I do not have the specifics of my hypothesis down yet, but I can tell you the gist of it:
If a paper is coated with more (some inorganic oxide), then colored ink on the paper will have a higher color strength.
A little explanation is necessary.
Coated paper often contains inorganic oxides, such as "alumina, silica, talc, clay, titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate, etc. and also polymers such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyvinylalcohol (PVA), gelatin, carboxymethylcellulose, and polyvinylacetate" (Lavery, Aidan and John Provost,Interactions of Digital Inks with Textile and Paper Substrates in Ink Jet Printing). These oxides give coated paper a leg up on color strength, since non-coated papers react weakly to anionic dyes (which are simply dyes with negative charge). These "regular" papers bond with the ink through Van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonding. This allows the dye to seep, which makes the color less vibrant and shrinks the range of colors on the paper. The oxides on coated papers actually form stronger bonds with the anionic dyes, because of the "presence of electrostatic interactions between the anionic dyes and the inorganic oxide." The stronger the interaction, the less the ink moves around. The less the ink moves around, the more vibrant the colors.
While I have all of this information, I'm not sure if there's anything I can do with it.
I think that all of this is fascinating; the fact that they coat the paper with chemicals so that the ink can bond better, the way that they bond, etc. I guess I never really thought about it. But, where can I get these inorganic oxides? Is there a way that I could obtain them and use them? Is that simply impossible? Are any of them particularly harmful? For my experiment, would I just use glossy paper versus regular paper and then compare the resolution between them? Would I pick out every pigment on a computer and mark it down? These are all things that I feel I can use, but I'm not sure what to pick. I really have to look further into what is available to me and what isn't for this project before I come up with a more solid hypothesis.
With this in mind, all of the information below is subject to change.
2) Identify the dependent, independent, and control variables in your hypothesis.
Currently:
Dependent variable - color strength
Independent variable - the amount of inorganic oxide
Control variables - regular, untreated paper (versus the coated paper)
3) What is the connection between your science fair project and your senior project EQ?
My EQ is centered around making an award-winning publication, and in order to have that, image quality is key. There are also different things to consider when you get the book- sometimes the softer, less sharp pictures that come from matte paper are more desirable than the crisper, more intense colors of glossy paper. It all depends. However, knowing what types of paper will yield what results is important in any printed product.
Edit: An update as to how I will measure color strength.
After more research on how to measure color gamuts (the color spectrum range in a given palette or color "specimen"), I have found a program that will measure color gamuts for me: the Gamutvision Print Test. This program "obtains detailed measurements of the print's color and tonal response." It's free and will be accessible to me, a Mac, provided that I install Virtual PC 6 or 7. This is something my brother can get me fairly easily.
Once I have Virtual PC, I can download Gamutvision Print Test. After that, I simply need to follow these steps (as quoted from the website) :
- "Assign a profile to the test pattern, if needed.
- Print the test pattern, noting (as applicable) the printer, paper, ink, working color space, ICC profile, rendering intent, color engine, and miscellaneous software settings.
- Scan it on a flatbed scanner, preferably one that has been profiled. Best results are obtained by scanning it next to a step chart such as the Kodak Q-13 into a file tagged with Adobe RGB (1998) color space.
- Run Gamutvision Print test."
I am in the process of downloading VPC as I type this.
4) How will you perform the experiment? Include the equipment you plan on using.
I am not sure yet what equipment I will be using, because I don't know all of the materials that I will need or how I will need to handle said materials.
5) Which category will your project be listed under?
Chemistry.
