A method of ink-extrusion printing an object, including providing a mixture including liquid crystal monomers and photo-catalyzing or heating the mixture to produce a liquid crystal ink. The ink is in a nematic phase. The method includes extruding the ink through a print-head orifice moving along a print direction to faun an extruded film of the object. The extruded film exhibits birefringence. Also disclosed are a liquid crystal ink. The ink includes a mixture including liquid crystal monomers. The mixture when at a target printing temperature is in a nematic phase. Also disclosed is ink-extrusion-printed object. The object includes an extrusion-printed film including a nematic liquid crystal elastomer, wherein the film exhibits birefringence along an extrusion axis of the film.

A method of ink-extrusion printing an object, including providing a mixture including liquid crystal monomers and photo-catalyzing or heating the mixture to produce a liquid crystal ink. The ink is in a nematic phase. The method includes extruding the ink through a print-head orifice moving along a print direction to faun an extruded film of the object. The extruded film exhibits birefringence. Also disclosed are a liquid crystal ink. The ink includes a mixture including liquid crystal monomers. The mixture when at a target printing temperature is in a nematic phase. Also disclosed is ink-extrusion-printed object. The object includes an extrusion-printed film including a nematic liquid crystal elastomer, wherein the film exhibits birefringence along an extrusion axis of the film.

A composition is provided including an acrylamide compound having an ester structure and a molecular weight of 150 to 200, and a polysilane as a polymerization initiator.

A composition is provided including an acrylamide compound having an ester structure and a molecular weight of 150 to 200, and a polysilane as a polymerization initiator.

A method is provided by the invention for making a security document comprising a thermoplastic substrate with a UV light cured printed image that is less likely to result in splitting of the ink of the UV light cured printed image during the lamination step of forming the thermoplastic substrate. The UV light cured image is applied to an interior thermoplastic layer surface of a stack of thermoplastic layers configured to form a thermoplastic substrate upon lamination of the stack and comprises numerous small sub-portions having small gaps between them sufficient to permit relative movement of individual sub-portions during lamination, the thermoplastic layer(s) from the ultraviolet light cured image to an exterior surface of the stack being sufficiently see-through that the image is visible upon viewing the security document. Alternatively, or additionally, the image is applied to an interior surface of an outermost thermoplastic layer of the stack adjacent an intermediate thermoplastic layer of the stack wherein the outermost thermoplastic layer has a higher melting point than the melting point of at least the adjacent intermediate thermoplastic layer.

A method is provided by the invention for making a security document comprising a thermoplastic substrate with a UV light cured printed image that is less likely to result in splitting of the ink of the UV light cured printed image during the lamination step of forming the thermoplastic substrate. The UV light cured image is applied to an interior thermoplastic layer surface of a stack of thermoplastic layers configured to form a thermoplastic substrate upon lamination of the stack and comprises numerous small sub-portions having small gaps between them sufficient to permit relative movement of individual sub-portions during lamination, the thermoplastic layer(s) from the ultraviolet light cured image to an exterior surface of the stack being sufficiently see-through that the image is visible upon viewing the security document. Alternatively, or additionally, the image is applied to an interior surface of an outermost thermoplastic layer of the stack adjacent an intermediate thermoplastic layer of the stack wherein the outermost thermoplastic layer has a higher melting point than the melting point of at least the adjacent intermediate thermoplastic layer.

The present invention provides a monomer mixture that rapidly cures even in high humidity environments, and is useful as a raw material for a curable composition that forms a cured product having excellent adhesion to metals and glass, as well as of course to paper and plastic. The monomer mixture according to an embodiment of the present invention contains two or more types of cationically polymerizable monomers. The monomer mixture contains, as the cationically polymerizable monomers, a compound (A) having a vinyl ether group and a hydroxyl group; a compound (B) having an oxetanyl group and a hydroxyl group; and a compound (C) represented by Formula (c) below. A total content of the compound (A), the compound (B), and the compound (C) is 50 wt. % or greater of the total amount of the monomer mixture, and a content [A] of the compound (A) and a content [B] of the compound (B) satisfy Relationship (1) below.
A/(A+B)≥0.3  (1) ##STR00001##

An ink jet method includes: a discharging step of discharging a radiation-curable ink jet composition onto a recording medium at an ink weight per dot of 22 ng/dot or less by using an ink jet head configured to discharge the radiation-curable ink jet composition and having a nozzle density of 600 npi or more; and an irradiating step of irradiating, with radiation, the radiation-curable ink jet composition attached to the recording medium. The radiation-curable ink jet composition contains polymerizable compounds including a monofunctional monomer and a multifunctional monomer. The monofunctional monomer includes a nitrogen-containing monofunctional monomer. The amount of the monofunctional monomer is 90 mass % or more relative to the total amount of the polymerizable compounds. The amount of the nitrogen-containing monofunctional monomer is from 1 to 15 mass % relative to the total amount of the polymerizable compounds.

An active-energy-ray-curable aqueous composition is provided that contains water, a polymerizable compound that undergoes radical polymerization in response to active energy rays, and a polymerization initiator (C1) that produces radicals in response to active energy rays. The polymerizable compound contains an acrylamide compound (A1) represented by General formula (1) or (4), and a bifunctional or higher polymerizable compound (B1):

##STR00001##

where R.sub.1 represents a C1-C6 alkyl group, X represents a C1-C6 alkylene, and Y represents a group represented by General formula (2) or (3):

##STR00002##

where R.sub.2 represents a C1-C10 alkyl group, and * represents a binding site with the X:

##STR00003##

whererR.sub.2 represents a C1-C10 alkyl group, and * represents a binding site with the X:

##STR00004##

where the ring X.sup.1 represents a ring structure containing a nitrogen atom and from two through five carbon atoms, R.sup.4 represents a single bond, or a straight-chained or branched C1-C3 alkylene group, and R.sup.5 represents a straight-chained or branched C1-C10 alkyl group.

An active-energy-ray-curable aqueous composition is provided that contains water, a polymerizable compound that undergoes radical polymerization in response to active energy rays, and a polymerization initiator (C1) that produces radicals in response to active energy rays. The polymerizable compound contains an acrylamide compound (A1) represented by General formula (1) or (4), and a bifunctional or higher polymerizable compound (B1):

##STR00001##

where R.sub.1 represents a C1-C6 alkyl group, X represents a C1-C6 alkylene, and Y represents a group represented by General formula (2) or (3):

##STR00002##

where R.sub.2 represents a C1-C10 alkyl group, and * represents a binding site with the X:

##STR00003##

whererR.sub.2 represents a C1-C10 alkyl group, and * represents a binding site with the X:

##STR00004##

where the ring X.sup.1 represents a ring structure containing a nitrogen atom and from two through five carbon atoms, R.sup.4 represents a single bond, or a straight-chained or branched C1-C3 alkylene group, and R.sup.5 represents a straight-chained or branched C1-C10 alkyl group.