Thermal dye-transfer receiving element with microvoided substrate and method of making the same
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorsDennis E. Smith, John Muehlbauer, Peter D. Rollinson, Thomas M. Laney, Teh-Ming Kung
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Abstract
Disclosed is a thermal dye-transfer receiving element comprising a dye-image receiving layer on its top surface and, beneath the dye-image receiving layer, a microvoided layer containing a continuous phase polymer matrix having dispersed therein crosslinked organic microbeads, wherein the microbeads exhibit a glass transition temperature Tg that is below 80° C. Also disclosed is a method for making such thermal dye-transfer receiving elements.
Claims40
A thermal dye-transfer receiving element comprising:
- (a) a dye-image receiving layer;
- (b) beneath the dye-receiving layer, a microvoided layer containing a continuous phase polymer matrix having dispersed therein crosslinked organic microbeads, wherein the microbeads exhibit a glass transition temperature Tg which is below 80° C.
A process for making a thermal dye-transfer receiving element comprising the following steps:
- a) coextruding a polymeric laminate film to form a cast composite film comprising at least two layers, a first layer comprising a non-voided thermoplastic polymeric material and a second layer comprising a continuous phase polymer matrix having dispersed therein crosslinked organic microbeads, wherein the microbeads exhibit a glass transition temperature Tg that is less than 80° C.;
- b) stretching said cast composite film to reduce its thickness, thereby obtaining an oriented composite film comprising, as the first layer, a dye-image receiving layer and, as the second layer, a microvoided compliant layer;
- and
- c) laminating said oriented composite film to a support, such that the microvoided compliant layer is between the dye-image receiving layer and the support, to produce said thermal dye-transfer receiving element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.