There is provided an ink jet recording method for recording an image on a recording medium using an aqueous ink and an aqueous reaction liquid containing a reactant. The reactant contains a cationic resin. The cationic resin contains, in a molecular weight distribution measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), a first cationic resin having a peak in a molecular weight range of 100,000 or more to 500,000 or less and a second cationic resin having a peak in a molecular weight range of 2,000 or more to less than 100,000. The mass ratio of the amount (% by mass) of the second cationic resin contained to the amount (% by mass) of the first cationic resin contained is 0.01 times or more to 8.0 times or less.

This invention relates generally to uses of novel nanomaterial composition and the systems in which they are used, and more particularly to nanomaterial compositions generally comprising carbon and a metal, which composition can be exposed to pulsed emissions to react, activate, combine, or sinter the nanomaterial composition. The nanomaterial compositions can alternatively be utilized at ambient temperature or under other means to cause such reaction, activation, combination, or sintering to occur.

A metal compound thin film, a method of forming the same and a thin film catalyst for water electrolysis are provided. The method includes providing a substrate; and performing plural ink-jet printing operations to the substrate to form the metal compound thin film on the substrate. The substrate is a non-hydrophobic substrate. Each of the ink-jet printing operations includes depositing a first precursor on the substrate by using a first nozzle of an ink-jet system; and depositing a second precursor on the substrate by using a second nozzle of the ink-jet system. A chemical reaction occurs between the first precursor and the second precursor to form a metal compound, and the metal compound thin film includes plural layers of the metal compound. Therefore, patterning the thin film can be easily accomplished, and chemical solution can be effectively saved.

An ink jet recording method for recording an image on a low to non-absorbent recording medium. The method includes applying an ink such that the ink overlaps at least a part of a region of the recording medium to which a reaction liquid is applied. The ink contains a pigment that is dispersed by an action of an anionic group, a resin particle, a silicone-based surfactant and a hydrocarbon-based surfactant. The resin particle is a resin particle formed of at least one resin selected from the group consisting of an acrylic resin, a urethane resin and a polyester resin. The HLB value of the hydrocarbon-based surfactant determined by a Griffin method is 4 or more to 8 or less. A surface tension .sub.i of the ink and a surface tension .sub.r of the reaction liquid satisfy formula (1):

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}.Math.{}_i-{}_r.Math.3.8.& \left(1\right)\end{array}$

An ink jet recording method. The reactant comprises organic or inorganic acid. The ink comprises a pigment and a resin particle having the anionic group in an amount of 75 mol/g or more to 600 mol/g or less. A content of the resin particle is 1.5 times or more a content of the pigment on a mass basis. Both of a content of a first water-soluble organic solvent having a vapor pressure of 3.110.sup.5 kPa or less and a content of a second water-soluble organic solvent having a relative permittivity of 28.0 or more and a vapor pressure of 4.010.sup.3 kPa or less are in a content of 9.0 by mass or less based on the total mass of the ink. The heating temperature T.sub.F of the medium and a glass transition temperature T.sub.G of the resin particle satisfy the formula: T.sub.F(T.sub.G-10).

A liquid discharge apparatus including: a discharge unit configured to discharge a plurality of types of liquid, a housing unit configured to house liquid discharged from the discharge unit in order to inspect a discharge state of the discharge unit; and a control unit configured to control the discharge unit, wherein the plurality of types of liquid include a first liquid and a reaction solution that reacts with the first liquid, and the control unit controls the discharge unit, such that the reaction between the first liquid and the reaction solution is suppressed, in the inspection of the discharge state.

A precoat application system is disclosed. The precoat application system includes a pressure member configured to apply contacting pressure to a hydrophobic compliant member. A precoat solution, disposed on at least a portion of a surface of the hydrophobic compliant member, is delivered to a surface of paper in contact with the hydrophobic compliant member when the paper is passed between the hydrophobic compliant member and the pressure member. A pressure member is configured to apply pressure to the surface of the paper and the precoat solution on the surface of the paper to obtain a uniform coating of the precoat solution on the surface of the paper. The precoat solution may include an aqueous salt solution, such as magnesium chloride, calcium nitrate, barium, or a combination thereof.

There is provided an ink jet recording method for recording an image on a recording medium with an aqueous ink and an aqueous reaction liquid containing a reactant that reacts with the aqueous ink. The aqueous ink contains a pigment dispersed by the action of a carboxylic acid group, a resin particle and a water-soluble organic solvent. The rate of increase in the particle size of the pigment dispersed by the action of the carboxylic acid group when the pigment comes into contact with the aqueous reaction liquid is 8.0 times or more. The amount of water absorbed by the recording medium from the start of contact to 30 msec.sup.1/2 in a Bristow method is 10 mL/m.sup.2 or less.

A method for producing ink jet-recorded matters is provided that enables production of high quality recorded matters with narrowly and uniformly aligned cut widths when cutting a resin film-containing recording medium on which an image is recorded by an ink jet system by a laser die cutting method. The method for producing ink jet-recorded matters has a step of applying an aqueous reaction liquid to a resin film-containing recording medium, a step of applying an aqueous ink by an ink jet system so as to overlap at least a portion of a region of the recording medium to which the reaction liquid is applied, thereby recording an image, and a step of irradiating a region to which the reaction liquid and the aqueous ink are applied with laser light to cut the recording medium. The reaction liquid contains an inorganic metal salt, and the aqueous ink contains titanium oxide.

An ink jet recording method includes the steps of ejecting an aqueous reaction liquid from an ink jet recording head and applying it to a non-absorbent recording medium, and ejecting and applying an aqueous ink from the recording head so as to overlap at least a part of an area of the recording medium to which the reaction liquid is applied. The aqueous ink contains resin particle, a surfactant A represented by the general formula (1), and a water-soluble organic solvent having a permittivity of 31.5 or less, and a content of the surfactant A in the aqueous ink is 0.01 times or more to 0.08 times or less in a mass ratio with respect to a content of the resin particle.

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