Syntheses of polymeric dispersants for pigmented ink-jet inks

Drop-on-demand ink-jet inks made from dyes usually show poor light fastness and poor water fastness. Therefore, many researchers have introduced pigments into ink-jet inks to overcome the defects of dye-based ink. Pigmented ink needs sophisticated technology which disperses the pigments stably in low viscosity. Thus, adequate dispersants are essential to achieve stable dispersions of pigments for ink-jet inks. This study describes syntheses of dispersants, properties of formulations and comparisons of performance with an existing ink to assess their suitability for commercial application.