Abstract: A thermally-responsive dispersant for an aqueous dispersion of positively- or negatively-charged or chargeable solid or liquid particulates, comprises a compound having an anchoring moiety linked to a thermally-responsive polymeric stabilizing moiety, other than a polyalkylene oxide, the polymeric moiety having a lower affinity for the surface than the anchoring group below the thermal transition temperature, the particulates being positively-charged or chargeable when the anchoring moiety contains an acid and/or hydroxy group and has a net acidity or neutrality and the particulates being negatively-charged or chargeable when the anchoring moiety has a basic group and has a net basicity, wherein the dispersion exhibits a change in sign from negative to positive and an increase in magnitude of a rheological property (viscosity at low shear and/or complex modulus at low amplitude oscillatory shear), on increasing the temperature from below to above the thermal transition temperature.

Abstract: The invention provides a dispersant for an aqueous dispersion of negatively charged or chargeable solid particulates which comprises a compound having an anchoring moiety linked to a polymeric hydrophilic moiety, the anchoring moiety containing at least one basic group and having an overall basicity and the polymeric moiety having a lower affinity for the particulate surface than the anchoring moiety. The invention also provides a coating composition containing the dispersant, an inkjet recording element containing the dispersant and methods of coating or reducing viscosity using the dispersant.

Abstract: The invention provides a dispersant for an aqueous dispersion of positively charged or chargeable solid particulates which comprises a compound having an anchoring moiety linked to a polymeric hydrophilic moiety, the anchoring moiety containing at least one acid and/or hydroxy group and having an overall acidity or neutrality and the polymeric moiety having a lower affinity for the particulate surface than the anchoring moiety. The anchoring moiety preferably contains at least two acid groups, preferably carboxylic acid groups, attached either in a [1,1], [1,2] or [1,3] relationship and is linked to the polymeric moiety, which is preferably derived from acrylamide or methacrylamide monomer units, preferably by a sulfur atom. The dispersant can reduce the viscosity of an aqueous dispersion of positively charged or chargeable solid particulates and can reduce the tendency of the resulting dispersion to form a gel or a yield stress material.

Abstract: The invention provides a coating composition containing boehmite particles and a dispersant which comprises a compound having an anchoring moiety linked to a polymeric hydrophilic moiety, the anchoring moiety containing at least one acid and/or hydroxy group and having overall acidity or neutrality and the polymeric moiety having a lower affinity for a boehmite surface than the anchoring moiety. The anchoring moiety preferably contains at least two acid groups, preferably carboxylic acid groups, attached either in a [1,1], [1,2] or [1,3] relationship and is linked to the polymeric moiety, which is preferably derived from acrylamide or methacrylamide monomer units, preferably by a sulfur atom. The dispersant can reduce the viscosity of the boehmite dispersion and the tendency of the boehmite dispersion to increase in viscosity and/or form a gel or a yield stress material following periods of high shear stress.

Abstract: A thermally-responsive dispersant for an aqueous dispersion of positively- or negatively-charged or chargeable solid or liquid particulate, comprises a compound having an anchoring moiety linked to a thermally-responsive polymeric stabilizing moiety, other than a polyalkylene oxide, the polymeric moiety having a lower affinity for the surface than the anchoring group below the thermal transition temperature, the particulates being positively-charged or chargeable when the anchoring moiety contains an acid and/or hydroxy group and has a net acidity or neutrality and the particulates being negatively-charged or chargeable when the anchoring moiety has a basic group and has a net basicity, wherein the dispersion exhibits a change in sign from negative to positive and an increase in magnitude of a rheological property (viscosity at low shear and/or complex modulus at low amplitude oscillatory shear), on increasing the temperature from below to above the thermal transition temperature.

Abstract: Pigments for inkjet inks are controllably functionalised to improve water-dispersibility, ozone resistance, etc., by irradiation of the pigment particle with high energy radiation, such as gamma radiation in air or by plasma activation, to form a stable functionalisable intermediate pigment particle, then activating the stable functionalisable intermediate, e.g. by heating, in the presence of a functionalising precursor (e.g. a polymer or polymerisable monomer) to form a modified pigment particle having one or more functionalising group grafted onto the pigment particle.

Abstract: The invention relates to an image-recording element comprising a support and an image-receiving layer, wherein the image-receiving layer comprises anionic colloidal silica particles, hydrophilic polymeric binder, and fluorosurfactant, wherein the binder is present in an amount of between 2% and 15% weight of the image-receiving layer, the image-recording element has a 60-degree gloss of greater than 25, and a dry time of less than 1 minute.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of making a material, said method comprising generating a foamed hydrophilic polymer solution, especially of a gelatin or derivative thereof, and treating said foamed hydrophilic polymer solution with sufficient energy and for a sufficiently short time that a polymer foam having an open-cell structure is formed. The invention also provides a material comprising a support and an ink receiving layer supported on the support, the ink receiving layer comprising porous hydrophilic polymer, especially gelatin, and is formed by coating a solution of foamed hydrophilic polymer, especially gelatin, onto a support substrate and drying the coated substrate for a time period selected to be short enough such that an open-cell foam is formed.

Abstract: The invention provides a dispersant for an aqueous dispersion of negatively charged or chargeable solid particulates which comprises a compound having an anchoring moiety linked to a polymeric hydrophilic moiety, the anchoring moiety containing at least one basic group and having an overall basicity and the polymeric moiety having a lower affinity for the particulate surface than the anchoring moiety. The invention also provides a coating composition containing the dispersant, an inkjet recording element containing the dispersant and methods of coating or reducing viscosity using the dispersant.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a water dispersible polymer particle stabilized by a hydrophobically capped oligomeric acrylamide dispersant. The present invention also discloses a heterogeneous method for forming polymer particles comprising providing a water immiscible organic phase comprising at least one monomer dispersed in a continuous water phase and a hydrophobically capped oligomeric acrylamide, and polymerizing said organic phase to yield polymer particles stabilized with hydrophobically capped oligomeric acrylamide. Also disclosed in the present invention is a heterogeneous method for forming polymer particles comprising providing a water immiscible organic dispersed in a continuous water phase, polymerizing said organic phase, and adding bydrophobically capped oligomeric acrylamide to yield polymer particles stabilized with hydrophobically capped oligomeric acrylamide.

Abstract: The invention provides a dispersant for an aqueous dispersion of positively charged or chargeable solid particulates which comprises a compound having an anchoring moiety linked to a polymeric hydrophilic moiety, the anchoring moiety containing at least one acid and/or hydroxy group and having an overall acidity or neutrality and the polymeric moiety having a lower affinity for the particulate surface than the anchoring moiety. The anchoring moiety preferably contains at least two acid groups, preferably carboxylic acid groups, attached either in a [1,1], [1,2] or [1,3] relationship and is linked to the polymeric moiety, which is preferably derived from acrylamide or methacrylamide monomer units, preferably by a sulfur atom. The dispersant can reduce the viscosity of an aqueous dispersion of positively charged or chargeable solid particulates and can reduce the tendency of the resulting dispersion to form a gel or a yield stress material.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an ink printing method including the steps of: a) providing an ink printer that is responsive to digital data signals; b) loading said printer with an image-recording element including a support having thereon at least one image-receiving layer comprising polymeric particles in a polymeric binder, wherein said polymeric particle is stabilized by a hydrophobically capped oligomeric acrylamide dispersant; c) loading said printer with an ink composition; and d) printing on said image-recording element using said ink composition in response to said digital data signals.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of making a material comprising the steps of: coating a support with a solution comprising a polymer, a blowing agent and a surfactant. Either prior to or after the step of coating the support, the solution is interacted with to cause the blowing agent to generate bubbles within the solution causing foaming of the polymer. The surfactant is selected in dependence on whether or not it satisfies one or more predetermined criteria, to control the size of the bubbles.

Abstract: A water dispersible polymer particle stabilized by a hydrophobically capped oligomeric acrylamide dispersant or a heterogeneous method for forming polymer particles comprising providing a water immiscible organic phase comprising at least one monomer dispersed in a continuous water phase and a hydrophobically capped oligomeric acrylamide, and polymerizing the organic phase to yield polymer particles stabilized with hydrophobically capped oligomeric acrylamide. Also, a heterogeneous method for forming polymer particles comprising providing a water immiscible organic dispersed in a continuous water phase, polymerizing the organic phase, and adding hydrophobically capped oligomeric acrylamide to yield polymer particles stabilized with hydrophobically capped oligomeric acrylamide.

Abstract: An ink recording element is described comprising a support having thereon at least one image-receiving layer comprising polymeric particles in a polymeric binder, wherein the polymeric particle is stabilized by a hydrophobically-capped oligomeric acrylamide dispersant.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of spectrally sensitizing a silver halide emulsion comprising the following steps in the following order a) providing a silver halide emulsion comprising tabular silver halide grains having an inner dye layer adjacent to the silver halide grain, said dye layer comprising at least one dye (Dye 1) that is capable of spectrally sensitizing silver halide, b) adding to the emulsion at least one dye (Dye 2) capable of providing a second dye layer adjacent to the inner dye layer, and c) adding to the emulsion a non-cationic surfactant or a scavenger for oxidized developer, or a combination of the two, to form a silver halide emulsion comprising silver halide grains having associated therewith two dye layers, wherein the dye layers are held together by non-covalent forces or by in situ bond formation; the outer dye layer adsorbs light at equal or higher energy than the inner dye layer; and the energy emission wavelength of the outer dye layer overlaps with the energy absorption

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of spectrally sensitizing a silver halide emulsion comprising the following steps in the following order a) providing a silver halide emulsion comprising tabular silver halide grains having an inner dye layer adjacent to the silver halide grain, said dye layer comprising at least one dye (Dye 1) that is capable of spectrally sensitizing silver halide, b) adding to the emulsion at least one dye (Dye 2) capable of providing a second dye layer adjacent to the inner dye layer, and c) adding to the emulsion a non-cationic surfactant or a scavenger for oxidized developer, or a combination of the two, to form a silver halide emulsion comprising silver halide grains having associated therewith two dye layers, wherein the dye layers are held together by non-covalent forces or by in situ bond formation; the outer dye layer adsorbs light at equal or higher energy than the inner dye layer; and the energy emission wavelength of the outer dye layer overlaps with the energy absorption

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of spectrally sensitizing a silver halide emulsion comprising the following steps in the following order

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of spectrally sensitizing a silver halide emulsion comprising the following steps in the following order

Abstract: The invention provides a method of making a material comprising the steps of: coating a support with a solution comprising a polymer, a blowing agent and a surfactant. Either prior to or after the step of coating the support, the solution is interacted with to cause the blowing agent to generate bubbles within the solution causing foaming of the polymer. The surfactant is selected in dependence on whether or not it satisfies one or more predetermined criteria, to control the size of the bubbles.