Method of preparing core-shell toner and toner prepared using the method

Abstract

A method of preparing a toner, includes: preparing a core by mixing a polyester resin and a colorant with at least one material selected from the group consisting of a macromonomer having hydrophilic group, hydrophobic group, and at least one reactive functional group and a reactive emulsifying agent. A shell is formed on the core by polymerizing the exterior surface of the core with one or more polymerizable monomers and an initiator, wherein at least one material selected from the group consisting of the macromonomer and the reactive emulsifying agent participate in the polymerization reaction. Also, provided are a toner prepared using the method, an image forming method using the toner, and an image forming apparatus employing the toner. According to the method, a polyester resin, having superior fixability at low temperature and image properties, is used as a core composition and styrene, having superior maintenance and charging properties, is used as a shell composition in the process of manufacturing a core/shell structure to prepare the toner for the image forming apparatus having fast speed and fixability of high quality images at low temperature. In addition, by not using the reactive emulsifying agent, the cleaning process is minimized, and the amounts of polluted water and waste water are decreased, which is very advantageous environmentally.