A recording material and a recording sheet having better color-developing performance, storage stability, etc. A recording material which contains (A) at least one color former, (B) at least one compound selected from the group including compounds represented by the following formula (I), and (C) at least one compound selected from the group including compounds represented by the following formula (II) (wherein R.sup.1 to R.sup.3 each represent a halogen atom, a nitro group, a C.sub.1 to C.sub.6 alkyl group, a C.sub.1 to C.sub.6 alkoxy group, a C.sub.2 to C.sub.6 alkenyl group or a C.sub.1 to C.sub.6 haloalkyl group, n1 and n3 each independently represent any integer of 0 to 5, n2 represents any integer of 0 to 4, and X represents —SO.sub.2—O— or —O—SO.sub.2—). ##STR00001##

The present invention provides a thermosensitive recording medium having a high degree of water resistance and excellent surface qualities. The thermosensitive recording medium has a thermosensitive recording layer comprising a colorless or pale colored basic leuco dye and an electron accepting developing agent on a substrate, but does not have a protective layer on the thermosensitive recording layer, and the thermosensitive recording layer further comprises (i) a carboxy-modified polyvinyl alcohol as a binder, (ii) an epichlorohydrin resin and a modified polyamine/amide resin (excluding those contained in the category of epichlorohydrin resin) as crosslinking agents, and (iii) an acrylic resin with a glass transition temperature (Tg) of lower than or equal to 50 degree C. and a minimum film forming temperature (MFT) of higher than or equal to 40 degree C.

Hollow resin particles for thermosensitive recording media containing a thermoplastic resin shell and a hollow part surrounded by the shell. The hollow resin particles contain a thermally-vaporizable hydrocarbon in an encapsulation ratio of at least 0.2 wt %. The hollow resin particles preferably have a mean volume particle size ranging from 0.1 to 10 μm.

A thermosensitive recording medium 100 includes a support 50, and a first thermosensitive coloring layer 10, a first intermediate layer 15, and a second thermosensitive coloring layer 20 disposed on the support 50 in descending order of distance from the support 50. The first thermosensitive coloring layer 10 and the second thermosensitive coloring layer 20 each contain an electron-donating dye precursor, an electron-accepting compound, a radical-polymerizable compound, and a photoradical polymerization initiator, and the first intermediate layer 15 contains a UV absorber.

Iodonium salt initiator and processing-free thermally sensitive plate precursor containing thereof, and processing-free thermally sensitive plate and use thereof, At least one of two para positions of two benzene rings of the iodonium salt initiator is an alkene group containing a carbon or nitrogen or oxygen atom and a double bond at an end. The alkene group can increase a steric hindrance of the iodonium salt, improves compatibility of the iodonium salt, the thermosensitive resin and the crosslinkable prepolymer, reduces the surface migration of the iodonium salt in the imaging layer and improves the initiation efficiency. During the laser imaging, a double bond contained in a residual end of the iodonium salt can perform a crosslinking reaction with the thermosensitive resin and the crosslinkable prepolymer, and thus reduces damage to the imaging layer caused by small molecules. At the same time, substituents can be arranged at four meta positions of the two benzene rings to increase the steric hindrance of the iodonium salt, and therefore, the surface migration of the iodonium salt in the imaging layer is further reduced, and the initiation efficiency is improved and the performance of the processing-free thermally sensitive plate is further improved.

A coating composition for producing a heat-sensitive recording material and to a corresponding heat-sensitive recording layer. The coating composition includes one or more color developers, one or more dye precursors, one or more specific fatty acid amides, and one or more (additional) specific sensitizers. A heat-sensitive recording material including a carrier substrate and a heat-sensitive recording layer, to the use of specific fatty acid amides in order to increase the grease resistance of a heat-sensitive recording material or a heat-sensitive recording layer, and to a method for producing a heat-sensitive recording material or a heat-sensitive recording layer.

An object of the present invention is to provide: a developer that can provide a thermosensitive recording material excellent in color development sensitivity and storage stability; and a thermosensitive recording material obtained using the developer. The object is achieved by a developer including a compound represented by the following Formula (1).

##STR00001##

In Formula (1), a, A, and L are as follows: a is an integer selected from 1 to 5, A is each independently a fluoro group or a perfluoroalkyl group, and L is any of functional groups represented by the following Formula (2):

##STR00002##

wherein in Formula (2), R is a C.sub.1-C.sub.4 alkyl group, and * represents a binding site to a sulfur atom in Formula (1).

An object of the present invention is to provide: a developer that can provide a thermosensitive recording material excellent in color development sensitivity and storage stability; and a thermosensitive recording material obtained using the developer. The object is achieved by a developer including a compound represented by the following Formula (1).

##STR00001##

In Formula (1), a, A, and L are as follows: a is an integer selected from 1 to 5, A is each independently a fluoro group or a perfluoroalkyl group, and L is any of functional groups represented by the following Formula (2):

##STR00002##

wherein in Formula (2), R is a C.sub.1-C.sub.4 alkyl group, and * represents a binding site to a sulfur atom in Formula (1).

A heat-sensitive recording composition and recording material. The recording material comprising a substrate, wherein a heat-sensitive composition comprising color formers, color developers and a sensitizer comprising a combination of ortho-toluenesulfonamide and para-toluenesulfonamide (OPTSA) is deposited onto the surface of the substrate.

Disclosed is a heat-sensitive recording material comprising an undercoat layer and a heat-sensitive recording layer in this order on a support, the undercoat layer containing hollow particles, a binder, and an inorganic pigment I, the heat-sensitive recording layer containing a leuco dye, a developer, and an inorganic pigment II, and the heat-sensitive recording layer containing an N,N′-diarylurea-based compound represented by the following formula (1):

##STR00001## wherein R.sub.2s may be the same or different, and each represents C.sub.1-12 alkyl, C.sub.7-12 aralkyl, or C.sub.6-12 aryl, and the aralkyl and the aryl may be each substituted with C.sub.1-12 alkyl, C.sub.1-12 alkoxy, C.sub.6-12 aryl, or halogen; A.sub.1s may be the same or different, and each represents hydrogen or C.sub.1-4 alkyl, as the developer, and a pigment with an oil absorption of 130 ml/100 g or less as the inorganic pigment II.