Electrophotographic photoreceptor

• US 5,932,384 A
• Filed: 05/14/1998
• Issued: 08/03/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sato, Mikiko, Shouda, Takayuki, Mitsumori, Teruyuki, Fujii, Akiteru
• Primary Examiner(s): MARTIN, ROLAND E
• Application Number:
  US09/078,503
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: 430/58, 430/59, 430/83
• US Class Current: 430/58.8
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/047 characterised by the charge-generation layers or charge transport layers G03G5/0433 and G03G5/0436 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/06 characterised by the photoconductive material being organic
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/061443 benzidine
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/061473 plural alkenyl groups linked directly to the same aryl group
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/0677 Monoazo dyes

Abstract

An electrophotographic photoreceptor having a photosensitive layer containing a charge generation material and a charge transport material on an electroconductive substrate, wherein the charge transport material has a polarizability α of the formula, α>100 (ų) and a dipole moment P of the formula, P<1.6 (D).

Claims

1. An electrophotographic photoreceptor having a photosensitive layer containing a charge generation material and a charge transport material on an electroconductive substrate, wherein the charge transport material has a polarizability α

of the formula, α

>

130 (Å

³) and a dipole moment P of the formula, P<

1.6 (D).

2. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the charge transport material satisfies the formula, α

/Mw>

0.16 (Å

³) or α

/P>

60 (Å

³ /D) (α

;

polarizability, Mw;

molecular weight).

3. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive layer is a laminate comprising a charge generation layer containing a charge generating material and a charge transport layer containing a charge transport material and the charge transport layer contains polycarbonate as a binder and has a Hall mobility μ

of μ

>

7.5×

10^-6 (cm² /Vs) in an electric field of E=2×

10^-5 (V/cm).

4. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein an ionization potential difference between the charge transport material and the charge generation material is within 0.4 eV.

5. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, which has a charge generation layer containing a charge generation material and a charge transport layer containing a charge transport material, wherein an ionization potential difference between the charge transport layer and the charge generation layer is within 0.2 eV.

6. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the charge transport material has an ionization potential of from 5 to 5.4 eV.

7. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the photoreceptor has an undercoating layer or uses alumite as a base tube.

8. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the charge generation material is an azo compound having a structure of the following formula (I) and/or (II) as a coupler. ##STR23##

9. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive layer contains a phthalocyanine compound as a charge generation material.

10. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive layer contains an oxytitanium phthalocyanine or a non-metallic phthalocyanine as the charge generation material.

11. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive layer contains an oxytitanium phthalocyanine having the main diffraction peak at a Bragg angle (2θ

±

0.2°

) of 27.3°

in an X-ray diffraction spectrum or an oxytitanium phthalocyanine having the main diffraction peaks at Bragg angles (2θ

±

0.2°

) of 9.3°

, 13.2°

, 26.2° and

27.1°

, as the charge generation material.

12. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive layer is a laminate comprising a charge generation layer containing a charge generating material and a charge transport layer containing a charge transport material and the charge generation layer contains a charge generation material and a binder.

13. An electrophotographic photoreceptor having a photosensitive layer containing a charge generation material and a charge transport material on an electroconductive substrate, wherein the charge transport material has a polarizability α

of a calculated value α

cal of the formula, α

cal>

90 (Å

³) by structure-optimization calculation in accordance with semi-empirical molecular orbital calculation using PM3 parameter (hereinafter simply referred to as "semi-empirical molecular orbital calculation") and a dipole weight.

14. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 13, wherein the charge transport material satisfies the formula α

cal/Mw>

0.125 (Å

³) (α

cal;

a calculated value of a polarizability by semi-empirical molecular orbital calculation, Mw;

molecular weight, V;

a calculated value of van der Waals volume of a molecule having a molecular structure determined by semi-empirical molecular orbital calculation).

15. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 13, wherein a calculated value of ionization potential of the charge transport material by semi-empirical molecular orbital calculation is from 7.9 to 8.3 eV.

16. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 13, wherein the photosensitive layer is a laminate comprising a charge generation layer containing a charge generating material and a charge transport layer containing a charge transport material and the charge transport layer contains polycarbonate as a binder and has a Hall mobility μ

of μ

>

7.5×

10^-6 (cm² /Vs) in an electric field of E=2×

10^-5 (V/cm).

17. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 13, wherein an ionization potential difference between the charge transport material and the charge generation material is within 0.4 eV.

18. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 13, which has a charge generation layer containing a charge generation material and a charge transport layer containing a charge transport material, wherein an ionization potential difference between the charge transport layer and the charge generation layer is within 0.2 eV.

19. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 13, wherein the photoreceptor has an undercoating layer or uses alumite as a base tube.

20. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 13, wherein the charge generation material is an azo compound having a structure of the following formula (I) and/or (II) as a coupler.

21. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 13, wherein the photosensitive layer contains a phthalocyanine compound as a charge generation material.

22. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 13, wherein the photosensitive layer contains an oxytitanium phthalocyanine or a non-metallic phthalocyanine as the charge generation material.

23. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 13, wherein the photosensitive layer contains an oxytitanium phthalocyanine having the main diffraction peak at a Bragg angle (2θ

±

0.2°

) of 27.3°

in an X-ray diffraction spectrum or an oxytitanium phthalocyanine having the main diffraction peaks at Bragg angles (2θ

±

0.2°

) of 9.3°

, 13.2°

, 26.2° and

27.1°

, as the charge generation material.

24. An electrophotographic photoreceptor having a photosensitive layer which is a laminate comprising a charge generation layer containing a charge generating material and a charge transport layer containing a charge transport material and contains an aryl amine compound of the following formula (1) on an electroconductive substrate:

wherein in the formula (1), each of R₁, R₂, R₃, R₄, R₅ and R₆ is a halogen atom, an alkyl which may have a substituent, an alkoxy group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent or a substituted amino group, and they may be the same or different;

each of k, l, m, n, o and p is zero or an integer of 1 to 4, and when the integer is 2 or more, a plurality of R₁ or R₆ may the same or different;

X₁ is a group of the formula (2),

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">.paren open-st.CR.sub.7 ═

CR.sub.8 .paren close-st..sub.i CR.sub.9 ═

CR.sub.10 R.sub.11 (

     2)

and each of X₂, X₃ and X₄ is a group of the formula (2'"'"'),

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">.paren open-st.CR.sub.12 ═

CR.sub.13 .paren close-st..sub.h CR.sub.14 ═

CR.sub.15 R.sub.16 ( 2'"'"')

(in the formulas (2) and (2'"'"'), is an integer of at least 1, h is zero or an integer of 1 or more, each of R₇, R₈, R₉, R₁₀, R₁₁, R₁₂, R₁₃, R₁₄, R₁₅ and R₁₆ is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an alkoxy group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent or a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent, and they may the same or different, provided that with respect to the pair of R₁₀ and R₁₁ or the pair of R₁₅ and R₁₆, when one is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, the other is an aryl group or a heterocyclic group, or the pair of R₁₀ and R₁₁ or the pair of R₁₅ and R₁₆ may be condensed to form a carbocyclic group or a heterocyclic group, and when i is 2 or more, each of R₇ and R₈ may be the same or different, and when h is 2 or more, each of R₁₂ and R₁₃ may be the same or different), and they may be respectively the same or different; and

each of a, b, c and d is an integer of 1 or 2.