Electrophotographic photoreceptor

• US 6,165,662 A
• Filed: 12/01/1999
• Issued: 12/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Itaru, Kato, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): MARTIN, ROLAND E
• Application Number:
  US09/451,773
• Time in Patent Office: 391 Days
• Field of Search: 430/59.6, 430/96
• US Class Current: 430/96
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/0564 Polycarbonates
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/0578 Polycondensates comprising silicon atoms in the main chain

Abstract

An electrophotographic photoreceptor having a photosensitive layer containing a binder resin on an electroconductive substrate, wherein at least a part of the binder resin in the photosensitive layer is a polycarbonate resin having a structure of the following formula (1) as main repeating units and a structure of the following formula (2) at one or each terminal and having a viscosity-average molecular weight of from 10,000 to 300,000: ##STR1## where, in the formula (1), each of Y¹ to Y⁸ which are independent of one another, is a hydrogen atom, a C_1-10 saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group, a C_3-10 unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group, a halogen atom, a halogenated alkyl group, a C_1-10 alkoxy group or a C_6-20 aromatic hydrocarbon group which may be substituted, X¹ is ##STR2## an aromatic ring, a single bond, a lactone or fluorene, each of R¹ to R⁷ which are independent of one another, is a hydrogen atom, a C_1-10 saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent, a C_3-10 unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent, a halogen atom, an alkoxy group or a C_6-20 aromatic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent, Z is a C_3-20 substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic hydrocarbon group, a is an integer of from 0 to 4, l is an integer of from 1 to 6, and m is an integer of from 2 to 20, and, in the formula (2), R¹³ is an aliphatic and/or aromatic bivalent organic residue, W is a single bond, O, CO, COO, NH, NHCO, S, SO or SO₂, each of R⁸ to R¹² which are independent of one another, is a C_1-10 saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent or a C_6-20 aromatic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent, and n is an integer of from 1 to 500.

Claims

1. An electrophotographic photoreceptor having a photosensitive layer containing a binder resin on an electroconductive substrate, wherein at least a part of the binder resin in the photosensitive layer is a polycarbonate resin having a structure of the following formula (1) as main repeating units and a structure of the following formula (2) at one or each terminal and having a viscosity-average molecular weight of from 10,000 to 300,000:

##STR14## where, in the formula (1), each of Y¹ to Y⁸ which are independent of one another, is a hydrogen atom, a C_1-10 saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group, a C_3-10 unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group, a halogen atom, a halogenated alkyl group, a C_1-10 alkoxy group or a C_6-20 aromatic hydrocarbon group which may be substituted, X¹ is ##STR15## an aromatic ring, a single bond, a lactone or fluorene, each of R¹ to R⁷ which are independent of one another, is a hydrogen atom, a C_1-10 saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent, a C_3-10 unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent, a halogen atom, an alkoxy group or a C_6-20 aromatic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent, Z is a C_3-20 substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic hydrocarbon group, a is an integer of from 0 to 4, l is an integer of from 1 to 6, and m is an integer of from 2 to 20, and, in the formula (2), R¹³ is an aliphatic and/or aromatic bivalent organic residue, W is a single bond, O, CO, COO, NH, NHCO, S, SO or SO₂, each of R⁸ to R¹² which are independent of one another, is a C_1-10 saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent or a C_6-20 aromatic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent, and n is an integer of from 1 to 500.

2. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the binder resin contains polysiloxane moieties (moieties having W and R¹³ removed from the structure of the formula (2)) in an amount of from 0.01 to 5 wt %, based on the total binder resin contained in the photosensitive layer.

3. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the viscosity-average molecular weight is from 15,000 to 100,000.

4. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the structure of the formula (2) is a structure of the formula (2'"'"'):

##STR16## wherein each of R¹⁴ and R¹⁵ which are independent of each other, is a hydrogen atom, a C_1-18 saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group, a C_3-10 unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group, a halogen atom, a halogenated alkyl group, an alkoxy group or a C_6-20 aromatic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent, Ar is a bivalent or higher valent aromatic hydrocarbon group which may be substituted, b is an integer of from 1 to 20, c is 0 or an integer of at least 1, and R⁸ to R¹² and n are as defined above.

5. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the structure of the formula (2) is a structure of the formula (2"):

##STR17## wherein Y⁹ is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, a carbonylalkyl group, a phenyl group, an oxyphenyl group or a carbonylphenyl group, and n and b are as defined above.

6. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the structure of the formula (1) is a structure of the formula (1'"'"'):

##STR18## wherein each of Y¹⁰ to Y¹³ which are independent of one another, is a hydrogen atom, a C_1-4 alkyl group, a halogen atom or a phenyl group, and X² is ##STR19## or ##STR20##

7. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the repeating units of the formula (1) of the polycarbonate resin are copolymer components of the following formulae (1a) and (1b):

wherein each of R¹⁶ to R²³ which are independent of one another, is a hydrogen atom or a C_1-4 alkyl group, provided that at least one of R¹⁶ to R¹⁹ is not a hydrogen atom.

8. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the polycarbonate resin having the structure of the formula (2) at the terminal, is contained in the surface layer of the photoreceptor.

9. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein at least a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer are laminated in this order on the electroconductive substrate, and the polycarbonate resin having the structure of the formula (2) at the terminal, is contained in the charge generation layer.

10. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 9, wherein the charge transport layer contains a triarylamine compound, a hydrazone compound, a stilbene derivative compound or a butadiene derivative compound, as a charge transport material.

11. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 9, wherein the charge transport layer further contains a hindered phenol compound or a hindered amine compound.