar ratio after change-molar ratio before change] is 0.06.

Example II-1 (Production of aqueous ink 1)
Aqueous ink 1 was prepared using an aqueous dispersion of pigment-containing polymer particles A-1 and an aqueous dispersion of polymer particles B-10 (solid content 40% by mass, average particle size 100 nm). After adding ion exchange water so that 4 mass% of pigment and 2 mass% of polymer particles B-11 are added to the ink, 1N sodium hydroxide aqueous solution is added so that the pH is 8.5 to 10.0. A water-based ink 1 having the composition was obtained.
<Composition>
Aqueous dispersion of pigment-containing polymer particles A-1 (solid content: 22% by mass) 26.0 parts Aqueous dispersion of water-insoluble polymer particles B (solid content: 40% by mass) 5.0 parts Diethylene glycol 20.0 parts Propylene glycol 10 0.0 parts Surfynol 104PG-50 (manufactured by Nissin Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., propylene glycol solution of acetylene glycol surfactant, effective content 50%) 2.0 parts Emulgen 120 (manufactured by Kao Corporation, polyoxyethylene lauryl ether) ) 2.0 parts 1N aqueous sodium hydroxide solution 0.5 parts ion exchanged water 34.5 parts
The boiling point of the organic solvent C is calculated as 225 ° C. as a weighted average value weighted by the content (mass%) of the organic solvent C by the following calculation formula.
[[Diethylene glycol content (mass%) × diethylene glycol boiling point (246 ° C.)] + [Propylene glycol content (mass%) × propylene glycol boiling point (188 ° C.)]] / [Diethylene glycol content (mass% ) + Propylene glycol content (% by mass)] = [0.2 × 246 ° C.] + [(0.1 + 0.01) × 188 ° C.]] / [0.2 + 0.1 + 0.01] = 225 ° C.

Examples II-2 to II-7, Comparative Examples II-1 to II-9 (Production of aqueous inks 2 to 16)
In Example II-1, water-based inks 2 to 17 were obtained in the same manner as in Example II-1, except that the addition amount and type of the pigment-containing polymer particles A, the polymer particles B, and the organic solvent were changed.

<Evaluation of scratch resistance and ejection property of water-based ink>
The aqueous inks 1 to 16 obtained above were evaluated for scratch resistance and dischargeability by the following methods. The results are shown in Table 4.

(1) Preparation of printed matter Water-based inks obtained in Examples II-1 to II-7 and Comparative Examples II-1 to II-9 were placed on a commercially available inkjet printer (manufactured by Tritech Co., Ltd., Piezo Method). Filled, general glossy paper “UPM FINESSE GLOSS” (UPM Corporation, water absorption 3.1 g / m ² ) at 23 ° C. and 50% relative humidity under the conditions of “30 kHz, printing speed 75 m / min”. A4 solid images (single color) were respectively printed, and glossy paper prints were obtained that were left to dry under conditions of 23 ° C. and 50% relative humidity for 24 hours.
(2) Scratch resistance evaluation A 450 g weight wrapped with plain paper (Xerox 4200) was placed on the glossy paper print obtained in (1) above and rubbed back and forth 10 times. The printing density of the surface on which the color of the paper wound around the weight adhered was evaluated by an average of 5 points. The print density was measured in an optical densitometer “SpectroEye” (manufactured by Gretag Macbeth) in a measurement mode (ANSI, Pap, Pol). A larger value indicates poorer scratch resistance.
(3) Evaluation of ejection performance With the same ink jet printer as in (1) above, leave the nozzle surface unprotected for 30 minutes after printing, and then print a pattern on paper that can be discriminated again from all nozzles. The number of missing nozzles (nozzles that were not ejected normally) was counted, and the ejection performance was evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria. The smaller the number of obstructions, the better the dischargeability.
(Evaluation criteria)
A: No nozzle missing B: Nozzle missing 1-2
C: Nozzle missing 3-5
D: Nozzle missing 6 or more

  From Table 4, the water-based inks of Examples II-1 to II-7 are superior in discharge durability to the water-based inks of Comparative Examples II-1 to II-9, and the print density even when recorded over a long period of time. It can be seen that the decrease of the can be suppressed.

Claims (6)

An inkjet recording method for recording on a recording medium using an aqueous ink for inkjet recording,
The water-based ink contains water-insoluble polymer particles A containing a pigment (excluding self-dispersing pigments) , water-insoluble polymer particles B, an organic solvent C, and water.
The water-insoluble polymer particle B contains a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2), and the (meth) acrylic acid (b -1) The structural unit derived from 1.0% by mass or more and 6.0% by mass or less in all the structural units of the water-insoluble polymer particle B,
The glass transition temperature of the water-insoluble polymer particles B is 10 ° C. or more and 90 ° C. or less, and the content of the water-insoluble polymer particles B in the water-based ink is 1.0% by mass or more and 4.0% by mass or less,
The organic solvent C contains two or more organic solvents having a boiling point of 90 ° C. or higher, and the boiling point is 230 ° C. or lower as a weighted average value weighted by the content (mass%) of each organic solvent.
In the organic solvent C, the content of one or more selected from a polyhydric alcohol and a polyhydric alcohol alkyl ether is 80% by mass or more,
An ink jet recording method, wherein the recording medium has a water absorption of 0 g / m ² or more and 10 g / m ² or less at a contact time of 100 msec between the recording medium and pure water.   The molar ratio of (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) introduced into the reaction system when the water-insoluble polymer particles B are produced [[b The inkjet recording method according to claim 1, wherein -1) / (b-2)] is a copolymer produced by increasing at least once during the reaction.   The inkjet recording method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the water-insoluble polymer particle B is a copolymer of (meth) acrylic acid and an alkyl (meth) acrylic acid ester having an alkyl group having 1 to 22 carbon atoms. .   The inkjet recording method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a mass ratio of the pigment to the water-insoluble polymer particles B [pigment / water-insoluble polymer particles B] is 0.3 or more and 4.0 or less. The water-insoluble polymer a constituting the water-insoluble polymer particle A containing a pigment is a structural unit derived from an ionic monomer (a-1), a structural unit derived from a hydrophobic monomer (a-2) having an aromatic ring, and The inkjet recording method in any one of Claims 1-4 containing 1 or more types chosen from the structural unit derived from the hydrophilic nonionic monomer (a-3) represented by following formula (1).

(In the formula, R ¹ represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and R ² represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, or a hydrogen atom substituted with an alkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms. A good phenyl group is shown, m shows an average added mole number, and is a number of 2 or more and 100 or less.) Method for producing water-insoluble polymer particles contained in water-based ink for ink-jet recording, comprising a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) Because
The glass transition temperature of the water-insoluble polymer particles is 10 ° C. or higher and 90 ° C. or lower,
The structural unit derived from the (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) is 1.0% by mass or more and 6.0% by mass or less in all the structural units of the water-insoluble polymer particles.
The molar ratio of (meth) acrylic acid (b-1) and (meth) acrylic acid ester (b-2) introduced into the reaction system during the production of the water-insoluble polymer particles [(b-1) / (b- 2)] is produced by increasing at least once in the course of the reaction.