Gel organosol including amphipathic copolymeric binder having acid/base functionality and liquid toners for electrophotographic applications

摘要

The present invention provides liquid toner compositions in which the polymeric binder is chemically grown in the form of copolymeric binder particles dispersed in a liquid carrier. The polymeric binder includes at least one amphipathic copolymer comprising one or more S material portions and one or more D material portions, wherein the components of the composition comprise sufficient acid and base functionality to provide a three dimensional gel of controlled rigidity which can be reversibly reduced to a fluid state by application of energy, and wherein the electrophotographic toner composition does not form a film under Photoreceptor Image Formation conditions. The toners as described herein surprisingly provide compositions that are particularly suitable for electrophotographic processes wherein the transfer of the image from the surface of a photoconductor to an intermediate transfer material or directly to a print medium is carried out without film formation on the photoconductor. Methods of making liquid electrophotographic toner compositions and methods of electrophotographically forming an image on a substrate surface are also disclosed.