Electrostatic imaging sheet

Abstract

Abstract An electrostatic imaging sheet wherein one side of the sheet, e.g. paper, is electrically conductive and the other side of the sheet has a continuous dielectric layer comprising a mixture of a smectite clay e.g. a synthetic hectorite swelling clay and an electrically insulating polymer, preferably in particle form. The dielectric layer may comprise a layer of a smectite clay which forms a barrier between the electrically conductive layer and the layer of insulating polymer. The invention is also a dielectric coating composition comprising a mixture of electrically insulating polymer in aqueous dispersion and a water dispersible smectite clay. The mixture of polymer and water dispersible smectite clay, preferably form a colloidal suspension, and the amount of smectite clay in the composition is preferably in the range 0.5 to 5% by weight of the composition excluding inorganic filler. The invention is also a method of coating a sheet material which comprises dispersing a mixture of an electrically insulating polymer and a water dispersible smectite clay in an aqueous system and coating the sheet material with the aqueous dispersion. An alternative method of coating a sheet material to produce an electrostatic imaging sheet comprises coating one side of the sheet material with an aqueous dispersion of water dispersible smectite clay, to form a barrier on the sheet prior to coating the sheet with an aqueous system containing an electrically insulating polymer. The polymer may be selected from the group consisting of polyalkenes, substituted polyalkenes, acrylic polymers, vinyl polymers, polystyrene, polyesters, polyvinylidene chloride, polyamides, polycarbonates, polytetrafluoroethylene, polybutadiene, co-polymers of these materials and styrene acrylic co-polymers.

Inventors

• 👤 Adrian N. Fellows

Bibliographic Details