Patent ID: 7049042
Filing Date: 2006-05-23
Classification: C08J,G03G

Abstract:
1. A process comprising mixing a colorant, a latex emulsion, a coagulant comprised of a cationic wax dispersion and a cationic surfactant, and wherein said colorant is a colorant dispersion comprised of (i) a colorant, water, and an ionic surfactant, or a nonionic surfactant, and wherein said latex is an emulsion comprised of an ionic surfactant, water and resin; (ii) wherein the colorant dispersion is blended with the latex emulsion; (iii) adding to the resulting blend a coagulant comprised of said cationic wax comprised of a dispersion of submicron wax particles of a size of from about 0.1 to about 0.5 micron in diameter by volume, which wax is dispersed in said cationic surfactant with an opposite charge polarity than that of said latex ionic surfactant to thereby primarily initiate flocculation or aggregation of the resin latex and the colorant; (iv) heating the resulting mixture below about the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the latex resin to form toner sized aggregates; (v) optionally adding to the formed toner aggregates a second latex comprised of resin suspended in an aqueous phase containing an ionic surfactant and water; (vi) adding to the resulting mixture a base to thereby change the pH which is from about 2 to about 2.9 to arrive at a pH of from about 5 to about 8 for the resulting aggregate mixture; (vii) heating the resulting aggregate suspension of (vi) above about to the Tg of the latex resin of (i); (viii) optionally retaining the mixture temperature at from about 70° C. to about 95° C. optionally for a period of about 10 to about 60 minutes, followed by a pH reduction with an acid to arrive at a pH of about 3.5 to about 5 to assist in permitting the fusion or coalescence of the aggregates; and (ix) isolating the product wherein said product is a toner.