JP2005275145A - Method for manufacturing toner, and toner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner capable of being easily manufactured without incorporating undesired components and having excellent toner characteristics such as high stability even used for a long period of time. <P>SOLUTION: In a mixed liquid preparing step S1, the mixed liquid is prepared by mixing at least a self-dispersive pigment and a self-dispersive resin into water. In an aggregate forming step S2, the aggregate is formed by adding an aqueous solution containing a coagulating agent to the mixed liquid while agitating the mixed liquid. In a particle forming step S3, an aqueous medium containing the aggregate is heated so as to convert the aggregate into the toner with a uniform particle diameter and a uniform shape. In a cleaning step S4, the toner is cleaned by using pure water. Following these steps, the toner is easily manufactured so that no unnecessary component is included therein. Furthermore, because the self-dispersive pigment with a high dispersive property is used in the manufacturing, the dispersed particle diameter of the self-dispersive pigment in the toner is small, and the toner with the toner characteristics excellent in color reproducibility and so on is manufactured. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner used in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system and a method for manufacturing the toner.

  With recent remarkable development of OA equipment, copiers, printers, facsimile machines, and the like that perform printing using an electrophotographic system have become widespread. In general, an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system forms an image through a charging process, an exposure process, a development process, a transfer process, a cleaning process, a fixing process, and the like. In the charging step, the surface of the photoreceptor is uniformly charged in a dark place. In the exposure step, the original image is projected onto the charged photoconductor, so that the charged portion is removed and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor. In the development step, a visible image is formed by attaching toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor. In the transfer process, a recording medium such as paper or sheet is brought into contact with the visible image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor, and corona discharge is performed from the side opposite to the surface of the recording medium that is in contact with the visible image. Transfers a visible image to a recording medium by applying a charge of opposite polarity to the recording medium. In the fixing step, the visible image transferred to the recording medium is fixed by means such as heating and pressing. In the cleaning process, the toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor without being transferred to the recording medium is collected. By repeating the above steps, an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system forms a desired image on a recording medium.

  As a method for producing toner used in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method, there are a dry method and a wet method. Examples of the dry method include a pulverization method. The pulverization method is a method of obtaining a toner by melt-kneading a resin, a colorant, wax, and the like, and finely pulverizing and classifying the obtained kneaded material with a pulverizer or the like, and is widely used industrially. Yes. The toner is desired to have a small particle size in order to achieve high image quality of the formed image. However, in the pulverization method, energy and time required for pulverization increase, and the manufacturing process becomes complicated. Further, since the yield is further lowered, the manufacturing cost is remarkably increased.

  Examples of the wet method include a suspension polymerization method and an emulsion polymerization method. The suspension polymerization method is a method for obtaining a toner by suspension polymerization of a synthetic resin monomer such as a vinyl monomer in an aqueous medium containing a colorant. In the emulsion polymerization method, an aqueous dispersion of synthetic resin particles and a dispersion of a colorant in an organic solvent are mixed to form aggregated particles of the synthetic resin particles and the colorant, and the aggregated particles are heated and melted. This is a method for obtaining toner.

  As another wet method, there is a method using phase inversion emulsification, which is described in Patent Document 1. The phase inversion emulsification method involves dissolving or dispersing a self-water dispersible resin and a colorant in an organic solvent, adding a neutralizing agent that neutralizes the dissociation group of the resin, and adding water while stirring. In this method, toner particles are obtained by phase inversion emulsification of resin solution droplets containing a colorant and the like. In the method for producing a capsule-type toner (toner) of Patent Document 1, an anionic self-water dispersible resin and an anionic self-water dispersible resin are dissolved or dispersed in an organic solvent and the dispersion is stirred. In this method, a neutralizing agent for neutralizing a dissociating group and water are added, and a resin solution droplet containing a colorant and the like is phase-inverted and emulsified to obtain a toner.

  As another wet method, toner particles are obtained by granulating a solution in which a resin is dissolved or dispersed in a solvent in which the resin is soluble in an aqueous medium containing an inorganic dispersant, removing the solvent, and drying. There is a method, and a typical conventional technique is described in US Pat. Patent Document 2 discloses a method for producing an electrostatic charge image developing toner (toner) in which a material containing a polyester resin and a colorant is dissolved or dispersed in a solvent capable of dissolving the polyester resin, and the liquid contains an inorganic dispersant. After granulation in an aqueous medium, the solvent is removed to produce a toner.

  As other conventional techniques, techniques similar to the technique of Patent Document 2 are described in Patent Documents 3 and 4. The method for producing a negatively charged toner for developing an electrostatic image in Patent Document 3 and the method for producing a positively charged toner for developing an electrostatic image in Patent Document 4 use an inorganic dispersant having an average particle diameter of 0.7 to 5 μm. Except for this, the toner is manufactured in the same manner as the method for manufacturing a toner for developing an electrostatic charge image in Patent Document 2. The method for producing a negative charge toner for developing an electrostatic image in Patent Document 3 uses a negative charge control agent, and the method for producing a positive charge toner for developing an electrostatic image in Patent Document 4 is positively charged. Sex charge control agent is used.

  As another conventional technique, a technique similar to the techniques of Patent Documents 2 to 4 is described in Patent Document 5. In the method for producing a toner for developing an electrostatic charge image of Patent Document 5, a polymerizable vinyl monomer containing styrene, a styrene derivative, a (meth) acrylic acid alkyl ester, and a mixture thereof as a main component is polymerized as a binder resin. The toner is produced in the same manner as the method for producing a toner for developing an electrostatic charge image of Patent Document 2, except that a vinyl polymer obtained in this manner is used.

  As another conventional technique, a technique similar to the techniques of Patent Documents 2 to 5 is described in Patent Document 6. In the method for producing a toner for developing an electrostatic charge image in Patent Document 6, after toner particles are prepared, the toner is further washed with water until the difference in electric conductivity between water before washing and water after washing becomes 200 μS / cm or less. Except for this, the toner is manufactured in the same manner as the method for manufacturing a toner for developing an electrostatic charge image in Patent Document 2.

  As another conventional technique, Patent Document 7 describes a technique similar to the techniques of Patent Documents 2 to 6. The method for producing the toner for developing an electrostatic charge image of Patent Document 7 is produced in the same manner as the method for producing the toner for developing an electrostatic charge image of Patent Document 2, except that a surfactant is further added to the aqueous medium.

  As another conventional technique, a technique similar to the techniques of Patent Documents 2 to 7 is described in Patent Document 8. The toner production method of Patent Document 8 is the production of the toner for developing an electrostatic charge image of Patent Document 2 except that an aqueous dispersion containing a surfactant and an inorganic dispersant having an average particle size of 0.1 to 2 μm is used. Produced in the same way as the method.

  In the method for producing a toner by the wet method as described above, an organic solvent, a resin monomer, and the like remain in the obtained toner. Such components ooze out of the toner and damage members such as a developing roller when the toner is actually used for developing an electrostatic image. Further, the chargeability of the toner varies. Therefore, after the toner is manufactured, a process for removing the organic solvent and the monomer from the toner is required. However, in such a removal step, variations in the shape of the obtained toner and its chargeability tend to occur due to subtle variations in operating conditions such as pressure, temperature, and time. Therefore, in order to obtain a toner having a uniform shape, it is necessary to adjust the operation condition to an optimum condition, and it is very difficult to realize it. In addition, since a large amount of an organic solvent and a monomer that give a large load to the environment are used, facilities for processing these are necessary, and the manufacturing cost of the toner increases.

  Further, the toner obtained by the conventional wet method as described above is used for the image density and fog image quality of the image formed on the recording medium, the dispersibility of the colorant on the recording medium, and the recording medium. Not all toner properties such as transfer rate are excellent.

  Thus, as another conventional technique, Patent Document 9 describes a toner production method that does not use an organic solvent and does not use a polymerization reaction when forming particles that are toner. In the method for producing a toner composition of Patent Document 9, a pigment dispersion in which a pigment is dispersed in water using sodium sulfonated polyester is added to an emulsion in which sodium sulfonated polyester is dispersed in water. This is a method for producing a toner by adding an alkali halide solution to form an aggregate.

JP-A-5-66600 JP-A-7-152202 JP-A-7-168395 JP-A-7-168396 JP 7-219267 A JP-A-8-179555 JP-A-8-179556 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-230624 JP-A-10-39545

  The toner manufacturing method can easily manufacture the toner so that unnecessary components such as an organic solvent and a monomer are not included, and the manufactured toner needs to have excellent toner characteristics.

  According to Patent Document 9, a toner composition is produced by aggregating a pigment dispersed in water using sodium sulfonated polyester, which is a component of the toner, and sodium sulfonated polyester dispersed in water. And a toner composition production method capable of producing a toner composition so as not to include unnecessary components such as monomers. However, if the pigment is simply dispersed using sodium sulfonated polyester, the dispersibility of the pigment is insufficient, causing only the pigment to agglomerate, resulting in poor toner characteristics such as color reproducibility, and the toner. A toner composition having excellent characteristics cannot be produced.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a toner which can easily produce a toner so as not to contain unnecessary components and has excellent toner characteristics such as color reproducibility.

The present invention provides a mixed liquid preparation step of preparing a mixed liquid by mixing at least a self-dispersing pigment and a self-dispersing resin in water,
An agglomerate forming step of forming an agglomerate in an aqueous medium by adding an aqueous solution containing an aggregating agent while stirring the mixed liquid.

The present invention also includes a mixed liquid preparation step of preparing a mixed liquid by mixing at least a self-dispersing pigment, a self-dispersing resin and a polyolefin resin with water,
An agglomerate forming step of forming an agglomerate in an aqueous medium by adding an aqueous solution containing an aggregating agent while stirring the mixed liquid.

  The present invention is further characterized by further comprising a particle forming step of stirring the aqueous medium containing the aggregates while heating to form particles of the aggregates.

The present invention is further characterized by further comprising a washing step of washing and drying the aggregate.
In the present invention, the flocculant is a polyvalent metal salt.

  In the present invention, the polyvalent metal salt is magnesium sulfate and / or aluminum sulfate.

  In the present invention, the agglomerate forming step is mechanically applied with a shearing force and stirred.

  In the invention, the self-dispersing pigment is a pigment having a hydrophilic functional group on the surface.

  In the invention, the hydrophilic functional group is an ionic group and / or an ionizable group.

  In the present invention, the hydrophilic functional group includes a carboxylic acid group, a group having a carboxylate, a sulfonic acid group, a group having a sulfonate, a sulfophenyl group, a group having a benzenesulfonate, and a p-sulfophenyl group. , A group having p-benzenesulfonate, a carboxyphenyl group, a group having benzenecarboxylate, a sulfoamide group, a group having amidosulfate, a group having quaternary ammonium salt, a derivative thereof, and a mixture thereof It is characterized by.

  In the invention, the self-dispersing resin is a resin containing a hydrophilic monomer in the main chain.

In the present invention, the self-dispersing resin is a polyester resin.
Further, the invention is characterized in that the hydrophilic monomer is a monomer having a sulfonic acid alkali metal salt.

  The present invention also provides a toner manufactured by the toner manufacturing method.

  According to the present invention, a toner is manufactured by adding an aqueous solution containing an aggregating agent to form an aggregate while stirring a mixed liquid obtained by mixing at least a self-dispersing pigment and a self-dispersing resin in water. By doing so, the toner can be easily manufactured so as not to include unnecessary components such as a dispersant for dispersing the pigment, an organic solvent, and a monomer. Furthermore, since the self-dispersion pigment having excellent dispersibility is used for manufacture, a dispersed particle diameter of the pigment in the toner is reduced, and a toner having excellent toner characteristics such as color reproducibility can be manufactured.

  According to the present invention, a toner is produced by adding an aqueous solution containing an aggregating agent to form an aggregate while stirring a mixture of at least a self-dispersing pigment, a self-dispersing resin and a polyolefin resin in water. . By doing so, the toner can be easily manufactured so as not to include unnecessary components such as a dispersant for dispersing the pigment, an organic solvent, and a monomer. Furthermore, since the toner is manufactured using a self-dispersing pigment having excellent dispersibility, a toner having excellent toner characteristics such as color reproducibility can be manufactured.

  Moreover, according to this invention, it stirs, heating the aqueous dispersion containing an aggregate. By doing so, the formed aggregate can be easily made into particles having a uniform particle size and shape, and thus a toner having excellent toner characteristics can be produced more easily.

  According to the present invention, the formed aggregate is washed with pure water, for example. By doing so, since the water-soluble flocculant can be easily removed with pure water, the unnecessary flocculant not involved in the aggregation can be removed, and a toner having excellent toner characteristics can be easily produced. .

  Further, according to the present invention, by using a polyvalent metal salt as a flocculant, it is easy to form an aggregate, and furthermore, the polyvalent metal salt is easily dissolved in pure water, so it is unnecessary for aggregation. Therefore, it is easier to remove the flocculant, and the toner can be manufactured so as not to contain unnecessary components.

  Further, according to the present invention, since the polyvalent metal salt is magnesium sulfate and / or aluminum sulfate, it is easier to form aggregates. Further, magnesium sulfate and aluminum sulfate are easily dissolved in pure water, and thus aggregated. Unnecessary flocculants that have not been involved can be easily removed, and the toner can be manufactured so as to contain no unnecessary components.

  Further, according to the present invention, when the aggregate is formed, the formed aggregate can be made easier by particles having a uniform particle size and shape by mechanically applying a shearing force and stirring. A toner having excellent toner characteristics can be produced more easily.

  According to the invention, the self-dispersing pigment is a pigment having a hydrophilic functional group on the surface. Such a pigment is a pigment that is easily dispersed in water, can reduce the dispersed particle diameter of the pigment in the toner, and can produce a toner having more excellent toner characteristics.

  According to the present invention, since the hydrophilic functional group is an ionic group or a group that can be ionized, the dispersibility of the self-dispersing pigment is further improved, and a toner having more excellent toner characteristics can be produced.

  According to the present invention, the hydrophilic functional group includes a carboxylic acid group, a carboxylate group, a sulfonic acid group, a sulfonate group, a sulfophenyl group, a benzenesulfonate group, p-sulfo group. Phenyl group, group having p-benzenesulfonate, carboxyphenyl group, group having benzenecarboxylate, sulfoamide group, group having amidosulfate, group having quaternary ammonium salt, derivatives thereof and mixtures thereof Therefore, the dispersibility of the self-dispersing pigment is further improved, and a toner having more excellent toner characteristics can be produced.

  Further, according to the present invention, since the self-dispersing resin is a resin containing a hydrophilic monomer in the main chain, the resin is easily dispersed with water, and the toner can be manufactured more easily.

  According to the present invention, since the self-dispersing resin is a polyester resin, it can be easily dispersed with water, and a toner can be produced more easily.

  According to the invention, the hydrophilic monomer is a monomer having an alkali metal sulfonate. By doing so, the hydrophilicity of the self-dispersing resin is increased, the self-dispersing resin is more easily dispersed in water, and more easily aggregated by the aggregating agent, so that the toner can be manufactured more easily.

  In addition, according to the present invention, since the toner is manufactured by the above-described toner manufacturing method, the toner has few unnecessary components such as an organic solvent and a monomer, and the toner has excellent toner characteristics.

  FIG. 1 is a process diagram showing a toner manufacturing method according to the present invention. In the mixed liquid preparation step S1, toner components such as a self-dispersing pigment and a self-dispersing resin are mixed with water to prepare a mixed liquid. In the aggregate forming step S2, an aqueous solution containing a flocculant is added to the mixed liquid, Aggregates are formed in the aqueous medium. In the particle forming step S3, the aqueous medium containing the aggregates is heated to form particles, and in the washing step S4, the aggregates formed into particles are washed and dried.

  The toner manufacturing method according to the present invention is obtained by dispersing and mixing a self-dispersing pigment and a self-dispersing resin, which will be described later, in water using an emulsifier or a disperser that is a stirrer in the mixed liquid preparation step S1. A liquid mixture containing the components is obtained. Preferably, 80% by weight or more and 99% by weight or less of a self-dispersing resin in a solid content concentration, 0.1% by weight or more and 5% by weight or less of a self-dispersing pigment and a polyolefin resin emulsified in water are mixed. The mixture is obtained by stirring at room temperature for 1 hour or more and 5 hours or less using a stirrer.

  In the agglomerate forming step S2, a toner is manufactured by forming an agglomerate containing a toner component by adding a predetermined amount of an aggregating agent to a mixture of toner components such as a self-dispersing pigment and a self-dispersing resin. Therefore, the toner can be manufactured so as not to include unnecessary components other than the toner component.

  In the particle formation step S3, the obtained aqueous medium containing the aggregate is heated to make the aggregate into uniform particles having a uniform particle size and shape. Preferably, heating is performed up to the glass transition temperature of the self-dispersing resin. The particle size is preferably adjusted to be 1 μm or more and 20 μm or less. By doing so, uniform toner can be easily manufactured.

  In the washing step S4, the mixed liquid containing the toner is cooled to room temperature and washed with pure water described later. It is preferable to wash with pure water before separating the toner from the liquid mixture containing the toner. Furthermore, it is preferable to wash until the conductivity of the supernatant liquid of the mixed liquid containing toner becomes 50 μS / cm or less. In addition, cleaning of the toner using pure water may be performed in a batch manner or a continuous manner. The cleaning of the toner using pure water is performed to remove unnecessary components other than the toner components such as impurities that affect the chargeability of the toner. By doing so, the toner can be easily manufactured so as not to contain unnecessary components.

  As described above, the toner manufacturing method according to the present invention can easily manufacture a toner so as not to include unnecessary components, and further, is manufactured using a self-dispersing pigment having high dispersibility. Thus, a toner having a small dispersed particle diameter of the self-dispersing pigment in the toner and excellent toner characteristics such as color reproducibility can be produced.

[Agitator]
In the toner production method of the present invention, known emulsifiers and dispersers can be used as the agitator, and the following emulsifiers and dispersers are preferred. The toner component and the aqueous medium can be received batchwise or continuously, and has a heating means. By mixing the toner component and the aqueous medium under heating, a toner that is a synthetic resin particle containing a colorant is produced. An apparatus capable of discharging the toner in a batch type or a continuous type is preferable. The emulsifier and the disperser are preferably capable of imparting shearing force to the mixture of the toner and the aqueous medium. Further, the emulsifier and the disperser preferably have at least one of a stirring unit and a rotating unit, and can mix the toner and the aqueous medium under stirring or rotation. In the emulsifier and the disperser, the mixing container for mixing the toner and the aqueous medium preferably has a heat retaining means.

  Specifically, for example, Ultra Turrax (trade name: manufactured by IKA Japan Co., Ltd.), Polytron homogenizer (trade name: manufactured by Kinematica Co., Ltd.), and TK Auto Homo Mixer (trade name: manufactured by Tokushu Kika Kogyo Co., Ltd.) Batch type emulsifiers such as Ebara Milder (trade name: manufactured by Ebara Manufacturing Co., Ltd.), TK Pipeline Homomixer (trade name: manufactured by Special Machine Industries Co., Ltd.), TK Homomic Line Flow (trade name: Special Machine Industries Co., Ltd.), Fillmix (trade name: Special Machine Industries Co., Ltd.), colloid mill (trade name: manufactured by Shinko Pantech Co., Ltd.), Thrasher (trade name: Mitsui Miike Chemical Industries) Co., Ltd.), Trigonal wet milling machine (trade name: manufactured by Mitsui Miike Chemical Co., Ltd.), Cavitron (trade name: manufactured by Eurotech Co., Ltd.) and Fine Flow Mill (trade name: Pacific Ocean) Engineering Co., Ltd.) continuous emulsification machine such as, Claire mix: manufactured (trade name M Technique Co., Ltd.) and fill mix: manufactured (trade name Kika Kogyo Co., Ltd.), and the like.

[Flocculant]
In the method for producing a toner according to the present invention, a known aggregating agent (for example, an organic substance having an ion opposite to that of a self-dispersing pigment and / or a self-dispersing resin, such as an electrolyte) can be used.

  Since the self-dispersing resin and the self-dispersing pigment described later preferably have an ionic group and / or an ionizable group on the surface, the self-dispersing resin and the self-dispersing pigment are ion-bonded. Polyvalent metal salts that can be used are preferred. Further, magnesium sulfate and / or aluminum sulfate, which is easily dissolved in water so as to be easily washed with pure water, is more preferable.

[Pure water]
In the method for producing a toner according to the present invention, it is preferable to clean the toner using pure water. The pure water used for cleaning preferably has an electrical conductivity of 20 μS / cm or less. Such pure water can be obtained by a known method, and examples thereof include an activated carbon method, an ion exchange method, a distillation method, and a reverse osmosis method. Further, a plurality of methods may be combined. Moreover, the temperature of the pure water at the time of washing | cleaning has preferable 10 to 80 degreeC.

[Toner component]
The toner manufactured by the toner manufacturing method of the present invention includes a self-dispersing resin and a self-dispersing pigment.

(Self-dispersing resin)
In the toner manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention, a self-dispersing resin is used. As the self-dispersing resin, known resins can be used as long as they are dispersed in water, and examples thereof include polyester resins, vinyl copolymer resins, polyurethane resins, and epoxy resins. Among these, polyester resins and vinyl copolymer resins are preferable, and polyester resins are more preferable in consideration of improving powder flowability, low-temperature fixability, and secondary color reproducibility of the toner particles obtained. .

  As described above, the self-dispersing resin used in the toner manufacturing method of the present invention is preferably composed mainly of a polyester resin, and is preferably 50% by weight or more of the self-dispersing resin. More preferably, it is 80% by weight or more, and more preferably 90% by weight or more. The polyester resin in the self-dispersing resin is obtained by polycondensation of an acid component and an alcohol component. The acid component is mainly composed of polyvalent carboxylic acids, and the alcohol component is mainly composed of polyvalent alcohols. This is the resin used.

  Examples of the polyvalent carboxylic acids include terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid, orthophthalic acid, 1,5-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, anthracene dipropionic acid, anthracene dicarboxylic acid, diphenic acid, sulfoterephthalate. Aromatic dicarboxylic acids such as acids, 5-sulfoisophthalic acid, 4-sulfophthalic acid, 4-sulfonaphthalene-2,7 dicarboxylic acid, 5 (4-sulfophenoxy) isophthalic acid, sulfoterephthalic acid, metal salts and ammonium salts thereof Acids, aromatic oxycarboxylic acids such as p-oxybenzoic acid and p- (hydroxyethoxy) benzoic acid, aliphatic dicarboxylic acids such as succinic acid, adipic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid and dodecanedicarboxylic acid, fumaric acid, malein Acid, itaconic acid, mesacone And aliphatic unsaturated polycarboxylic acids such as citraconic acid, aromatic unsaturated polycarboxylic acids such as phenylene diacrylic acid, alicyclic dicarboxylic acids such as hexahydrophthalic acid and tetrahydrophthalic acid, trimellitic acid, trimesin Examples thereof include trivalent or higher polyvalent carboxylic acids such as acid and pyromellitic acid.

  The polycarboxylic acids are preferably 70 mol% or more of the acid component, more preferably 80 mol% or more, and even more preferably 90 mol% or more. Furthermore, it is preferable that terephthalic acid and isophthalic acid are contained as polyvalent carboxylic acids. The content of terephthalic acid is preferably 40 mol% or more and 95 mol% or less of the polyvalent carboxylic acids, more preferably 60 mol% or more and 95 mol% or less, and even more preferably 70 mol% or more and 90 mol% or less. Moreover, it is preferable that content of isophthalic acid is 5 mol% or more and 60 mol% or less of polyvalent carboxylic acids. Furthermore, the total of terephthalic acid and isophthalic acid is preferably 80 mol% or more of the polyvalent carboxylic acids. The polyvalent carboxylic acids preferably include trivalent or higher polyvalent carboxylic acids such as trimellitic acid, trimesic acid and pyromellitic acid, and the content thereof is 0.5 mol of the polyvalent carboxylic acids. % Or more and 8 mol% or less is preferable.

  As the acid component, polycarboxylic acids containing monocarboxylic acids may be used. As monocarboxylic acids, aromatic monocarboxylic acids are preferable. Examples of aromatic monocarboxylic acids include benzoic acid, chlorobenzoic acid, bromobenzoic acid, parahydroxybenzoic acid, naphthalenecarboxylic acid, anthracenecarboxylic acid, 4-methylbenzoic acid, 3-methylbenzoic acid, salicylic acid, and thiosalicylic acid. , Phenylacetic acid, lower alkyl esters thereof, sulfoammonium monoammonium salt, sulfobenzoic acid monosodium salt, cyclohexylaminocarbonylbenzoic acid, n-dodecylaminocarbonylbenzoic acid, tert-butylbenzoic acid and tert-butylnaphthalenecarboxylic acid An acid etc. can be mentioned. The amount of the aromatic monocarboxylic acid used is preferably 2 mol% or more and 25 mol% or less, more preferably 5 mol% or more and 20 mol% or less with respect to the acid component.

  Examples of the polyhydric alcohols include aliphatic polyhydric alcohols, alicyclic polyhydric alcohols, and aromatic polyhydric alcohols. Examples of aliphatic polyhydric alcohols include ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, 2,3-butanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6. -Hexanediol, neopentyl glycol, diethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, polytetramethylene glycol, etc. Examples thereof include aliphatic diols, trimethylol ethane, trimethylol propane, glycerol, pentaolsitol and the like, and tetraols. Examples of the alicyclic polyhydric alcohols include 1,4-cyclohexanediol, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, spiroglycol, hydrogenated bisphenol A, and hydrogenated bisphenol A. And ethylene oxide adduct, propylene oxide adduct, tricyclodecandiol, and tricyclodecane dimethanol. Examples of aromatic polyhydric alcohols include para-xylene glycol, meta-xylene glycol, ortho-xylene glycol, 1,4-phenylene glycol, and 1,4-phenylene glycol ethylene. Examples thereof include an oxide adduct, bisphenol A, an ethylene oxide adduct of bisphenol A, and a propylene oxide adduct. Furthermore, examples of polyester polyols include lactone polyester polyols obtained by ring-opening polymerization of lactones such as ε-caprolactone. Moreover, the alcohol component may contain monoalcohols in polyhydric alcohols. Examples of monoalcohols include aliphatic alcohols, aromatic alcohols, and alicyclic alcohols.

  The polyhydric alcohols are preferably aliphatic diols and alicyclic diols. Their content is preferably 50 mol% or more of the polyhydric alcohols, more preferably 70 mol% or more, still more preferably 90 mol% or more. Examples of the aliphatic diols include ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and 2,3-butanediol. Examples of the alicyclic diols include tricyclodecane dimethanol, cyclohexane diol, and cyclohexane dimethanol. Further, among the polyhydric alcohols, ethylene glycol and propylene glycol are preferable among them.

  The glass transition point of the polyester resin is preferably 50 ° C. or higher, more preferably 65 ° C. or higher. When the glass transition point is lower than 50 ° C., there is a tendency to block when the toner is used, which causes a problem in storage stability. The softening point of the polyester resin is preferably 80 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower. When the softening temperature of the resin is lower than 80 ° C., blocking occurs when the toner is used, and a problem arises particularly in long-term storage. When the softening point is higher than 150 ° C., there is a problem in fixability when the toner is used. Further, since it is necessary to heat the fixing roll to a high temperature, the material of the fixing roll and the material of the substrate to be transferred are limited.

  The polyester resin may be a resin using a trivalent or higher polyvalent carboxylic acid component or a trivalent or higher polyvalent alcohol as a raw material, but its purpose is to broaden the molecular weight distribution of the polyester resin. The purpose is not to gel the resin. The gelation of the resin makes it difficult to take out the resin from the polymerization apparatus and significantly reduces the productivity. The polyester resin is substantially free of gelation. More specifically, the polyester resin should have a chloroform-insoluble content of 0.5% by weight or less, preferably 0.25% by weight or less. . The acid value of the polyester resin in the present invention is preferably 3 mgKOH / g or less, and more preferably 0.5 mgKOH / g or less.

  The self-dispersing resin preferably contains a hydrophilic monomer in the main chain. The hydrophilic monomer is preferably an ionic group, more preferably an anionic group. Examples of hydrophilic monomers include sulfonic acid alkali metal salts, sulfonic acid ammonium salts, carboxylic acid alkali metal salts, carboxylic acid ammonium salts, sulfuric acid groups, phosphoric acid groups, phosphonic acid groups, phosphinic acid groups, ammonium salts thereof, and the like. Mention may be made of monomers having metal salts and the like. In the case of a polyester resin, it is preferably a monocarboxylic acid and / or dicarboxylic acid having an alkali metal sulfonate and / or an ammonium sulfonate, which are 0.1 mol% or more and 6.0 mol% with respect to the polyester resin. It is preferable that it is contained below. In addition, when introducing an alkali metal carboxylate or ammonium carboxylate, a carboxyl group is added to the end of the polymer by introducing a polyvalent carboxylic acid such as trimellitic acid into the system at the end of the polymerization of the polyester. Further, it is possible to use a method of exchanging it with a carboxylate by neutralizing it with ammonia, sodium hydroxide or the like. The ionic group has a function of imparting water dispersibility to the polyester resin, but when the counter cation is a polyvalent ion, the water dispersibility cannot be sufficiently exhibited. Therefore, the counter cation of these ionic group-containing monomers in polymerizing the polyester is preferably a monovalent cation. It is preferable that the ion equivalent of polyester is 10 meq / kg or more and 1000 meq / kg or less. More preferably, it is 20 meq / kg or more and 1000 meq / kg or less, and still more preferably 50 meq / kg or more and 200 meq / kg.

  A method for obtaining particles having a predetermined average particle size and particle size distribution from a polyester resin containing an ionic group will be described. The ionic group-containing polyester resin has water dispersibility. An aqueous fine dispersion of a polyester resin containing an ionic group can be produced by a known method. For example, there is a method in which a polyester resin containing an ionic group and a water-soluble organic compound are mixed in advance at 50 ° C. or more and 200 ° C. or less, and water is added thereto. As another method, there is a method in which a mixture of a polyester resin containing an ionic group and a water-soluble organic compound is added to water, and the mixture is further stirred at 40 ° C. or more and 120 ° C. or less. Yet another method is a method of adding a polyester resin containing an ionic group to a mixed solution of water and a water-soluble organic compound, and further stirring the mixture at 40 ° C. to 100 ° C. to disperse it. There is. Solvents such as ethanol, butanol, isopropanol, ethyl cellosolve, butyl cellosolve, dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, acetone and methyl ethyl ketone can be used as the water-soluble organic compound. The average particle size of the aqueous fine dispersion is preferably 0.01 μm or more and 1.0 μm or less.

  The vinyl copolymer resin is a synthetic resin containing a polymerizable monomer containing a polymerizable carbon-carbon double bond. As such a polymerizable monomer, known monomers can be used. For example, styrene monomers (aromatic vinyl monomers) such as styrene, vinyltoluene, 2-methylstyrene, tert-butylstyrene and chlorostyrene. ), Methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, isopropyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, isobutyl acrylate, n-amyl acrylate, isoamyl acrylate, n-hexyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, n-acrylate Acrylic acid ester monomers such as octyl, decyl acrylate and dodecyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, propyl methacrylate, n-butyl methacrylate, isobutyl methacrylate, n-amyl methacrylate, n-hexyl methacrylate, methacryl 2-ethylhexyl acid , Methacrylate monomers such as n-octyl methacrylate, decyl methacrylate and dodecyl methacrylate, hydroxyl group (hydroxyl group) -containing (meth) acrylate monomers such as hydroxyethyl acrylate and hydroxypropyl methacrylate Body, N-substituted (meth) acrylamide monomers such as N-methylol (meth) acrylamide and N-butoxymethyl (meth) acrylamide, acrylonitrile monomers such as (meth) acrylonitrile, trifunctional vinyl monomers Examples include the body. As the polymerizable monomer, one kind can be used alone, or two or more kinds can be used in combination. The vinyl copolymer resin can be produced, for example, by polymerizing one or more polymerizable monomers in the presence of a radical initiator. Among such vinyl copolymer resins, it is preferable that they contain two or more polymerizable monomers and further contain a trifunctional vinyl monomer.

  The softening point of the vinyl copolymer resin is preferably 70 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower, more preferably 70 ° C. or higher and 130 ° C. or lower, and further preferably 90 ° C. or higher and 120 ° C. or lower. When the softening point is less than 70 ° C., the glass transition temperature becomes less than 50 ° C., and the toner particles may cause thermal aggregation inside a copying machine, a printer, etc., and may cause a printing failure or a device failure. Furthermore, winding of the transfer material around the fixing roll, an offset phenomenon, etc. easily occur. On the other hand, if the softening point exceeds 150 ° C., there is a risk of poor fixing of toner particles to the transfer material.

  In the self-dispersing resin as described above, from one or two kinds selected from a polyester resin having a softening point of 80 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower and a vinyl copolymer resin having a softening point of 70 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower. A resin is preferred. The molecular weight can be selected from a wide range, but the toner particles obtained can be used as a color toner, the fixability to an OHP sheet or the like can be improved, and the offset region can be shifted to a high temperature side to transfer the toner particles. In view of preventing the occurrence of poor fixing to the toner, it is preferably 2,000 or more and 200,000 or less, more preferably 5,000 or more and 20,000 or less.

  One type of self-dispersing resin may be used alone, or two or more types may be used in combination. For example, the polyester resin, vinyl copolymer resin, polyurethane resin, and epoxy resin exemplified above may be used alone. Even if they are the same type of resin, a plurality of types of resins having different molecular weights, monomer compositions, or the like may be used in combination. Furthermore, at least one of the exemplified resins such as polyester resin, vinyl copolymer resin, polyurethane resin, and epoxy resin is contained in an amount of 50% by weight or more of the self-dispersing resin, and melted by heating other than the exemplified resins. Resin mixtures containing resins that are one or more of the possible synthetic resins may be used. Furthermore, the resin other than the exemplified resin is more preferably a synthetic resin that is compatible with the exemplified resin and can be melted by heating. Specific examples of the water-dispersed polyester include Toyobo's Bironal series.

(Self-dispersing pigment)
In the toner manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention, a self-dispersing pigment is used. The self-dispersing pigment has a hydrophilic functional group on the surface of the pigment, and the hydrophilic functional group is preferably an ionic group and / or an ionizable group. Examples of the hydrophilic functional group include a carboxylic acid group, a group having a carboxylate, a sulfonic acid group, a group having a sulfonate, a sulfophenyl group, a group having a benzenesulfonate, a p-sulfophenyl group, p -Mentioning a group having a benzenesulfonate, a group having a carboxyphenyl group, a group having a benzenecarboxylate, a sulfoamide group, a group having an amidosulfate, a group having a quaternary ammonium salt, a derivative thereof and a mixture thereof Can do.

  As the pigment, a known pigment can be used, and any of blue, brown, cyan, green, violet, magenta, red and yellow pigments or a mixture thereof may be used. Specifically, anthraquinone pigments, phthalocyanine blue pigments, phthalocyanine green pigments, diazo pigments, monoazo pigments, pyranthrone pigments, perylene pigments, heterocyclic yellow, quinacridone, indigoid pigments and thioindigoid pigments Is mentioned. Examples of the anthraquinone pigment include pigment red 43, pigment red 194 (perinone red), pigment red 216 (brominated pyrantrone red), and pigment red 226 (pyrantron red). Examples of the phthalocyanine blue pigment include copper phthalocyanine blue and pigment blue 15 which is a derivative thereof. Examples of the pyrerin pigment include pigment red 123 (bell million), pigment red 149 (scarlet), pigment red 179 (maroon), pigment red 190 (red), pigment violet, pigment red 189 (yellow shade red), and pigment red 224. Etc. Examples of the heterocyclic yellow include pigment yellow 117 and pigment yellow 138. Examples of the quinacridone pigment include Pigment Orange 48, Pigment Orange 49, Pigment Red 122, Pigment Red 192, Pigment Red 202, Pigment Red 206, Pigment Red 207, Pigment Red 209, Pigment Violet 19 and Pigment Violet 42. Examples of the thioindigoid pigment include Pigment Red 86, Pigment Red 87, Pigment Red 88, Pigment Red 181, Pigment Red 198, Pigment Violet 36, and Pigment Violet 38.

  A self-dispersing pigment having a hydrophilic group on the surface of carbon black can also be used. Specifically, as disclosed in JP 10-510861, JP 2000-513396, and JP 2003-519709, a sulfonic acid group, a carboxyl group, a polymer, and the like are provided on the pigment surface. Those directly introduced are preferably used. Moreover, what coated the pigment surface with the sulfonic acid group, the carboxyl group, the polymer, etc. by the phase inversion emulsification method etc. is used preferably.

  A self-dispersion pigment may be used individually by 1 type, and may be used in combination of 2 or more type. When two or more self-dispersing pigments are used in combination, self-dispersing pigments of the same color may be used in combination, or self-dispersing pigments of a plurality of colors may be used in combination. The content of the self-dispersing pigment can be selected from a wide range according to the required toner characteristics in the present invention, but is 0.1% by weight or more and 20% by weight or less with respect to 100% by weight of the resin. More preferably, it is 0.1 wt% or more and 15 wt% or less. When the amount is less than 0.1% by weight, the image density of the formed image is difficult to be excellent, and when the amount is more than 20% by weight, it is difficult to ensure the dispersibility of the self-dispersing pigment in the formed image.

(Polyolefin resin)
In the toner manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention, a polyolefin resin may be used. As the polyolefin resin, known waxes can be used. For example, natural waxes such as carnauba wax and rice wax, polypropylene wax, polyethylene wax, synthetic waxes such as Fischer and Loppa wax, and coal-based waxes such as montan wax. , Alcohol waxes and ester waxes. A polyolefin resin may be used individually by 1 type, and may be used in combination of 2 or more type. It is preferable to use a polyolefin resin emulsified in water.

(Other additives)
In addition to the toner components as described above, additives generally added to the toner, such as a charge control agent and a release agent, may be added as necessary.

  The toner may be subjected to surface modification by adding an external additive. As the external additive, known external additives can be used, and examples thereof include silica and titanium oxide. Furthermore, surface modification may be performed by adding a silicone resin or the like to the external additive. The external additive is preferably 1 part by weight or more and 10 parts by weight or less with respect to 100 parts by weight of the toner particles.

  The toner obtained by the toner production method of the present invention can be used as a one-component developer or a two-component developer. When used as a one-component developer, a carrier is not used, only toner is used, a blade and a fur brush are used, a toner is frictionally charged by a developing sleeve, and the toner is attached onto the sleeve to form an image. .

  When used as a two-component developer, toner is used together with a carrier. As the carrier, a known carrier can be used, and examples thereof include a single or composite ferrite composed of iron, copper, zinc, nickel, cobalt, manganese, chromium and the like and a carrier core particle whose surface is coated with a coating substance. As the coating material, known materials can be used. For example, polytetrafluoroethylene, monochlorotrifluoroethylene polymer, polyvinylidene fluoride, silicone resin, polyester resin, metal compound of ditertiary butylsalicylic acid, styrene resin, acrylic Resins, polyacids, polyvinyllarls, nigrosine, aminoacrylate resins, basic dyes, lakes of basic dyes, silica fine powders, alumina fine powders and the like can be mentioned, and these are preferably selected according to the toner components. Moreover, a coating substance may be used individually by 1 type, and may be used in combination of 2 or more type. The average particle size of the carrier is preferably 10 μm or more and 100 μm or less, and more preferably 20 μm or more and 50 μm or less.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples and comparative examples, but the present invention is not limited to the examples as long as the gist thereof is not exceeded.

[Synthesis of polyester resin]
(Polyester resin 1)
In an autoclave equipped with a thermometer and a stirrer, 113 parts by weight of dimethyl terephthalate, 75 parts by weight of dimethyl isophthalate, 6 parts by weight of 5-sodiumsulfodimethylisophthalate, 97 parts by weight of ethylene glycol, 50 parts by weight of propylene glycol and tetrabutoxy as a catalyst 0.1 part by weight of titanate is added, and the reaction is allowed to stir for 120 minutes while heating at 150 ° C. or higher and 230 ° C. or lower. Then, the polyester resin 1 was obtained by heating to 250 degreeC, pressure-reducing the system pressure to 1 mmHg or more and 10 mmHg or less, and making it react for about 1 hour stirring.

(Polyester resin 2)
Instead of 113 parts by weight of dimethyl terephthalate, 75 parts by weight of dimethyl isophthalate, 6 parts by weight of 5-sodiumsulfodimethylisophthalate, 97 parts by weight of ethylene glycol, 50 parts by weight of propylene glycol and 0.1 part by weight of tetrabutoxy titanate as a catalyst, 136 parts by weight of dimethyl terephthalate, 47 parts by weight of dimethyl isophthalate, 6 parts by weight of 5-sodium sulfodimethyl isophthalate, 8.5 parts by weight of trimellitic acid, 111 parts by weight of ethylene glycol, cyclohexanediol A polyester resin 2 was obtained by synthesizing in the same manner as the polyester resin 1 except that 49 parts by weight and 0.1 parts by weight of tetrabutoxy titanate as a catalyst were used.

(Polyester resin 3)
Instead of 113 parts by weight of dimethyl terephthalate, 75 parts by weight of dimethyl isophthalate, 6 parts by weight of 5-sodiumsulfodimethylisophthalate, 97 parts by weight of ethylene glycol, 50 parts by weight of propylene glycol and 0.1 part by weight of tetrabutoxy titanate as a catalyst, t-butylbenzoic acid 14.3 parts by weight, dimethyl terephthalate 95 parts by weight, dimethyl isophthalate 80 parts by weight, 5-sodium sulfodimethylisophthalate 6 parts by weight, ethylene glycol 108 parts by weight, Polyester resin 3 was obtained by synthesizing in the same manner as polyester resin 1 except that 91 parts by weight of tricyclodecane dimethanol and 0.1 part by weight of tetrabutoxy titanate as a catalyst were used.

(Polyester resin 4)
Instead of 113 parts by weight of dimethyl terephthalate, 75 parts by weight of dimethyl isophthalate, 6 parts by weight of 5-sodiumsulfodimethylisophthalate, 97 parts by weight of ethylene glycol, 50 parts by weight of propylene glycol and 0.1 part by weight of tetrabutoxy titanate as a catalyst, 1,5-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid 32.4 parts by weight, dimethyl terephthalate 78 parts by weight, dimethyl isophthalate 78 parts by weight, 5-sodium sulfodimethylisophthalate 6 parts by weight, trimellitic acid 6.3 Polyester resin 4 was synthesized in the same manner as polyester resin 1 except that parts by weight, 130 parts by weight of ethylene glycol, 8.4 parts by weight of propion glycol, and 0.1 parts by weight of tetrabutoxy titanate as a catalyst. Obtained.

  Table 1 shows the composition, glass transition temperature, acid value, molecular weight, sodium sulfonate group equivalent, and reduced viscosity of the obtained polyester resins 1 to 4. Composition is NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) analysis, glass transition temperature is DSC (differential scanning calorimeter) measurement, acid value is acid-base titration, molecular weight is GPC (gel permeation chromatography) measurement, sodium sulfonate group Equivalents were determined by quantitative determination of sulfur. The reduced viscosity was measured by dissolving 0.01 g of a polyester resin in 250 cc of a mixed solvent of phenol / tetrachloroethane (weight ratio 6: 4) and using an Ostwald viscometer at a measurement temperature of 30 ° C.

[Preparation of water dispersion of polyester resin water]
(Polyester resin water fine dispersion 1)
100 parts by weight of polyester resin 1 and 75 parts by weight of butyl cellosolve were added to a four-necked 10-liter separable flask equipped with a thermometer, a condenser, and a stirring blade, and dissolved by stirring at 70 ° C. Next, after adding 500 parts by weight of ionized water at 70 ° C. and dispersing in water, it is distilled until the fraction temperature reaches 100 ° C. in a distillation flask, cooled, and then water is added to obtain a solid content. A polyester resin water fine dispersion 1 was obtained by adjusting the concentration to 30%. The average particle diameter of the finely dispersed particles present in the obtained polyester water fine dispersion 1 was 0.1 μm.

(Polyester resin water fine dispersion 2)
A polyester resin aqueous fine dispersion 1 was prepared in the same manner as in the case of using the polyester resin 2 instead of the polyester resin 1.

(Polyester resin water fine dispersion 3)
A polyester resin aqueous fine dispersion 1 was prepared in the same manner as in the case of using the polyester resin 3 instead of the polyester resin 1.

(Polyester resin water fine dispersion 4)
A polyester resin aqueous fine dispersion 1 was prepared in the same manner as the polyester resin 1 except that the polyester resin 4 was used instead of the polyester resin 1.

[Example 1]
(Mixed liquid preparation process)
Self-dispersing pigment magenta (manufactured by Cabot: Cabojet 260M, functional group: sulfonic acid group) and polyester water fine dispersion 1 were mixed at a solid content concentration (% by weight) shown in Table 2 to obtain a mixed solution.

(Aggregate formation process)
The obtained mixed solution was stirred at 2000 rpm using a homogenizer, 0.1 wt% magnesium sulfate aqueous solution was added dropwise little by little, and then this mixed solution was stirred for 1 hour. By doing so, the aggregate which is a toner was formed in the aqueous medium.

(Particle formation process)
The aqueous medium containing the agglomerates was heated to 75 ° C. and stirring was continued for another 2 hours to form agglomerates having a uniform particle size and shape.

(Washing process)
Furthermore, the agglomerate was washed by exchanging the supernatant liquid of the aqueous medium containing the agglomerate three times with pure water, filtered, and dried using a vacuum dryer to prepare a magenta toner.

  In addition, the pure water used for washing | cleaning uses the water of 0.5 micro S / cm prepared from the tap water using the ultrapure water manufacturing apparatus (ADVANTEC company_made: Ultra Pure Water System CPW-102), pH of water, and The conductivity was measured using a Lacom tester (manufactured by Inoue Seieido: EC-PHCON10).

  Toner was manufactured by adding 0.7 parts by weight of silica particles treated with a silane coupling agent having an average primary particle diameter of 20 nm to 100 parts by weight of the toner obtained above and externally adding them.

[Example 2]
Example 1 except that a mixed liquid was prepared using a self-dispersing pigment cyan (manufactured by Cabot: Cabot Jet 250C, functional group: sulfonic acid group) and a polyester aqueous dispersion 2 at a solid content concentration (% by weight) shown in Table 2. A toner was manufactured in the same manner as described above to obtain a cyan toner.

[Example 3]
Example 1 except that a mixture was prepared using the self-dispersing pigment yellow (Cabot Corporation: Cabojet 270Y, functional group: sulfonic acid group) and the polyester aqueous dispersion 3 at a solid content concentration (% by weight) shown in Table 2. A toner was manufactured in the same manner as above to obtain a yellow toner.

[Example 4]
Example 1 except that a mixed solution was prepared using a self-dispersing pigment black (manufactured by Cabot: Cabojet 300, functional group: carboxylic acid group) and a polyester aqueous dispersion 4 at a solid content concentration (% by weight) shown in Table 2. A toner was manufactured in the same manner as described above to obtain a black toner.

[Example 5]
Self-dispersing pigment black (manufactured by Cabot: Cabojet 300, functional group: carboxylic acid group), polyester aqueous dispersion 4 and wax (manufactured by Toho Chemical Co., Ltd .: Hitech E-68A) at a solid content concentration (% by weight) shown in Table 2 The toner was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the mixed solution was prepared using the above method to obtain a black toner.

[Comparative Example 1]
A magenta pigment (BASF Co., Ltd .: Eupolen Red 47-9001) and a polyester aqueous dispersion 1 dispersed with a cationic dispersant (Kao Corporation: Sanizol B50) at a solid content concentration (% by weight) shown in Table 2 A toner was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the mixed solution was prepared, and a magenta toner was obtained.

[Comparative Example 2]
Cyan pigment (BASF Corp .: Eupolene Blue 69-1501) and polyester aqueous dispersion dispersed with a nonionic dispersant (Sanyo Kasei Co., Ltd .: Nonipol 400) at a solid content concentration (% by weight) shown in Table 2 A toner was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a mixed solution was prepared using 2 to obtain a cyan toner.

[Comparative Example 3]
Yellow pigment (BASF: Eupolene Yellow 09-6101) and polyester water dispersion dispersed with an anionic dispersant (Johnson Polymer: Joncrill J52) at a solid content concentration (% by weight) shown in Table 2 A toner was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a liquid mixture was prepared using the body 3 to obtain a yellow toner.

[Comparative Example 4]
Except for preparing a liquid mixture using a yellow pigment (BASF: Eupolene Yellow 09-6101) dispersed in polyester resin 1 and polyester water dispersion 4 at a solid content concentration (% by weight) shown in Table 2. A toner was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain a yellow toner.

[Evaluation methods]
For Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4, the particle size and coefficient of variation of toner particles, average circularity, image density evaluation, fog evaluation, pigment dispersibility evaluation, and transfer rate evaluation were performed as follows. The physical properties of the toner particles prepared by the above method were evaluated by the following evaluation methods, and the results are shown in Table 3.

  Symbols such as “◯”, “Δ”, and “x” described in the description of the evaluation items below are symbols indicating evaluation results used in Table 3. “◯” indicates that it is very excellent, “Δ” indicates that it is practical, and “×” indicates that practical use is difficult.

(Particle size and coefficient of variation)
The particle size and coefficient of variation of the toner particles were measured using a Coulter Multisizer II (manufactured by Coulter Inc.) and evaluated based on the following criteria based on the coefficient of variation. The number of measured particles was 50,000 counts, and the aperture diameter was 100 μm.
○: The coefficient of variation is 40 or less.
X: The coefficient of variation is less than 40.

(Average circularity)
The average circularity of the toner particles was measured using a flow particle image analyzer (manufactured by Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd .: FPIA-2000). The average circularity is defined by the following formula in the projected image of the particles detected by the flow type particle image analyzer, and has a value of 1 or less.
Average circularity = (perimeter of a circle having the same area as the projected image) / (perimeter of the projected image)

(Image density)
The image density was evaluated by measuring the optical density of the evaluation image using a spectrocolorimetric densitometer (manufactured by Nippon Planographic Printing Equipment Co., Ltd .: X-Rite 938) and based on the optical density based on the following criteria. The evaluation image is a full-color dedicated paper (Sharp Corporation) using toner particles as a developer in a digital full-color multifunction peripheral (Sharp: AR-C150) developing device modified for non-magnetic one-component development. (Manufactured: PP106A4C), the amount of toner particles attached was adjusted so as to be 0.6 mg / cm ² , printed, and prepared using an external fixing machine.
○: Optical density is 1.2 or more.
X: The optical density is less than 1.2.

(Fog)
The fog was evaluated as follows. In the case of black toner, the whiteness of A4 size full color paper (manufactured by Sharp Corporation: PP106A4C) is measured in advance using a whiteness meter (manufactured by Nippon Denshoku Industries Co., Ltd .: Z-Σ90 COLOR MEASURING SYSTEM). Is the first measured value W1. Next, three originals including a white circle with a diameter of 55 mm are copied, and the whiteness of the obtained white portion is measured with a whiteness meter, and this value is set as a second measurement value W2. The fog density W (%) was calculated from the following formula, and evaluated according to the following criteria based on the fog density.
W = {100 × (W1-W2) / W1}
○: The fog density W is 2.0% or less.
X: The fog density W is higher than 2.0%.

(Idle evaluation)
The toner 70g was rotated at the same rotational speed as that of the image forming apparatus, the toner charge amount at that time was measured, and evaluated based on the following criteria based on the change rate of the toner charge amount with respect to the idling time.
○: Change rate is within 60%.
X: The rate of change is greater than 60%.

(Transfer rate)
The transfer rate T (%) is obtained by measuring the toner particle weight Mp on the paper surface on which a predetermined chart is copied and the toner particle weight Md remaining on the photosensitive member, and is calculated from the following formula. %) Based on the following criteria.
T = {Mp / (Md + Mp) × 100}
○: Transfer rate T is 90% or more.
X: Transfer rate T is less than 90%.

  Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 were comparatively evaluated according to the above methods. The results are shown in Table 3.

  As apparent from Table 3, the toners (Examples 1 to 5) manufactured by the toner manufacturing method of the present invention have excellent toner characteristics such as particle size distribution, image density, fogging, idling evaluation, and transfer rate. It was found that the toner can be produced.

  When a dispersed pigment dispersed with a cationic dispersant is used instead of using a self-dispersing pigment (Comparative Example 1), aggregation starts before the aggregating agent is added, and a particulate toner cannot be produced. It was. Therefore, it was determined that the average circularity, image density, fog, idling evaluation, and transfer rate do not need to be measured.

  If a dispersion pigment dispersed with a nonionic dispersant or an anionic dispersant is used instead of using a self-dispersion pigment (Comparative Examples 2 and 3), the particles are formed, but the dispersant remains in the toner, and the production is continued. The toner thus produced was fogged and had a large rate of change in the toner charge amount.

  In addition, when a polyester resin that is a self-dispersing resin was used as the dispersant (Comparative Example 4), the dispersion of the pigment was insufficient, so that a particulate toner could not be produced. Therefore, as in Comparative Example 1, it was determined that the average circularity, image density, fog, idling evaluation, and transfer rate do not need to be measured.

It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the toner which is this invention.

Claims (14)

A mixed solution preparation step of preparing a mixed solution by mixing at least a self-dispersing pigment and a self-dispersing resin in water;
A method for producing a toner comprising: an agglomerate forming step of adding an aqueous solution containing an aggregating agent while stirring the mixed solution to form an agglomerate in an aqueous medium. A mixed solution preparation step of preparing a mixed solution by mixing at least a self-dispersing pigment, a self-dispersing resin and a polyolefin resin with water;
A method for producing a toner comprising: an agglomerate forming step of adding an aqueous solution containing an aggregating agent while stirring the mixed solution to form an agglomerate in an aqueous medium.   The toner manufacturing method according to claim 1, further comprising a particle forming step of stirring the aqueous medium containing the aggregates while heating to form particles of the aggregates.   The method for producing a toner according to claim 1, further comprising a washing step of washing and drying the aggregate.   The toner production method according to claim 1, wherein the flocculant is a polyvalent metal salt.   6. The toner manufacturing method according to claim 5, wherein the polyvalent metal salt is magnesium sulfate and / or aluminum sulfate.   The method for producing a toner according to claim 1, wherein the agglomerate forming step stirs mechanically by applying a shearing force.   The method for producing a toner according to claim 1, wherein the self-dispersing pigment is a pigment having a hydrophilic functional group on a surface thereof.   The method for producing a toner according to claim 8, wherein the hydrophilic functional group is an ionic group and / or a group capable of ionization.   Hydrophilic functional groups include carboxylic acid groups, carboxylate-containing groups, sulfonic acid groups, sulfonate-containing groups, sulfophenyl groups, benzenesulfonate-containing groups, p-sulfophenyl groups, and p-benzenesulfone. A group having an acid salt, a group having a carboxyphenyl group, a group having a benzene carboxylate, a sulfoamide group, a group having an amidosulfate, a group having a quaternary ammonium salt, a derivative thereof, or a mixture thereof. 9. The method for producing a toner according to claim 8, wherein   The toner manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the self-dispersing resin is a resin including a hydrophilic monomer in a main chain.   The toner manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the self-dispersing resin is a polyester resin.   The method for producing a toner according to claim 11, wherein the hydrophilic monomer is a monomer having an alkali metal sulfonate.   A toner manufactured by the toner manufacturing method according to claim 1.

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