IMAGE BEARING MEMBER AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND PROCESS CARTRIDGE USING THE SAME

• US 20120163860A1
• Filed: 12/19/2011
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Shimoyama, Keisuke, Ikuno, Hiroshi, Toshine, Tetsuya, Asano, Tomoharu, Tanaka, Yuuji, Kuboshima, Yasuhito
• Granted Patent: US 8,652,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/111
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/04 for exposing, i.e. imagewise exposure by optically projecting the original image on a photoconductive recording material
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/0592 Macromolecular compounds characterised by their structure or by their chemical properties, e.g. block polymers, reticulated polymers, molecular weight, acidity
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/072 comprising pending monoamine groups
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/14704 comprising inorganic material
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/14795 Macromolecular compounds characterised by their physical properties

Abstract

An image bearing member having an electroconductive substrate, a photosensitive layer overlying the electroconductive layer, and a cross-linked surface layer overlying the photosensitive layer, which contains a cross-linked polymer and a first compound consisting essentially of a nitrogen atom and a phenyl group, biphenyl group, and condensed polycyclic hydrocarbon group, or a second compound consisting essentially of a nitrogen atom and hydrogen atoms, halogen atoms, alkyl groups, alkoxy groups, or aryl groups, substituted or non-substituted alkyl groups, substituted or non-substituted alkoxy groups, substituted or non-substituted aralkyl groups, substituted or non-substituted aryl group, substituted or non-substituted alkylene groups, cyano groups, nitro groups, or —OCO═CH₂R16, in which R16 represents a hydrogen atom, a substituted or non-substituted alkyl group, a substituted or non-substituted alkoxy group, or a substituted or non-substituted aryl group.

Claims

1. An image bearing member comprising:

an electroconductive substrate;

a photosensitive layer overlying the electroconductive layer; and

a cross-linked surface layer overlying the photosensitive layer, comprising a cross-linked polymer and a first compound represented by Chemical structure I or a second compound represented by Chemical structure II;

2. The image bearing member according to claim 1, wherein the cross-linked surface layer is a cross-linked film cured by irradiation with light.

3. The image bearing member according to claim 2, wherein the cross-linked polymer is formed by curing a radical polymerizable monomer having at least three functional groups and a photopolymerizable initiator by irradiation with light or electron beams.

4. The image bearing member according to claim 1, wherein the cross-linked surface layer comprises inorganic particulates.

5. The image bearing member according to claim 1, wherein the cross-linked surface layer has the second compound in an amount of 10% by weight to 70% by weight.

6. The image bearing member according to claim 1, wherein the second compound has no absorption at a wavelength of 350 nm or longer.

7. The image bearing member according to claim 1, wherein the second compound and the cross-linked polymer are chemically bonded.

8. An image forming method comprising:

charging the image bearing member of claim 1;

irradiating a surface of the image bearing member to form a latent electrostatic image thereon;

developing the latent electrostatic image with a developing agent comprising toner to obtain a visible image; and

transferring the visible image to a transfer medium.

9. An image forming apparatus comprising:

the image bearing member of claim 1;

a charging device to charge the image bearing member;

an irradiation device to irradiate a surface of the image bearing member to form a latent electrostatic image thereon;

a development device to develop the latent electrostatic image with a developing agent comprising toner to obtain a visible image; and

a transfer device to transfer the visible image to a transfer medium.

10. A process cartridge detachably attachable to an image forming apparatus, comprising:

the image bearing member of claim 1; and

one or more devices selected from the group consisting of a charging device to charge the image bearing member, a development device to develop a latent electrostatic image on a surface of the image bearing member with a developing agent comprising toner to obtain a visible image, a transfer device to transfer the visible image to a transfer medium, a cleaning device to remove residual toner remaining on the surface of the image bearing member, and a neutralizing device to remove the charge from the image bearing member.