Effects of nm-Size Silica on the Adhesion of Micrometer-Size Particles to a Polyester Substrate

摘要

The detachment force of ground particles that had been overcoated silica with from a polyester substrate was determined as a function of particle diameter, charge, and silica concentration. The detachment force was found to increase with diameter of the particles and decreasing silica concentration. The correlation between the detachment force and the particle charge was weak and, if anything, perhaps slightly negative. It should be noted that the charge was not an independent variable, but, rather, was confounded with the silica concentration. It was found that the detachment force normalized to the particle diameter appeared to be constant at a given surface area coverage of silica and to decrease with increasing silica concentration. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the adhesion of silica coated particles, such as those commonly used as toner in electrophotographic engines, is dominated by van der Waals forces rather than by electrostatic interactions.