Thermographic material with outermost antistatic layer

A method of producing a thermographic recording material comprising the steps of:

• (i) coating one side of a support with a thermosensitive element comprising a substantially light-insensitive organic silver salt, an organic reducing agent for said substantially light-insensitive organic silver salt in thermal working relationship therewith and a binder;
• and (ii) coating from an aqueous dispersion or solution one side of said thermosensitive element coated support with an outermost antistatic layer, wherein said outermost antistatic layer is an organic layer with a resistivity of <10.sup.10 .OMEGA./.quadrature. at a relative humidity of 30% and comprises a polythiophene with conjugated polymer backbone in the presence of a polymeric polyanion compound and a hydrophobic organic polymer having a glass transition value (T.sub.g) of at least 40.degree. C., said polythiophene being present a t a coverage of at least 0.001 g/m.sub.2 and the weight ratio of said polythiophene to said hydrophobic organic polymer being in the range of 1/10 to 1/1000.

A thermographic recording process comprising the steps of:

• (i) bringing an outermost layer of a thermographic recording material comprising a thermosensitive element, a support and an outermost antistatic layer, said thermosensitive element comprising comprising a substantially light-insensitive organic silver salt, an organic reducing agent for said substantially light-insensitive organic silver salt in thermal working relationship therewith and a binder, into contact with a heat source;
• (ii) applying heat from said heat source imagewise to said thermographic recording material while maintaining mutual contact to but with relative movement between said thermographic recording material and said heat source;
• and (iii) separating said thermographic recording material from said heat source, wherein said outermost antistatic layer is an organic layer with a resistivity of <10.sup.10 .OMEGA./.quadrature. at a relative humidity of 30% and comprises a polythiophene with conjugated polymer backbone in the presence of a polymeric polyanion compound and a hydrophobic organic polymer having a glass transition value (T.sub.g) of at least 40.degree. C., said polythiophene being present at a coverage of at least 0.001 g/m.sup.2 and the weight ratio of said polythiophene to said hydrophobic organic polymer being in the range of 1/10 to 1/1000.