Study of the adsorption performance and preparation of functional nano-silica pigment particles

Multifunctional recording coatings for ink-jet printing (RC-IJP) materials were prepared greenly and successfully using nano-silica. An amphiphilic oligoester was grafted onto the surface of nanoscale inorganic silica pigment with toluene-2, 4-diisocynate as a coupling agent. Multifunctional recording coating materials were prepared with homogenized modified silica and polyvinyl alcohol. When the modified silica is exposed to water, the hydrophobic moieties (alkyl chain) curl, and the hydrophilic moieties unfold. In addition, upon exposure to organic solutions, the surface of the silica transitions to a stable energetic hydrophilic state with unfolded aliphatic hydrophobic groups. The prepared RC-IJP can adsorb both water- and oil-based ink effectively and can present color images clearly. Crown Copyright (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.