Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Electric or magnetic imagery – e.g. – xerography,... – Radiation-sensitive composition or product
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-14
2001-08-28
Goodrow, John (Department: 1753)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Electric or magnetic imagery, e.g., xerography,...
Radiation-sensitive composition or product
C430S132000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280896
ABSTRACT:
This application is based on application No. 204616/1999 filed in Japan, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photosensitive member for electrophotography, more particularly, relates to the photosensitive member for electrophotography which can be adopted for a copying machine for a digital image.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the photosensitive member which has formerly been employed in the field of the electrophotography, it is a general technical matter to form a surface protective layer on a photosensitive layer formed on an electroconductive support in order to prevent an abrasion of the photosensitive layer caused by a cleaning member and the like as well as an injection of charge into the photosensitive layer. It has been known that silica is a preferred compound for the surface protective layer from the viewpoint of a durability, said silica being constituted by three-dimensional network of siloxane bond (Si—O—Si bond). However, in the case of the surface protective layer consisting of only silica, there are problems that cracks occur on the surface of said layer, and an adhesion to the photosensitive layer becomes worse, and an electrostatic property of the photosensitive layer is lowered [see, for example, Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) Nos. 51155/1986].
For this reason, the surface protective layers have been proposed which are prepared by coating a solution comprising a mixture of polymers, such as acrylic resin, urethane elastomer, polyamide or the like and an organosilane which is a raw material of silica (solution for protection the surface) on the photosensitive layer and then curing said mixture [see, for example, Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) Nos. 141365/1991, 263660/1989, 341551/1993 and 135577/1991, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,157].
However, although the adhesion between the surface protective layer and the photosensitive layer is increased, there are various problems that a sensitivity is worse, an electric potential increases at the time of plate wearing, and harmful influences such as a fog and the like are brought about on the image quality. Although it has been proposed that an electroconductive metallic oxide is added to the surface protective layer in order to suppress the increase of the electric potential, harmful influences such as an image flowing, an image shading and the like are brought about at the time of plate wearing under the hot and humid circumstance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been carried out in view of the aforementioned situation.
The object of the present invention is to provide a photosensitive member for electrophotography having an excellent adhesion between the surface protective layer and the photosensitive layer and an excellent image quality at the time of plate wearing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a photosensitive member for electrophotography having excellent electrostatic properties, such as sensitivity, which does not bring about the problems concerning cracks and the like.
The present invention relates to a photosensitive member for electrophotography comprising:
an electroconductive support,
a photosensitive layer, and
a surface protective layer comprising fluorine-containing polysiloxane, ultraviolet absorber and electroconductive fine particles, and a production method thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The fluorine-containing polysiloxane which constitutes the surface protective layer of the photosensitive member for electrophotography according to the present invention is a compound which has a linear, cyclic or network polysiloxane backbone constructed from the repeated siloxane bonds to which fluorine atoms or fluorine atom-containing groups are bonded. Preferably, the fluorine-containing polysiloxane has the network polysiloxane backbone to which fluorine atoms or fluorine atom-containing groups are bonded. More preferably, the fluorine-containing polysiloxane has the network polysiloxane backbone to which fluorine atoms or fluorine atom-containing groups are uniformly bonded. The uniformly bonded state is a state wherein fluorine atoms or fluorine atom-containing groups are not localized in a certain part of the polysiloxane layer, but widely, uniformly distributed over the whole of the polysiloxane layer.
The fluorine-containing polysiloxane may be prepared by any publicly known method using the publicly known compounds as a material provided that a polysiloxane can be obtained which has fluorine atoms or fluorine atom-containing groups. For example, the fluorine-containing polysiloxane can be prepared by reacting an organosilane with a fluorine-containing silane coupling agent or by introducing fluorine atoms or fluorine atom-containing groups into a polysiloxane. In the present invention, preferred fluorine-containing polysiloxane can be prepared by reacting an organosilane with a fluorine-containing silane coupling agent. The fluorine-containing polysiloxane will be illustrated hereinafter which can be prepared by reacting an organosilane with a fluorine-containing coupling agent.
As an organosilane for preparing the fluorine-containing polysiloxane, any oraganosilane may be employed provided that it can provide the network polysiloxane having a structure wherein a siloxane bond is three-dimensionally repeated. For example, the organosilane represented by the following general formula (I) can be mentioned:
(R
1
)
n
Si(OR
2
)
4−n
(I)
wherein R
1
is an organic group having C
1
-C
8
, R
2
is hydrogen atom, alkyl group having C
1
-C
5
or acyl group having C
1
-C
4
, and n is an integer of 0-3.
As the organic group having C
1
-C
8
of R
1
in the general formula (I), the following groups are exemplified: alkyl group, such as methyl group, ethyl group, n-propyl group, i-propyl group, n-butyl group, i-butyl group, sec-butyl group, t-butyl group, n-pentyl group, n-hexyl group, n-heptyl group, n-octyl group and the like, &ggr;-chloropropyl group, vinyl group, 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl group, &ggr;-glycidoxypropyl group, phenyl group, &ggr;-methacryloxypropyl group, &ggr;-mercaptopropyl group, 3,4-epoxycyclohexylethyl group and the like.
As the alkyl group having C
1
-C
5
of R
2
, methyl group, ethyl group, n-propyl group, i-propyl group, n-butyl group, i-butyl group, sec-butyl group, t-butyl group, n-pentyl group and the like are exemplified. As the acyl group having C
1
-C
4
of R
2
, acetyl group and the like are exemplified.
In the case where plural OR
2
groups are present in the aforesaid formula, it doesn't always follow that all the OR
2
groups must be same, i.e., all the OR
2
groups can independently be selected within the aforementioned range. In the case where plural R
1
groups are present, all the R
1
groups can independently be selected within the aforementioned range as in the case where plural OR
2
groups are present. When the compounds represented by the aforesaid formula where n=2 or 3 are employed, it is preferable to use jointly with the compounds of the aforesaid formula where n=0 or 1 because a three-dimensionalization of the siloxane bonds become easier.
As the concrete examples of the organosilanes, the following compounds are exemplified: tetramethoxysilane, tetraethoxysilane, methyltrimethoxysilane, methyltriethoxysilane, ethyltrimethoxysilane, ethyltriethoxysilane, n-propyltrimethoxysilane, n-propyltriethoxysilane, i-propyltrimethoxysilane, i-propyltriethoxysilane, dimethyldimethoxysilane, dimethyldiethoxysilane, diethyldimethoxysilane, diethyldiethoxysilane, di-n-propyldimethoxysilane, di-n-propyldiethoxysilane, di-i-propyldimethoxysilane, di-i-propyldiethoxysilane, &ggr;-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane, &ggr;-chloropropyltriethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, 3,3,3-trifluoropropylmethoxysilane, 3,3,3-trifluoro-propyltriethoxysilane, &ggr;-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, &ggr;-glycidoxypropyltriethoxysilane, &ggr;-methacryl
Edo Teiko
Inagaki Keiichi
Tokutake Shigeaki
Goodrow John
McDermott & Will & Emery
Minolta Co. , Ltd.
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