Water-soluble amphiphilic polymers containing styrene
(St), acrylic
acid (AA), or sulfonic acid moieties were synthesized and evaluated
as polymeric surfactants for dye dispersions. 2-Acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic
acid (AMPS) was employed as a hydrophilic monomer containing a sulfonic
acid moiety. The sulfonic acid moieties are effective hydrophilic
molecular components adding moderate redispersion properties. Rheology,
particle size distribution, surface tension, surface excess (Γmax), minimum area per molecule (A
min), and redispersion properties were examined. This is because these
factors are important in controlling the physical properties of an
ink solution and the quality of printed materials. After the examination
of surface parameters, the copolymer using St, AA, and AMPS shows
the highest Γmax, indicating that it is most densely
packed at the water/air interface. Aqueous solutions of polymers containing
an AA moiety exhibit pseudoplastic properties, whereas those containing
only a sulfonic acid moiety show a clear Newtonian fluid property.
All color dispersions show unimodal particle size distribution and
stable dispersion after thermal aging. However, sedimentation of dye
particles was observed for polymers containing AMPS. Incorporation
of AA and AMPS moieties in the amphiphilic polymer structure is proven
to be suitable for the redispersion of dried or solidified ink into
aqueous media. Regarding the rheology and the surface parameters,
this study has shown that water-soluble polymers with sulfonic acid
groups exhibit different properties from those containing acrylic
acid. The introduction of sulfonic acid groups into conventional amphiphilic
polymers consisting solely of styrene and acrylic acid was found to
improve the redispersion properties of the ink. In this study, we
demonstrate the potential of water-soluble amphiphilic polymers containing
sulfonic acid groups as dispersants for inkjet inks.