Electrophotographic photoreceptor, process cartridge and image forming apparatus

• US 8,361,686 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2008
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Nukada, Hidemi, Miura, Masaru, Takimoto, Hitoshi, Suzuki, Takahiro, Yamamoto, Shinya, Koujiri, Tetsunao
• Primary Examiner(s): Huff, Mark F
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALAM, RASHID A
• Application Number:
  US12/246,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20090226208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,575 Days
• Field of Search: 430 62- 66, 430/58.05, 399/111
• US Class Current: 430/66
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/0539 Halogenated polymers
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/0578 Polycondensates comprising silicon atoms in the main chain
• 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 5/0596 Macromolecular compounds characterised by their physical properties
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/14726 Halogenated polymers
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/14773 Polycondensates comprising silicon atoms in the main chain
• 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 electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising at least a photosensitive layer on an electroconductive substrate, a surface layer of the electrophotographic photoreceptor including a fluorinated alkyl group-containing copolymer having repeating units represented by the following formulae A and B, and fluorine-based resin particles:

wherein in Formulae A and B, l, m and n each independently represent a integer number of 1 or more; p, q, r and s each independently represent 0 or an integer of 1 or more; t represents an integer of from 1 to 7; R₁, R₂, R₃, and R₄ each independently represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; X represents an alkylene chain, a halogen-substituted alkylene chain, —S—, —O—, —NH— or a single bond; Y represents an alkylene chain, a halogen-substituted alkylene chain, —(C_zH_2z-1(OH))— or a single bond; and z represents an integer of 1 or more.

Claims

1. An electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising at least

a photosensitive layer on an electroconductive substrate,

a surface layer of the electrophotographic photoreceptor including (i) a fluorinated alkyl group-containing copolymer consisting of repeating units represented by the following Formulae A and B, and (ii) fluorine-based resin particles:

2. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the weight average molecular weight of the fluorinated alkyl group-containing copolymer is from about 10,000 to about 100,000.

3. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the fluorine-based resin particles contain a tetrafluoroethylene resin.

4. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the content of the fluorine-based resin particles in the surface layer is from about 1% by volume to about 15% by volume.

5. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the content of the fluorinated alkyl group-containing copolymer in the surface layer with respect to the content of the fluorine-based resin particles in the surface layer is from about 1% by weight to about 5% by weight.

6. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the surface layer further contains a fluorine-modified silicone oil represented by the following Formula 1:

7. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 6, wherein X in Formula 1 represents a fluoroalkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms.

8. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 6, wherein the content of the fluorine-modified silicone oil in the surface layer is from about 0.1 ppm to about 1,000 ppm.

9. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the surface layer further contains a siloxane compound containing repeating units represented by the following Formulae D and E:

10. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 9, wherein the alkyl group represented by R₇ in Formula E has 8 or more carbon atoms.

11. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 9, wherein the content of the siloxane compound in the surface layer is from about 5 ppm to about 1,000 ppm.

12. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive layer comprises a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer in this order from the electroconductive substrate side, and wherein the charge transport layer is the surface layer.

13. An image forming apparatus comprising:

the electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1;

a charging unit that charges a surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor;

an electrostatic latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the charged electrophotographic photoreceptor;

an image forming unit that forms a toner image by developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor with a developer; and

a transfer unit that transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor onto a surface of an image receiving body.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a cleaning unit that removes the remaining toner from the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor after the transfer.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the cleaning unit comprises a cleaning blade.

16. A process cartridge that is detachably attachable to an image forming apparatus main body, the process cartridge comprising:

the electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1; and

at least one selected from the group consisting of a charging unit that charges a surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor, an electrostatic latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the charged electrophotographic photoreceptor, an image forming unit that forms a toner image by developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor with a developer, a transfer unit that transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor onto a surface of an image receiving body, and a cleaning unit that removes the remaining toner from the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor after the transfer.

17. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein t represents an integer of 1 or 2.