Protective overcoat compositions and photographic elements containing same

Claim 2

An aqueous coating composition useful in forming cross-linked protective layers on photographic elements, such coating composition comprising: (a) a water-soluble hydroxylated polymer; (b) a hydrolyzed lower alkoxide or mixtures thereof, with the proviso that the hydrolyzed lower alkoxide is not a tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide alone or in mixture with a different tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide, wherein when said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide contains a tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide comprises a mixture of said tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide with another hydrolyzed lower alkoxide that is not a tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide; and (c) a fluoroalkyl polyether surface active agent.

Claim 3

The aqueous coating composition of claim 1, wherein said water-soluble hydroxylated polymer comprises from about 10 to about 40 percent of hydroxyl containing monomer.

Claim 4

The aqueous coating composition of claim 1, wherein said water-soluble hydroxylated polymer is polyvinyl alcohol.

Claim 5

The aqueous coating composition of claim 1, wherein said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide comprises by weight proportion from about 0.5 parts to about 1.5 parts to one part of said water-soluble hydroxylated polymer.

Claim 6

The aqueous coating composition of claim 1, wherein said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide comprises by weight proportion from about 0.75 parts to about 1.25 parts to one part of said water-soluble hydroxylated polymer.

Claim 7

The aqueous coating composition of claim 1, wherein said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide comprises a titanium lower alkoxide.

Claim 8

The aqueous coating composition of claim 1, wherein said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide comprises a mixture of a tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide and a hydrolyzed lower alkoxide that is not a tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide wherein said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide that is not a tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide comprises a weight proportion of at least 5 mole percent of said mixture.

Claim 9

The aqueous coating composition of claim 1, wherein said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide comprises a mixture of methyltriethoxysilane, tetraethylsilane, and tetrabutyltitanate.

Claim 10

The aqueous coating composition of claim 8, wherein said methyltriethoxysilane comprises from about 5 mole percent to about 30 mole percent of said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide.

Claim 11

The aqueous coating composition of claim 1, wherein said fluoroalkyl polyether surface active agent comprises a mixture of compounds having the general formula ##STR2## wherein R is hydrogen or methyl.

Claim 12

The aqueous coating composition of claim 1, wherein said fluroalkyl polyether surface agent is present in an amount of from about 0.01 to about 0.1 percent by weight of said aqueous coating composition.

Claim 13

The aqueous coating composition of claim 1, wherein said fluroalkyl polyether surface agent is present in an amount of from about 0.04 to about 0.06 percent by weight of said aqueous coating composition.

Claim 14

The aqueous coating composition of claim 10, wherein R is hydrogen.

Claim 15

A photographic element comprising (a) a support, (b) at least one image-forming layer on such support, and (c) a protective overcoat layer overlying the support side of said element, said protective overcoat layer comprising (1) a water-soluble hydroxylated polymer cross-linked by a hydrolyzed lower alkoxide or mixtures thereof, with the proviso that the hydrolyzed lower alkoxide is not a tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide alone or in mixture with a different tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide, wherein when said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide contains a tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide comprises a mixture of said tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide with another hydrolyzed lower alkoxide that is not a tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide, and (2) a fluoroalkyl polyether surface active agent.

Claim 16

A photographic element comprising (a) a support, (b) at least one image-forming layer on such support, and (c) a protective overcoat layer overlying the support side of said element, said protective overcoat layer comprising (1) a water-soluble hydroxylated polymer cross-linked by a hydrolyzed lower alkoxide or mixtures thereof, with the proviso that the hydrolyzed lower alkoxide is not a tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide alone or in mixture with a different tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide, wherein when said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide contains a tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide comprises a mixture of said tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide with another hydrolyzed lower alkoxide that is not a tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide, and (2) a fluoroalkyl polyether surface active agent.

Claim 17

The photographic element of claim 14, wherein said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide comprises by weight proportion from about 0.5 parts to about 1.5 parts to one part of said water-soluble hydroxylated polymer.

Claim 18

The photographic element of claim 14, wherein said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide comprises by weight proportion from about 0.75 parts to about 1.25 parts to one part of said water-soluble hydroxylated polymer.

Claim 19

The photographic element of claim 14, wherein said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide comprises a titanium lower alkoxide.

Claim 20

The photographic element of claim 14, wherein said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide comprises a mixture of a tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide and a hydrolyzed lower alkoxide that is not a tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide wherein said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide that is not a tetrafunctional silicon lower alkoxide comprises a weight proportion of at least 5 mole percent of said mixture.

Claim 21

The photographic element of claim 14, wherein said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide comprises a mixture of methyltriethoxysilane, tetraethylsilane, and tetrabutyltitanate.

Claim 22

The photographic element of claim 19, wherein said methyltriethoxysilane comprises from about 5 mole percent to about 30 mole percent of said hydrolyzed lower alkoxide.

Claim 23

The photographic element of claim 14, wherein said water-soluble hydroxylated polymer comprises from about 10 to about 40 percent of hydroxyl containing monomer.

Claim 24

The photographic element of claim 14, wherein said water-soluble hydroxylated polymer is polyvinyl alcohol.

Claim 25

The photographic element of claim 14, wherein said fluoroalkyl polyether surface active agent comprises a mixture of compounds having the general formula ##STR3## wherein R is hydrogen or methyl.

Claim 26

The photographic element of claim 14, wherein said fluroalkyl polyether surface agent is present in an amount of from about 0.01 to about 0.1 percent by weight of said overcoat layer.

Claim 27

The photographic element of claim 14, wherein said fluroalkyl polyether surface agent is present in an amount of from about 0.04 to about 0.06 percent by weight of said overcoat layer.

Claim 28

The photographic element of claim 23, wherein R is hydrogen.