METHOD FOR PREPARING PHOTORECEPTOR, PHOTORECEPTOR PREPARED BY THE METHOD, AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD AND APPARATUS AND PROCESS CARTRIDGE USING THE PHOTORECEPTOR

• US 20080102391A1
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Toshine, Tetsuya, Kimura, Michio, Tanaka, Chiaki, Tada, Hiromi, Shimada, Tomoyuki, Tamoto, Nozomu, YANAGAWA, Yoshiki
• Granted Patent: US 7,855,040 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 430/69
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/0525 Coating methods
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/0532 obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsatured bonds
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/0546 Polymers comprising at least one carboxyl radical, e.g. polyacrylic acid, polycrotonic acid, polymaleic acid; Derivatives thereof, e.g. their esters, salts, anhydrides, nitriles, amides
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/0616 Hydrazines; Hydrazones
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/0629 containing one hetero atom
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/14734 Polymers comprising at least one carboxyl radical, e.g. polyacrylic acid, polycrotonic acid, polymaleic acid; Derivatives thereof, e.g. their esters, salts, anhydrides, nitriles, amides
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/14791 Macromolecular compounds characterised by their structure, e.g. block polymers, reticulated polymers, or by their chemical properties, e.g. by molecular weight or acidity

Abstract

A method for preparing a photoreceptor including forming a photosensitive layer overlying an electroconductive substrate; coating a liquid including a radically polymerizable compound to form a protective layer; irradiating the protective layer with light to crosslink the protective layer; and then contacting the protective layer with a fluid, which is selected from the group consisting of supercritical fluids and subcritical fluids and which includes a charge transport material. A photoreceptor prepared by the method. An image forming method, an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge using the photoreceptor.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a photoreceptor comprising:

forming a photosensitive layer overlying an electroconductive substrate;

coating a liquid including a radically polymerizable compound to form a protective layer;

irradiating the protective layer with light to crosslink the protective layer; and

then contacting the protective layer with a mixture of a fluid, which is selected from the group consisting of supercritical fluids and subcritical fluids and which comprises a charge transport material, to inject the charge transport material into at least the protective layer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is selected from the group consisting of supercritical fluids of carbon dioxide and subcritical fluids of carbon dioxide.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fluid further comprises a member selected from the group consisting of methanol and ethanol.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fluid includes the charge transport material in an amount of not less than 0.5 g/l.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fluid has a temperature of from 30 to 140°

C.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the radically polymerizable compound has no charge transport structure.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the radically polymerizable compound has three or more radically polymerizable functional groups.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the charge transport material has no radically polymerizable functional group.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the charge transport material comprises a member selected from the group consisting of triarylamine derivatives, hydrazone derivatives and pyrazoline derivatives, and carbazole derivatives.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the charge transport material comprises a triarylamine derivative.

11. A photoreceptor comprising:

an electroconductive substrate;

a photosensitive layer overlying the electroconductive substrate;

a crosslinked protective layer overlying the photosensitive layer, wherein the crosslinked protective layer comprises a charge transport material,

wherein the photoreceptor is prepared by the method according to claim 1.

12. The photoreceptor according to claim 11, wherein the fluid is selected from the group consisting of supercritical fluids of carbon dioxide and subcritical fluids of carbon dioxide.

13. The photoreceptor according to claim 11, wherein the photosensitive layer comprises a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer overlying the charge generation layer, and wherein the protective layer forming step of the method comprises:

forming a charge transport layer; and

forming a charge transport layer overlying the charge generation layer.

14. An image forming method comprising:

charging the photoreceptor according to claim 11;

irradiating a surface of the photoreceptor with light to form an electrostatic latent image thereon;

developing the electrostatic latent image with a developer including a toner to form a toner image thereon;

transferring the toner image onto a receiving material; and

cleaning a surface of the photoreceptor after the toner image is transferred.

15. An image forming apparatus comprising:

the photoreceptor according to claim 11;

a charging device configured to charge the photoreceptor;

a latent image forming device configured to form an electrostatic latent image on a surface of the photoreceptor;

a developing device configured to develop the electrostatic latent image with a developer including a toner to form a toner image thereon;

a transferring device configured to transfer the toner image onto a receiving material; and

a cleaning device configured to clean a surface of the photoreceptor after the toner image is transferred.

16. A process cartridge comprising:

the photoreceptor according to claim 11; and

at least one of a charging device configured to charge the photoreceptor;

a latent image forming device configured to form an electrostatic latent image on a surface of the photoreceptor;

a developing device configured to develop the electrostatic latent image with a developer including a toner to form a toner image thereon;

a transferring device configured to transfer the toner image onto a receiving material; and

a cleaning device configured to clean a surface of the photoreceptor after the toner image is transferred,

wherein the process cartridge is detachably attachable to an image forming apparatus as a unit.