Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Microcapsule – process – composition – or product
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-31
2004-04-13
Chu, John S. (Department: 1752)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Microcapsule, process, composition, or product
C430S157000, C430S162000, C430S177000, C430S281100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06720124
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel recording materials and, more particularly, to a recording material used in connection with organic dyes having excellent image fastness, ink, color filters, holograms, proofs, sealants, adhesives, planography, resin letterpress, photoresists and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photopolymerizable compositions basically include a photopolymerization initiator and an addition-polymerizable compound (hereinafter referred to as a polyfunctional monomer) containing at least two ethylenically unsaturated bonds in a molecule. When irradiated with light, the photopolymerizable compositions are cured, viscidity changes, and the photopolymerizable compositions are rendered insolubile in a solvent. By making use of these characteristics, the photopolymerizable composition is broadly used in photography, printing, the treatment of metal surfaces, and in ink. Functions and application examples thereof are described in a number of references, such as
Light Sensitive Systems
by Jaromir Kosar (John Wiley & Sons: New York, 1965; pp. 158-193) and
Imaging Systems
by K. I. Jacobson and R. E. Jacobson (John Wiley & Sons: New York, 1976; pp. 181-222).
In recent years, image forming systems have been proposed that utilize photosensitive microcapsules, i.e., microcapsules that contain photopolymerizable compositions. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (JP-A) Nos. 57-124343, 57-179836, and 57-197538 disclose methods for forming dye images, in which microcapsules that contain a dye and a photopolymerizable composition comprising a vinyl compound and a photopolymerization initiator are coated on a color-forming sheet. The color-forming sheet is then exposed to light and superposed on an image-receiving sheet, and then pressure is applied to both sheets.
Additionally, JP-A Nos. 3-87827 and 4-211252 disclose photo- and heat-sensitive color-forming recording materials containing two components. One component is contained in microcapsules. The other component is a curable compound of a photocurable composition, or is present outside the microcapsules together with the photocurable composition. The latter recording material is disposed with a layer comprising microcapsules that contain an electron-donating colorless dye and, outside the microcapsule, a photocurable composition containing an electron-accepting compound, a polymerizable vinyl monomer and a photopolymerization initiator.
Recording materials utilizing photopolymerizable compositions are particularly advantageous from an environmental standpoint, because image recording can be accomplished by a dry process without using a developing solution, and because no waste is generated.
Japanese Patent Application Bulletin (JP-B) Nos. 4-75147 and 4-10879 disclose recording materials that contain at least a diazonium salt compound having a diazonio group (—N
2
+
) and a coupler compound that colors by reacting with the diazonium salt compound. These recording materials are favorable because image recording can be accomplished without a developing solution at the time of the color-forming reaction. However, there are problems in that the diazonium salt is a compound having a counter anion corresponding to the diazonio group and has in itself insufficient thermal stability. Moreover, a basic component is needed to neutralize an acidic component of the counter anion that is generated as a byproduct during the color-forming reaction with the coupler. Thus, the solid content of the recording material increases and it becomes easy for image quality to be adversely effected.
In order to tackle this problem, JP-A No. 9-286782 discloses a recording material that utilizes a color-forming reaction between a coupler compound and a diazo compound that does not have a diazonio group. This diazo compound is preferable because it does not have a counter anion, and therefore no acidic component of a counter anion is generated during the color-forming reaction. However, there is a demand for improvement with respect to high-speed photofixation properties.
In this connection, it is advantageous if, at the time an image is recorded on the photosensitive recording material, it is possibile to use not only ultraviolet light and short-wave visible light but inexpensive infrared lasers, blue-red lasers, and LEDs.
Thus, although recording materials utilizing photopolymerizable compounds are favorable from the standpoints of high sensitivity and high-speed photofixation properties, there are many cases in which sufficient image fastness cannot be obtained, and further improvements in image fastness are in demand.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was devised in order to eliminate the foregoing problems in the prior art and to attain the following object.
Namely, it is an object of the invention to provide a recording material on which a highly sensitive image can be recorded and photofixed at high speed using not only ultraviolet light but visible to infrared light in a completely dry processing system that does not require a developing solution and therefore does not generate waste, that has excellent decoloring at non-image portions (background portions), that forms a sharp high-contrast black-and-white or color image, and that has excellent image fastness.
The foregoing problems in the prior art are solved by the following aspects of the invention.
A first aspect of the invention is a recording material comprising a support having disposed thereon a recording layer including at least a diazo compound having no diazonio group, a coupler compound that colors by reacting with the diazo compound, and a polymerizable compound.
A second aspect of the invention is the recording material according to the first aspect, wherein the recording layer further includes a polymerization initiator
A third aspect of the invention is the recording material according to the first aspect, wherein the polymerizable compound has an ethylenically unsaturated bond.
A fourth aspect of the invention is the recording material according to the third aspect, wherein the polymerizable compound includes at least one selected from the group consisting of an acrylic acid ester, an acrylic acid derivative, acrylic acid, an acrylic acid salt, a methacrylic acid ester, a methacrylic acid derivative, methacrylic acid, a methacrylic acid salt, maleic anhydride, a maleic acid ester, itaconic acid, an itaconic acid ester, styrene, a vinyl ether, a vinyl ester, an N-vinylheterocycle, an allyl ether, and an allyl ester.
A fifth aspect of the invention is the recording material according to the second aspect, wherein the polymerization initiator comprises a compound that absorbs light having a wavelength of 300 nm or longer, and a radical generating agent that generates a radical by interacting with the compound.
A sixth aspect of the invention is the recording material according to the fifth aspect, wherein the radical generating agent includes at least one selected from the group consisting of an organic boron compound, a diaryliodonium salt, an iron allene complex, an S-triazine derivative having a trihalogen-substituted methyl group, an organic peroxide, titanocene, a 2,4,5-triarylimidazole dimer, and an adinium salt compound.
A seventh aspect of the invention is the recording material according to the first aspect, wherein the polymerizable compound comprises a coupler compound.
An eighth aspect of the invention is the recording material according to the first aspect, wherein the coupler compound includes at least one selected from the group consisting of coupler compounds represented by the following general formulae (C-1) to (C-12):
wherein R
114
represents any one of an acyl group, a cyano group, a nitro group, an aryl group, a heterocyclic residue, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an aryloxycarbonyl group, a carbamoyl group, a sulfamoyl group, an alkylsulfonyl group, and an arylsulfonyl group, and any group may have a substituent; R
115
represents any one of an alkyl group, an
Arai Yoshimitsu
Hanasaki Kyoko
Sato Hiroshi
Takashima Masanobu
Chu John S.
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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