Electrophotographic photosensitive member, process cartridge and electrophotographic apparatus, and process for producing electrophotographic photosensitive member

• US 7,732,113 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2006
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takagi, Shinji, Nakamura, Kazushige, Hirano, Hidetoshi, Kuno, Junpei, Kumoi, Hirofumi, Miura, Daisuke, Uesugi, Hirotoshi, Abe, Yukihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Dote; Janis L
• Application Number:
  US11/720,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20090136256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• Field of Search: 430/62, 430/63, 430/131, 430/60, 399/159, 399/174
• US Class Current: 430/63
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/751 relating to drum G03G15/757 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/104 comprising inorganic material other than metals, e.g. salts, oxides, carbon
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/144 comprising inorganic material

Abstract

In an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a support, a conductive layer formed on the support, an intermediate layer formed on the conductive layer, and a photosensitive layer formed on the intermediate layer, the conductive layer has been formed by using a conductive layer coating fluid which contains TiO₂ particles coated with oxygen deficient SnO₂ having an average particle diameter of from 0.20 μm or more to 0.60 μm or less, and has a volume resistivity of from more than 8.0×10⁸ Ωcm to 1.0×10¹¹ Ωcm or less. The electrophotographic photosensitive member can keep charging lines from occurring.

Claims

1. An electrophotographic photosensitive member which comprises a support, a conductive layer formed on the support, an intermediate layer formed on the conductive layer, and a photosensitive layer formed on the intermediate layer, wherein;

said conductive layer is a layer formed by using a conductive layer coating fluid which contains (a) TiO₂ particles coated with oxygen deficient SnO₂ (P) having an average particle diameter of from 0.20 μ

m or more to 0.60 μ

m or less and (b) a binding material (B), wherein a mass ratio of (P);

(B) is from 2.3;

1.0 to 3.3;

1.0; and

said conductive layer has a volume resistivity of from more than 8.0×

10⁸ Ω

cm to 1.0×

10¹¹ Ω

cm or less.

2. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein in the TiO₂ particles coated with oxygen deficient SnO₂ contained in the conductive layer coating fluid, TiO₂ particles coated with oxygen deficient SnO₂ of from 0.10 μ

m or more to 0.40 μ

m or less in particle diameter are in a proportion of 45% by number or more based on the number of all the TiO₂ particles coated with oxygen deficient SnO₂ contained in the conductive layer coating fluid.

3. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein said conductive layer coating fluid is a coating fluid prepared by using TiO₂ particles coated with oxygen deficient SnO₂ having a powder resistivity of from 1 Ω

cm or more to 500 Ω

cm or less.

4. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein said conductive layer has a layer thickness of from 10 μ

m or more to 25 μ

m or less.

5. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein said binding material is at least one of a monomer and an oligomer of a raw material for a hardening resin.

6. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein said support is a support made of aluminum and produced by a production process having a step of extrusion and a step of drawing.

7. A process cartridge which comprises the electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, and at least one selected from the group consisting of a charging means, a developing means, a transfer means and a cleaning means, which are integrally held;

the process cartridge being detachably mountable to the main body of an electrophotographic apparatus.

8. The process cartridge according to claim 7, wherein said charging means comprises a charging member provided in contact with said electrophotographic photosensitive member.

9. The process cartridge according to claim 8, wherein said charging member is a member having a conductive support and a conductive cover layer formed on the conductive support, and the surface of the charging member has a ten-point average roughness Rz jis of 5 μ

m or less.

10. An electrophotographic apparatus which comprises the electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, a charging means, an exposure means, a developing means and a transfer means.

11. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said charging means comprises a charging member provided in contact with said electrophotographic photosensitive member.

12. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said charging member is a member having a conductive support and a conductive cover layer formed on the conductive support, and the surface of the charging member has a ten-point average roughness Rz jis of 5 μ

m or less.

13. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 11, which further comprises a voltage applying means for applying only a direct-current voltage.

14. A process for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member;

the process comprising a conductive layer forming step of forming on a support a conductive layer having a volume resistivity of from more than 8.0×

10⁸ Ω

cm to 1.0×

10¹¹ Ω

cm or less, an intermediate layer forming step of forming an intermediate layer on the conductive layer, and a photosensitive layer forming step of forming a photosensitive layer on the intermediate layer;

in said conductive layer forming step, the layer being formed by using a conductive layer coating fluid which contains (a) TiO₂ particles coated with oxygen deficient SnO₂ (P) having an average particle diameter of from 0.20 μ

m or more to 0.60 μ

m or less and (b) a binding material (B), wherein a mass ratio of (P);

(B) is from 2.3;

1.0 to 3.3;

1.0.

15. The process for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 14, wherein in the TiO₂ particles coated with oxygen deficient SnO₂ contained in the conductive layer coating fluid, TiO₂ particles coated with oxygen deficient SnO₂ of from 0.10 μ

m or more to 0.40 μ

m or less in particle diameter are in a proportion of 45% by number or more based on the number of all the TiO₂ particles coated with oxygen deficient SnO₂ contained in the conductive layer coating fluid.

16. The process for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 14, wherein said conductive layer coating fluid is a coating fluid prepared by using TiO₂ particles coated with oxygen deficient SnO₂ having a powder resistivity of from 1 Ω

cm or more to 500 Ω

cm or less.

17. The process for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 14, wherein said conductive layer is formed in a layer thickness of from 10 μ

m or more to 25 μ

m or less.

18. The process for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 14, wherein said binding material is at least one of a monomer and an oligomer of a raw material for a hardening resin.

19. The process for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 14, wherein said support is a support made of aluminum and produced by a production process having a step of extrusion and a step of drawing.