Eastman-kodak Company

Nitto-denko Corporation

YuanQiao Rao

Jehuda Greener

Robert J Kress

Yeh-Hung Lai

Debasis Majumdar

Tomohiro Ishikawa

Dennis J Massa

Michael R Brickey

Douglas Robert Robello

Narasimharao Dontula

Thaddeus S Gula

David B Bailey

Samuel Chen

Suresh Sunderrajan

William A Mruk

Edward Schofield

David E Decker

Jon A Hammerschmidt

Anne M Miller

Gary D Smith

Nancy L Furbeck

Joseph Anthony Manico

Robert P Bourdelais

Mridula Nair

Peter T Aylward

Yongcai Wang

John Randall Fredlund

Steven Evans

Thomas M Laney

Charles Leo Bauer

Lawrence P DeMejo

Tamara K Jones

William H Simpson

Zhanjun Gao

Janglin Chen

Joseph Salvatore Sedita

James F Elman

Bradley M Houghtaling

Charles Warren Lander

Timothy C Schunk

Jeffrey R Gillmor

Sandra D Nesbitt

John F Corman

Robert H Fehnel

Paul T Lubberts

Beverly A Contestable

Theodore R Vandam

Jose R Garcia

Nanocomposite films having controlled dispersion, in out-of-plane birefringence, or equivalent retardation are obtained, including films having essentially flat dispersion behavior, reverse dispersion behavior, and non-birefringence dispersion. The nanocomposite comprises film comprises metallic oxide nanoparticles dispersed in a polymer matrix. The present invention also provides a novel method for making and controlling the out-of-plane birefringence dispersion of a film using an organic-inorganic nanocomposite. The nanocomposite material exhibits high optical transmittance, low haze, and is useful in the field of liquid-crystal displays.

Control of birefringence dispersion utilizing nanocomposites

A printing ink for inkjet printing for improving the durability and image quality of an inkjet image including: a) a liquid carrier; b) ionic dye molecules with surface charge dissolved in the liquid carrier; and c) plate-like nanoparticles having parallel main surfaces, and minor edge surfaces, dispersed in the liquid carrier, with the main surfaces of the nanoparticles having a same sign of surface charge as the ionic dye molecule. Durability and image quality of an inkjet image is improved using the inventive ink, while also enabling a stable, printable formulation that does not require milling of the ink colorant.

Inks for inkjet printing

A method of forming a printed image on an image receiving element is disclosed, comprising: providing an image receiving element comprising at least one activatable stiffening and/or thickening layer which comprises a polymer matrix and an activatable material; printing an image over a designated area of said image receiving element, and substantially uniformly and non-imagewise activating said activatable stiffening and/or thickening layer over the designated area of said image receiving element after step (b) to produce a printed image receiving element with an activated stiffened and/or thickened layer.

Method for using receiver medium having adjustable properties

A method of fabricating a nanocomposite material includes generating nanoparticles in-situ with a polymer. A nanocomposite material includes a polymer having nanoparticles characterized by a shorter dimension of not more than 50 nm and elongated strands or dense packing.

Nanocomposite materials comprising high loadings of filler materials and an in-situ method of making such materials

A multilayer compensator includes one or more polymeric first layers and one or more polymeric second layers. The first layers comprise a polymer having an out-of-plane birefringence between &#x2212;0.005 and +0.005. The second layers comprise an amorphous polymer having an out-of-plane birefringence that is either less than &#x2212;0.005 or greater than +0.005. The overall in-plane retardation of the multilayer compensator is greater than 20 nm, and the out-of-plane retardation is more negative than &#x2212;20 nm or more positive than +20 nm. The amorphous polymer of the second layer(s) has a glass transition temperature (Tg) such that 110&#xb0; C.&#x2266;Tg&#x2266;180&#xb0; C. when the Rof the multilayer compensator is more negative than &#x2212;20 nm, and 100&#xb0; C.&#x2266;Tg&#x2266;160&#xb0; C. when the Rof the multilayer compensator is more positive than +20 nm.

Multi-layered compensation film using specified Tg material as a birefringent layer

This invention relates to an optical film comprising a first component having a birefringence dispersion of D&#x3e;1 and a second component having a birefringence dispersion of D&#x3c;1, wherein the birefringence ratio of the first and second component is delta n/delta n&#x3e;0, wherein the optical film has a reverse birefringence dispersion of D&#x3c;1.

Optical films having reverse dispersion

A method of fabricating a nanocomposite material includes generating nanoparticles in-situ with a polymer. A nanocomposite material includes a polymer having nanoparticles characterized by a dimension of not more than 50 nm.

Nanocomposite materials and an in-situ method of making such materials

The invention relates to a process for forming an integral protective layer on a polarizing layer comprising coating the layer with a sol, gelling the sol, and then curing the coating to form a contiguous crosslinked adherent protective layer.

Polarizing layer with adherent protective layer

A thermal printing ribbon that has reduced or no wrinkling during printing includes inorganic particles in a polymeric host material in at least one layer of the ribbon. The ribbon has improved mechanical and thermal properties as compared to ribbons not incorporating the inorganic particles. The ribbon can be used to form images on a dye-receiver element wherein the images have few or no artifacts caused by wrinkling of the thermal printing ribbon. The ribbon can be used in high speed printing.

Thermal printing ribbon

Disclosed is an optical film comprising a layer containing layered clay particles in a radiation cured binder. Also disclosed is a coating dispersion and a method of forming an optical film comprising coating the dispersion on a flexible transparent polymeric support and an LCD or touch screen display incorporating the film.

Optical film for display devices

The invention relates to an imaging member comprising an imaging layer and a base wherein said base comprises a closed cell foam core sheet and adhered thereto an upper and lower flange sheet, wherein said foam core sheet has a modulus of between 100 and 2758 MPa and a tensile toughness between 0.344 and 35 MPa, and wherein said upper and lower flange sheet has a modulus of between and 1380 and 20000 MPa and a toughness between 1.4 and 210 MPa.

Imaging element having improved crack propagation during conversion

The present invention relates to an imaging element comprising at least one imaging layer and a support wherein the support comprises at least one layer comprising a splayant and a layered material, wherein the layered material has an aspect ratio from 20:1 and 500:1 and wherein the layered material comprises less than 10% by weight of the layer. The present invention also relates to a method of making a dimensionally stable imaging element comprising providing a support wherein said support comprises at least one layer comprising a splayant and a layered material, wherein said layered material comprises an aspect ratio of from 20:1 to 500:1 and wherein said layered material comprises less than 10% by weight of said at least one layer; and applying at least one imaging layer.

Imaging material with improved mechanical properties

The present invention relates to an imaging element comprising a support, an imaging layer, and at least one layer comprising a clay nanocomposite wherein said nanocomposite comprises a splayant and at least one natural clay particle having an aspect ratio of from 20:1 to 500:1.

Imaging material with improved scratch resistance

A high-CHDM PET-based support for an imaging element can be annealed relatively rapidly to achieve acceptable core-set and post-process curl properties. The fast annealing response of this material allows effective in-line annealing of the film support, yielding a more efficient manufacturing process with less annealing-induced defects in the imaging support.

Process for rapid annealing of a polyester film base to control film curl

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Pittsford, NY, United States of America

YuanQiao Rao