Liquid developer, image-fixing apparatus using the same, and image-forming apparatus using the same

A liquid developer comprising:

• an insulating liquid;
• and
• toner fine particles containing a coloring agent and a toner resin,
• wherein a rate of change of an electric capacitance of the liquid developer is 90% or less in an electric circuit where an electrical double-layer capacitor and an electronic resistance corresponding to a velocity of an electron exchange during an electrode reaction are connected in parallel, and a resistance corresponding to an electric conductivity of the insulating liquid is connected in series, when a weight concentration of the toner fine particles in the liquid developer varies from 20% by weight to 70% by weight during image-forming.

An image-fixing apparatus comprising:

• a solvent-oozer configured to heat a solvent of a liquid developer which forms an unfixed image, so as to ooze the solvent out of a surface of the unfixed image;
• and
• a solvent-remover configured to remove the solvent on the surface of the unfixed image,
• wherein the liquid developer comprises:
• an insulating liquid serving as the solvent;
• and
• toner fine particles containing a coloring agent and a toner resin,
• wherein the toner fine particles are dispersed in the insulating liquid, and the liquid developer has a specific resistance of 1×106 Ωcm or more, when a weight concentration of the toner fine particles in the liquid developer is 20% by weight or more, after the liquid developer is concentrated during image-forming.

An image-forming apparatus comprising:

• a latent electrostatic image support configured to have a latent electrostatic image on a surface thereof;
• an image-developer configured to supply a liquid developer onto the latent electrostatic image at a development nip part where the image-developer faces the latent electrostatic image support, so as to visualize the latent electrostatic image and to form a visible image;
• a transfer configured to transfer the visible image onto a recording medium at a transfer nip part where the latent electrostatic image support faces the recording medium;
• a fixer configured to fix the visible image on the recording medium at a fix nip part where the latent electrostatic image support faces a fixing roller;
• and
• one or more of removers configured to remove a solvent of the liquid developer from the visible image at one or both of between the development nip part and the transfer nip part, and between the transfer nip part and the fix nip part,
• wherein the liquid developer comprises:
• an insulating liquid serving as the solvent;
• and
• toner fine particles containing a coloring agent and a toner resin,
• wherein the toner fine particles are dispersed in the insulating liquid, and the liquid developer has a specific resistance of 1×106 Ωcm or more, when a weight concentration of the toner fine particles in the liquid developer is 20% by weight or more, after the liquid developer is concentrated during image-forming.

An image-forming apparatus comprising:

• a latent electrostatic image support configured to have a latent electrostatic image on a surface thereof;
• an image-developer configured to supply a liquid developer onto the latent electrostatic image at a development nip part where the image-developer faces the latent electrostatic image support, so as to visualize the latent electrostatic image and to form a visible image;
• a transfer configured to have:
• a primary transfer which primarily transfers the visible image onto an intermediate transfer at a primary transfer nip part where the latent electrostatic image support faces the intermediate transfer;
• a secondary transfer which secondly transfers the visible image on the intermediate transfer onto a recording medium at a secondary transfer nip part where the intermediate transfer faces the recording medium;
• and
• a fixer configured to fix the visible image on the recording medium at a fix nip part where the latent electrostatic image support faces a fixing roller;
• and
• one or more of removers configured to remove a solvent of the liquid developer from the visible image at one or more of between the development nip part and the primary transfer nip part, between the primary transfer nip part and the secondary transfer nip part, and between the secondary transfer nip part and the fix nip part,
• wherein the liquid developer comprises:
• an insulating liquid serving as the solvent;
• and
• toner fine particles containing a coloring agent and a toner resin,
• wherein the toner fine particles are dispersed in the insulating liquid, and the liquid developer has a specific resistance of 1×106 Ωcm or more, when a weight concentration of the toner fine particles in the liquid developer is 20% by weight or more, after the liquid developer is concentrated during image-forming.