Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Electric or magnetic imagery – e.g. – xerography,... – Radiation-sensitive composition or product
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-17
2002-06-18
Chapman, Mark (Department: 1753)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Electric or magnetic imagery, e.g., xerography,...
Radiation-sensitive composition or product
C430S058200, C430S058750, C430S132000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06406825
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrophotographic photoreceptor and a production method of the same, as well as a process cartridge and an image forming apparatus in which said photoreceptor is installed.
In recent years, as electrophotographic photoreceptors, those which comprise organic photoconductive materials have been widely employed. The organic photoreceptors exhibit more advantageous features than other photoreceptors in such a manner that the materials corresponding to various exposure light sources ranging from visible light to infrared light tend to be developed, materials which do not result in environmental pollution can be chosen, and the production cost is relatively low. The only disadvantage is that the mechanical strength is not sufficiently high, and during copying or printing of a number of sheets, the surface of the photoreceptor results in wear and abrasion.
The surface of electrophotographic photoreceptors is subjected to direct application of electrical and mechanical external forces from a charging unit, a development unit, a transfer means, a cleaning unit, and the like. Therefore, durability is required to counter these external forces. Specifically, sufficient durability is required to counter the generation of wear and abrasion due to sliding friction on the photoreceptor surface, and degradation of the photoreceptor surface due to ozone and active oxygen generated during corona discharge.
In order to satisfy the various properties mentioned above which are required for the photoreceptor surface, various factors have been investigated. Namely, it is reported that by employing BPZ polycarbonate as a binder (a binding resin) on the photoreceptor surface, surface wear properties as well as toner filming properties are enhanced. Furthermore, Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection No. 6-118681 discloses a hardenable silicone resin containing colloidal silica, which is employed as a photoreceptor surface protecting layer.
However, the photoreceptor in which the BPZ polycarbonate binder is employed exhibits insufficient wear resistant properties and exhibits insufficient durability. On the other hand, the surface layer comprised of the hardenable silicone resin containing colloidal silica exhibits improved wear resistant properties, however, during repeated use, electrophotographic properties are insufficient and tend to result in background staining, as well as image blurring and sufficient durability is not achieved.
As a method to solve such problems, Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection Nos. 9-124943 and 9-190004 propose photoreceptors, having as a surface layer, the layer of a resin prepared by bonding an organic silicone-modified positive hole transportable compound to hardenable organic silicone based high polymer molecules. However, this resin layer results in background staining as well as image blurring at high humidity, and also exhibits insufficient durability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to develop an electrophotographic photoreceptor which exhibits high surface hardness, excellent wear resistance, and stable electrophotographic properties during repeated use at high temperature and humidity, accordingly results in excellent images during repeated use so that the above-mentioned problems can be solved, and a production method of the same, and to further provide a process cartridge and an image forming apparatus employing said photoreceptor.
The inventors of the present invention have exerted their best effort. As a result, it was found that the object of the present invention had been accomplished by employing any of the embodiments described below.
1. An electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising a support, photosensitive layer and a resin layer, said resin layer being obtained by hardening at least one of an organic silicon compound having a hydroxyl group or a hydrolizable group and condensation compound thereof, and a compound represented by formula(1),
A(Q)k (1)
wherein A represents a group containing an aromatic group or a heterocyclic group, Q represents a group containing at least one of a hydroxyl group, an amino group, and a mercapto group, and k represents an integer not less than 2, and
wherein said organic silicon compound is three-dimensionally cross-linked.
2. The electrophotographic photoreceptor of item 1, said group Q being represented by formula(2),
R
1
Z (2)
wherein R1 represents nonsubstituted/substituted alkylene group having 1-20 carbon atoms, and Z represents hydroxy, amino, or mercapto group.
3. The electrophotographic photoreceptor of item 2, R
1
having a group of CR
2
R
3
, and Z being hydroxy group,
wherein each of R
2
and R
3
is a hydrogen atom, nonsubstituted/substituted alkylene or aryl group having 1-6 carbon atoms.
4. The electrophotographic photoreceptor of item 1, wherein k is an integer of 2 to 10.
5. The electrophotographic photoreceptor of item 1, wherein said resin layer further comprising colloidal silica.
6. The electrophotographic photoreceptor of item 1, wherein said resin layer is a surface layer of the electrophotographic photoreceptor.
7. The electrophotographic photoreceptor of item 1, wherein said resin layer further comprising an anti-oxidant.
8. An electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising
a support,
photosensitive layer and
a resin layer,
said resin layer being obtained by hardening at least one of an organic silicon compound having a hydroxyl group or a hydrolizable group and condensation compound thereof, and a compound represented by formula(3),
B(Q)k (3)
wherein B represents a group containing a charge transporting component therein, Q represents a group containing at least one of a hydroxyl group, an amino group, and a mercapto group, and k represents an integer not less than 2, and
wherein said organic silicon compound is three-dimensional cross-linked.
9. The electrophotographic photoreceptor of item 8, said group Q being represented by formula(2),
R
1
Z (2)
wherein R
1
represents nonsubstituted/substituted alkylene group having 1-20 carbon atoms, and Z represents hydroxy, amino, or mercapto group.
10. The electrophotographic photoreceptor of item
9
, R
1
having a group of CR
2
R
3
, and Z being hydroxy group,
wherein each of R
2
and R
3
is a hydrogen atom, nonsubstituted/substituted alkylene or aryl group having 1-6 carbon atoms.
11. The electrophotographic photoreceptor of item 8, said group B being Ar
1
Ar
2
Nar
3
,
wherein Ar
1
, Ar
2
and Ar
3
represents aliphatic group or aromatic group.
12. The electrophotographic photoreceptor of item 11, wherein Ar
1
, Ar
2
and Ar
3
represents aromatic group.
13. The electrophotographic photoreceptor of item 8, wherein k is an integer of 2 to 10.
14. The electrophotographic photoreceptor of item 8, wherein said resin layer further comprising colloidal silica.
15. The electrophotographic photoreceptor of item 8, said group Q being represented by formula (2),
R
1
Z (2)
wherein R
1
represents nonsubstituted/substituted alkylene group or nonsubstituted/substituted allylene group, and Z represents hydroxy, or SiR′pB′
3
-p,
wherein p represents 1 or 2, R′ represents nonsubstituted/substituted alkyl group or nonsubstituted/substituted allyl group, and B′ represents hydrolizable group.
16. The electrophotographic photoreceptor of item 15, said organic silicon compound represented by formula(4),
R″″Si(OH)
4
-n (4)
wherein R″″ represents nonsubstituted/substituted alkyl group having 1-20 carbon atoms, nonsubstituted/substituted aryl group, nonsubstituted/substituted fenyl group, nonsubstituted/substituted fuloroalkyl group, &ggr;-glycidoxypropyl group, &ggr;-methacryloxypropyl group, or &ggr;-aminopropyl group, and
wherein n represents an integer of 0 to 3.
17. The electrophotographic photoreceptor of item 15, Z being hydroxy group.
18. The electrophotographic photoreceptor of item 15, wherein a molecular weight of sa
Fujimoto Shingo
Itami Akihiko
Sakimura Tomoko
Sakimura Tomoo
Shibata Toyoko
Bierman, Muserlian and Lucas
Chapman Mark
Konica Corporation
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