An ink composition suitable for use in ink jet printing is provided which is curable by UV radiation or visible light. The ink composition forms chemically resistant and smear resistant printed images and comprises a cationically photoreactive monomer or oligomer selected from epoxy monomers, epoxy oligomers, vinyl ether monomers and/or vinyl ether oligomers, a cationic photoinitiator and a coloring agent. Also provided are ink jet printers, ink jet printing processes and imaged substrates which employ such an ink composition.

UV or visible light initiated cationic cured ink for ink jet printing

Free-radical curable compositions contain a (meth)acrylate oligomer and at least one of a single functional diluent, a mixture of single functionality diluents and a dual functional monomer wherein the ratio of electron-rich double bonds to electron deficient double bonds in the compositions is in the range of about 5:1 to about 1:5. The compositions can further comprise at least one of a reactant having a saturated backbone and an average of at least one electron deficient ethylenically unsaturated end group per molecule of saturated reactant and an oligomer having an average of at least one electron-rich ethylenically unsaturated group per molecule of oligomer. These compositions are useful as coatings for various substrates.

Free-radical curable compositions

Compounds of the general formula I ##STR1## wherein Z is CR 1 R 2 (OR 3 ) or phenyl, R 1 being H, C 1-6 -alkyl or phenyl, R 2 being H, C 1-6 -alkyl or C 1-6 -alkoxy and R 3 being H, C 1-6 -alkyl or C 1-6 -alkanoyl and Z' is Y--[(CH 2 ) m --X] n --, X being CH 2 or 0, Y being OH; COOH or SO 3 H including the alkali metal, alkaline earth metal or ammonium salts thereof and also the salts thereof with organic nitrogen bases; or NRR' in which R and R' are in each case H, C 1-20 -alkyl or C 1-4 -hydroxyalkyl, if appropriate quaternized or in the form of the acid addition salts, and n and m each being the numbers 1-4, are excellently suitable as photoinitiators for the photopolymerization of ethylenically unsaturated compounds, in particular in aqueous systems.

Photoinitiators for photopolymerization of unsaturated systems

A photopolymerizable composition comprises a polymerizable epoxy-containing material, a polymerizable monomer or monomers containing one or more ##STR1## groups wherein R is H or CH 3 , a cationic photoinitiator, a radical-type photoinitiator and an alcohol accelerator.

Hybrid photocure system

A photopolymerizable mixture is described which comprises a polymeric binder, a free-radically polymerizable compound having at least one polymerizable group, a photoreducible dye, a trihalomethyl compound which can be cleaved by radiation and a metallocene compound as photoinitiators. The mixture is suitable for use in the production of printing plates and photoresists and is characterized by a particularly high photosensitivity, especially in the visible spectral region. The mixture can therefore be used for the production of images, in particular by means of laser radiation in the visible region.

Photopolymerizable mixture and recording material produced therefrom

Unsymmetrical monoketals of aromatic 1,2-diketones ##STR1## wherein R1 and R2 are different radicals, are manufactured by reacting the corresponding aromatic 1,2-diketones, in an organic solvent, with an acid ester (R1)n X as alkylating agent and an alcoholate (R2 O)m Me, where n and m are integers from 1 to 3, X is an acid radical and Me is a metal of main groups 1 to 3 of the periodic table of the elements. The resulting diketone monoacetals are particularly suitable for use as photoinitiators in photopolymerizable compositions.

Manufacture of unsymmetric monoacetals of aromatic 1,2-diketones employable as photoiniatiators

Photopolymerizable coating compositions contain, as the binder, olefinically unsaturated compounds having a boiling point above 50° C, together with from 0.5 to 15% by weight of photoinitiators, based on the binder. The photoinitiators are a mixture of an aromatic carbonyl compound A, which is a derivative of benzoin or benzil, which has at least one carbon-oxygen single bond in the α-position relative to the carbonyl group, an aromatic carbonyl compound B which is derived from benzophenone, fluorenone, anthraquinone, xanthene, thioxanthone or acridone, and an amine C of the general formula ##STR1## where R', R" and R"' are H, alkyl of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl of 3 to 10 carbon atoms, aryl, hydroxyalkyl of 1 to 8 carbon atoms or alkoxyalkyl of 2 to 4 carbon atoms, but at most 2 substituents are H and at most 2 substituents are aromatic. These coating compositions may be used for finishing various substrates, as fillers or as printing inks.

Photoinitiators for photopolymerizable coating compositions

A photopolymerizable composition containing olefinically unsaturated compounds, optional conventional additives and, as photoinitiator, a mixture of a thioether of the general formula (I): ##STR1## where R4 is phenyl, naphthyl, thienyl, furyl or styryl which may be substituted by one or more identical or different R5 's, R5 is phenyl, benzoyl, halogen, alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, alkyl having an --O--group and 1 to 5 carbon atoms, alkyl having an --S--group and 1 to 5 carbon atoms, alkoxyalkyl of 2 to 5 carbon atoms, alkaryl of 7 to 11 carbon atoms, aralkyl of 7 to 11 carbon atoms, NO2, CN, COOH or COOR6, R6 being an alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, A is the alkylene group Cn H2n (n = an integer of 1 to 5) which may be substituted by one or more R4 's and/or R5 's, and R1, r2 and R3 may be identical or different and are each H, an R4 or an R5, and an organic amine. The photopolymerizable composition is suitable for the production of coatings and printing inks which can be cured by ultraviolet radiation.

Werner Dipl Chem Dr Kuesters

Papers

Manufacture of unsymmetric monoacetals of aromatic 1,2-diketones employable as photoiniatiators

Photoinitiators for photopolymerizable coating compositions

Photopolymerizable composition containing a thioether sensitizer