Patent ID: 6537730
Filing Date: 2003-03-25
Classification: B41C,B41M,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of imaging comprising the steps of:A) providing an imaging member comprising a support having disposed thereon a hydrophilic imaging layer, and B) imagewise exposing said imaging member to provide exposed and unexposed areas in the imaging layer of said imaging member, whereby said exposed areas are rendered more hydrophobic than said unexposed areas by heat provided by said imagewise exposure, said hydrophilic imaging layer being prepared from a) a hydrophilic heat-sensitive ionomer, b) water or a water-miscible organic solvent, and c) an infrared radiation sensitive dye that is soluble in water or said water-miscible organic solvent, wherein the infrared radiation sensitive dye comprises an organic moiety comprising an infrared sensitive group and at least three sulfo groups covalently bound to the organic moiety, wherein said heat-sensitive ionomer is selected from the following two classes of polymers: I) a crosslinked or uncrosslinked vinyl polymer comprising recurring unites comprising positively-charged, pendant N-alkylated aromatic heterocyclic groups represented by the Structure I wherein R1 is an alkyl group, R2 is an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an aryl group, an alkenyl, halo, a cycloalkyl group, or a heterocyclic group having 5 to 8 atoms in the ring, Zâ€³ represents the carbon and nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur atoms necessary to complete an aromatic N-heterocyclic ring having 5 to 10 atoms in the ring, n is 0 to 6, and Wâˆ’ is an anion, and II) a crosslinked polymer comprising recurring organoonium groups represented by the structure VI: wherein ORG represents organoonium groups, Xâ€² represents recurring units to which the ORG groups are attached, Yâ€² represents recurring units derived from ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable monomers that may provide active sites for crosslinking, Zâ€² represents recurring units derived from any additional ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable monomers, xâ€² is from about 20 to about 99 mol %, yâ€² is from about 1 to about 20 mol % and zâ€² is from 0 to about 79 mol %.