The influence of surfactant structure on ink detachment

Polyethylene;oxide :alkyl ether surfactants release (soften) ink from fibre s with an efficiency that increases when the hydrophilicity (HLB number) an d the molar mass decreases. Mechanical treatment disperses the released ink at-a rate; that depends logarithmically on the total energy involved. The results can be described in terms of a simple model of the dried ink, which is assumed to consist of a loosely bound outermost layer, a coherently dri ed layer not in direct contact with the fibre and a layer which is directly attached to the fibre.