The Present Condition and the Future of the Decolorable Ink

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  • SANO Kenji
    Chief Research Scientist, Functional Materials Laboratory, Corporate Research & Development Center, Toshiba Corporation

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Other Title
  • 消せるインクの現状と今後
  • ケセル インク ノ ゲンジョウ ト コンゴ

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Abstract

We can immediately erase the decolorable (erasable) toner e-blue™ and the handwriting of the decolorable ink with a heat-eraser in 500 sheets of paper. E-blue™ comprises of resin, a leuco dye, a developer such as ethyl gallate, and an erasing-reagent. A leuco dye is originally colorless. An erasing-reagent works as a trap of the developer at the heat erasing. At the toner producing stage, the erasing-reagent must be inactive. When heat erasing is conducted, the eraser-reagent must be active. The erasing reaction is the same as the reverse reaction of thermal paper of leuco dye. E-blue™ can be used as usual toner for printing of electro-photography and can be erased by heating with a special heat eraser, and the paper is used repeatedly for many times, saving forest, energy for paper-reclaiming plant and the transportation. The most difficult point is to realize the high optical density from the first and the lowest optical density after erasing. Therefore, we have studied the basic equilibrium and revealed the crucial factor to control. We have optimized the toner composition and the condition of the printer and the heat eraser. We have found the effective eraser-reagents or the materials that has trap function, such as cholic acid and starch. This technology is theoretically applicable to the ordinary ink and the application of newspaper-ink is most expected one, because newspaper becomes useless in a day. Zebra Corporation Ltd., a collaborated company, has commercialized the ink for ballpoint pen and marker. And other applications are expected to avoid paper related waste in many aspect of our life.

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