Abstract: A method for producing a polymer, including: (i) bringing a compressive fluid and raw materials containing a ring-opening polymerizable monomer into contact with each other at a mixing ratio represented by the following formula, to thereby allow the ring-opening polymerizable monomer to carry out ring-opening polymerization in the presence of a metal catalyst: 1{Mass of the raw materials/(Mass of the raw materials+Mass of the compressive fluid)}0.5.

Abstract: An electrostatic image forming toner including: toner base particles each containing at least a colorant, a binder resin, and a releasing agent, wherein the binder resin contains a non-crystalline polyester resin A and a crystalline polyester resin B, wherein a ratio of B/(A+B)×100 is 10 or more but less than 50 where (A+B) is a total mass of the non-crystalline polyester resin A and the crystalline polyester resin B and “B” is a mass of the crystalline polyester resin B, and wherein the toner base particles have a TMA compression deformation amount (TMA %) of 10% or less which is measured at 50° C. and a relative humidity of 90%.

Abstract: An electrophotographic toner including: a binder resin, wherein the binder resin has one glass transition temperature Tg and the glass transition temperature Tg of the binder resin is within 25° C. to 65° C. as measured in second heating with a differential scanning calorimeter at a heating rate of 5° C./min, and wherein a phase image of the binder resin obtained with an atomic force microscope (AFM) of tapping mode contains first phase difference regions and a second phase difference region such that the first phase difference regions are dispersed in the second phase difference region, where the first phase difference regions correspond to greater phase difference regions and the second phase difference region corresponds to a smaller phase difference region when an intermediate value between a maximum value and a minimum value of the phase differences is used as a threshold.

Abstract: A toner prepared by a method comprising granulating while polymerizing a ring-opening polymerizable monomer with a catalyst under the presence of a surfactant and a colorant in a compressible fluid.

Abstract: A method for producing particles, including: bringing a compressive fluid into contact with a pressure plastic material, so as to plasticize the pressure plastic material; applying a shear force to the compressive fluid and the plasticized pressure plastic material, between which an interface exists, in the presence of a surfactant to granulate the pressure plastic material in the compressive fluid, so as to produce particles.

Abstract: To pvodie a method for producing a polymer, which contains continuously supplying and bringing at least a ring-opening polymerizable monomer and a compressive fluid into contact with each other, to thereby allow the ring-opening polymerizable monomer to carry out ring-opening polymerization to continuously generate a polymer.

Abstract: A method for producing polymer particles, including (A) polymerizing and granulating a ring-opening polymerizable monomer in a compressive fluid with a catalyst in the presence of a surfactant, or (B) polymerizing and granulating an addition polymerizable monomer in a compressive fluid in the presence of a silicone surfactant.

Abstract: To provide a method for producing a polymer, which contains: bringing an intermediate polymer, which has been obtained through ring-opening polymerization of a ring-opening polymerizable monomer, into contact with, and melting the intermediate polymer in a compressive fluid having a density of 230 kg/m3 or greater, at temperature lower than a melting point of the intermediate polymer, at a ratio of 0.05 to 10, to dissolve a low-molecular-weight compound contained in the intermediate polymer in the compressive fluid, to thereby extract the low-molecular-weight compound, wherein the ratio is a ratio of a mass of the intermediate polymer to a mass of the compressive fluid.

Abstract: To provide a polymer product, which is substantially free from an organic solvent and a metal atom, and has a number average molecular weight of 12,000 or greater.

Abstract: To provide a method for producing a polymer, which contains: bringing a compressive fluid and a ring-opening polymerizable monomer into contact with each other, followed by adding a catalyst thereto, to thereby allow the ring-opening polymerizable monomer to carry out ring-opening polymerization.

Abstract: To provide a toner including at least a binder resin and a colorant, wherein the binder resin has two glass transition temperatures Tg1 and Tg2 in a differential scanning calorimetry at a heating speed of 5° C./min, the glass transition temperature Tg1 is ?20° C. to 20° C., and the glass transition temperature Tg2 is 35° C. to 65° C., wherein the binder resin comprises a polyester skeleton and a ring-containing skeleton molecule at ends thereof, and wherein the binder resin is obtained by block copolymerization of: a polyester skeleton A which includes a structural unit obtained by dehydration condensation of a hydroxycarboxylic acid in a repeating structure; and a skeleton B which does not include a structural unit obtained by dehydration condensation of a hydroxycarboxylic acid in a repeating structure.

Abstract: A toner including a colorant and a first binder resin is provided. The first binder resin has first and second glass transition points at a temperature Tg1 of ?20 to 20° C. and a temperature Tg2 of 35 to 65° C., respectively, measured by a differential scanning calorimeter at a heating rate of 5° C./min. A ratio h1/h2 of a baseline displacement h1 observed in the first glass transition point to a baseline displacement h2 observed in the second glass transition point is less than 1.0. The first binder resin has a structure in which a first phase is dispersed in a second phase. The first and second phases consist of portions having larger and smaller phase difference values, respectively, than an intermediate value between maximum and minimum phase difference values in a binarized phase image obtained by an atomic force microscope with a tapping mode method.

Abstract: Toner contains a binder resin, wherein the binder resin contains a block copolymer A containing a crystalline segment X and a non-crystalline segment Y, wherein the toner has a thermo-mechanical analysis (TMA) compressive deformation amount (TMA %) of 10% or less at 50° C. and a relative humidity of 90%, wherein the toner has a spin-spin relaxation time (t130) of 10 ms or greater at 130° C. as measured by pulse nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), wherein the toner has a spin-spin relaxation time (t?70) of 1 ms or less at 70° C. as measured by pulse NMR when descending from 130° C. to 70° C.

Abstract: Toner contains a binder resin and a colorant, wherein the binder resin contains a resin having a polyhydroxy carboxylic acid skeleton, wherein the toner has a half effusion temperature of from 80° C. to 120° C. as measured by a temperature rising method using a flow tester.

Abstract: A toner including a binder resin having a glass transition temperature (Tg) observed at least at one point from 25 to 65° C. in a differential scanning calorimeter at a rate of temperature increase of 5° C./min, wherein the toner has a structure in which a structure appearing as a high phase difference image is dispersed in a structure appearing as a low phase difference image in a two-dimensional phase difference image observed by tapping mode AFM, and an X-ray diffraction chart in which a peak originated from an crystalline resin is observed in a range of a diffraction angle 2? of from 20 to 25°, and wherein a ratio (I1/I2) of an intensity of the peak originated from an crystalline resin to an intensity (I2) of a halo originated from an amorphous composition is from 0.2 to 1.

Abstract: A particle producing method is provided including bringing a material into contact with a compressible fluid to prepare a melt of the material, and discharging the melt from a vibrated through hole to form particles of the melt. A particle producing apparatus is also provided including a discharger to discharge the melt. The discharger includes a storage to store the melt, at least one through hole disposed on the storage, and a vibrator to vibrate the through hole. The particle producing apparatus further includes a particle forming member defining a space within which the discharged melt is formed into particles and a pressure controller controlling a pressure difference between the space and an inside of the storage so that the discharged melt is formed into a columnar melt and the columnar melt is constricted and separated into particles.

Abstract: The toner includes a pigment; and a block copolymer having a polyester block A including a residual group of a hydroxycarboxylic acid, and a polyester block B including an anionic group. When cross-section of the block copolymer is observed by a tapping mode atomic force microscope to obtain a phase image of the cross-section, the polyester block B, which has relatively large phase delay, is dispersed as domains having an average size of from 20 nm to 100 nm in a domain of the polyester block A, which has relatively small phase delay. The block copolymer has a first glass transition temperature of from ?20° C. to 20° C., and a second glass transition temperature of from 35° C. to 65° C. when the first and second glass transition temperatures are determined from a thermogram obtained by subjecting the block copolymer to differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at a temperature rising speed of 5° C./min.

Abstract: An electrostatic image forming toner including: toner base particles each containing at least a colorant, a binder resin, and a releasing agent, wherein the binder resin contains a non-crystalline polyester resin A and a crystalline polyester resin B, wherein a ratio of B/(A+B)×100 is 10 or more but less than 50 where (A+B) is a total mass of the non-crystalline polyester resin A and the crystalline polyester resin B and “B” is a mass of the crystalline polyester resin B, and wherein the toner base particles have a TMA compression deformation amount (TMA %) of 10% or less which is measured at 50° C. and a relative humidity of 90%.

Abstract: To provide a toner including at least a binder resin and a colorant, wherein the binder resin has two glass transition temperatures Tg1 and Tg2 in a differential scanning calorimetry at a heating speed of 5° C./min, the glass transition temperature Tg1 is ?20° C. to 20° C., and the glass transition temperature Tg2 is 35° C. to 65° C., wherein the binder resin comprises a polyester skeleton and a ring-containing skeleton molecule at ends thereof, and wherein the binder resin is obtained by block copolymerization of: a polyester skeleton A which includes a structural unit obtained by dehydration condensation of a hydroxycarboxylic acid in a repeating structure; and a skeleton B which does not include a structural unit obtained by dehydration condensation of a hydroxycarboxylic acid in a repeating structure.

Abstract: To provide a toner, which contains a first binder resin, and a second binder resin, wherein the first binder resin is a block polymer containing at least a polyester skeleton A having, in a repeating structure thereof, a constitutional unit formed by dehydration condensation of hydroxycarboxylic acid, and a skeleton B that does not have, in a repeating structure thereof, a constitutional unit formed by dehydration condensation of hydroxycarboxylic acid, and the first binder resin has glass transition temperature Tg1 and Tg 2 as measured by differential scanning calorimetry at a heating rate of 5° C./min, wherein the Tg1 is ?20° C. to 20° C., and the Tg2 is 35° C. to 65° C., and wherein the second binder resin is a crystalline resin.