JP2003215969A - Fixing member, method of manufacturing fixing member and fixing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a good quality toner image without the occurrence of uneven brightness by manufacturing a fixing member for an electrophotographic image forming device with good productivity and realizing the good wettability, thermal conductivity, heat resistance, and surface smoothness. <P>SOLUTION: The fixing member furnished with a surface layer 3 which contains a fluoroelastomer formed by radical crosslinking of a fluoropolymer consisting of a ternary copolymer of vinylidene fluoride containing at least either of iodine and bromine in the molecule, tetrafluroethylene and perfluoromethyl vinyl ether and the extreme surface layer 4 which is formed by chemical bonding of a liquid silicon polymer with the fluoroelastomer and is formed on the surface layer is used. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fixing roller or fixing belt used in a fixing device in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a laser beam printer (LBP). Roller or fixing belt. Also,
The present invention also relates to a fixing device in which these fixing rollers and / or fixing belts are arranged.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or an LBP, heat and pressure are applied to a recording material such as a paper or an OHP sheet on which an electrostatic toner image is formed so that the recording material is formed on the recording material. A device for fixing the toner is required. this is,
It is called a heat and pressure fixing device, or simply a fixing device. This fixing device has a pair of pressure-contacting rotating members,
A recording material having unfixed toner is nipped and conveyed between the rotating bodies. The pressure contact portion between the rotating bodies is called a nip, and the unfixed toner is heated in this nip,
It is softened and pressed against the recording material by pressure, then cooled and solidified, and then fixed on the recording material as a permanent image.

Generally, various types of rollers such as rollers, belts, and films are used for the upper rotary member which comes into contact with unfixed toner. Is called a fixing belt. On the other hand, rollers and belts are also used for the lower rotating body that rarely comes into contact with unfixed toner, which are called a pressure roller and a pressure belt, respectively.
The fixing roller and the pressure roller are collectively referred to as a fixing roller, and the fixing belt and the pressure belt are collectively referred to as a fixing belt.

Further, the fixing roller, the fixing belt and the like are also collectively called a fixing member.

A fixing roller or fixing belt for fixing these toners by heat and pressure is formed by laminating a layer made of a heat-resistant elastic body or resin in a single layer or a multi-layer on a cylindrical base material. . Among these layers, the surface layer in particular is close to the unfixed toner image, so that the image quality of the fixed image is greatly affected.

Generally, silicone rubber or fluoroelastomer (fluorine rubber) can be used as a material for the elastic layer. Silicone rubber and fluoroelastomer have excellent heat resistance and chemical resistance, and when used as a material for the elastic layer, can retain their flexibility for a long period of time.

In addition to the elastic body, fluororesin may be used for the surface layer of the fixing roller or fixing belt.

However, although the fluororesin is excellent in heat resistance and chemical resistance, has excellent non-adhesiveness, and has low friction and wear resistance, it has high hardness and flexibility. May run short.

The flexibility of the surface layer affects the image quality after fixing. In order to fix the toner with high accuracy, a surface layer made of a flexible elastic body is desirable, and the silicone rubber and fluoroelastomer described above are suitable.

In addition to the flexibility that affects the image quality after fixing, toner release properties, scratch resistance, and abrasion resistance are important properties required for the surface layer.

The toner release property is the difficulty of toner adhesion. If the toner easily adheres, that is, if the toner release property is insufficient, the toner may be missing in the fixed image, or the toner adhering to the surface of the fixing roller or the fixing belt may be fixed again on the recording material. May cause toner stains. These are called toner offsets.

Particularly, in the full-color image forming apparatus, the surface layer is required to have a high toner release property as compared with the monochrome. Because, in a full-color image forming apparatus, various kinds of toner, that is, black, on the recording material,
It is necessary to fix an electrostatic image in which cyan, magenta, and yellow toners are laminated, and the toner used is required to have good color mixing properties at the time of heating and pressurization. Is used.

In a fixing device of a full color image forming apparatus, generally, a fixed amount of dimethyl silicone oil is always applied for the purpose of assisting toner release.

Since the surface layer of the fixing roller or the fixing belt is close to the unfixed toner, excellent toner releasing property is required. Further, in the double-sided image forming apparatus, the surface layer of the pressure roller or the pressure belt is also close to the fixed first surface when fixing the second surface, and therefore, excellent toner releasing property is required.

On the other hand, the scratch resistance and abrasion resistance refer to scratch resistance and abrasion resistance. An oil regulating member such as a cleaning web, an oil applying member, and a blade is often in close proximity to the surface layer, and may be scratched or worn due to friction with these abutting members. Further, when the recording material is nipped by the nip and conveyed, friction may occur between the recording material and the recording material, and the same phenomenon may occur. Such scratches or abrasion may cause unevenness on the surface of the surface layer.

In particular, if unevenness occurs on the surface layer of the fixing roller or fixing belt, a small amount of offset toner accumulates there, causing toner offset, which may result in a defective image. On the other hand, in the case of the pressure roller or the pressure belt, the offset toner may be accumulated in the concave portion, and the toner may adhere to the back surface of the recording material to cause toner stain.

Therefore, the material used for the surface layer is required to have flexibility, toner release property, scratch resistance and abrasion resistance. Among these three required properties, a fluoroelastomer can be mentioned as one of the materials having excellent flexibility, scratch resistance and abrasion resistance.

The fluoroelastomer used for the surface layer so far is a fluorocopolymer composed of a binary copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropylene or a terpolymer of vinylidene fluoride, hexafluoropropylene and tetrafluoroethylene. A polymer in which a reinforcing filler is blended and which is crosslinked with a polyamine and a polyol has been mainly proposed.

However, since the surface energy is high only with these fluoroelastomer surface layers, there is a possibility that sufficient toner release properties cannot be obtained. In order to avoid such inconvenience, it is conceivable to reduce the surface energy of the fluoroelastomer surface, and siliconization of the surface has been proposed as one means.

For example, the elastomeric surface layer comprises poly (vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene-tetrafluoroethylene) in which vinylidene fluoride is present in an amount of less than 40 mol%, where the elastomer is substantially A fusing member that is present in an amount sufficient to interact with the functional group-containing polymeric release agent and to provide an interfacial barrier layer between the elastomer surface layer and the toner. 7-76856).

As another example, as an example in which the metal oxide is not present in the fluoroelastomer and the use of a functional group-containing polymeric release agent is not necessary, a crosslinked fluoroelastomer outer layer and the crosslinked fluoroelastomer are used. A fixing member comprising a support layer having a polyorganosiloxane thin layer surface-grafted on the outer layer surface, wherein the outer layer of fluoroelastomer crosslinked by the surface grafting is reacted with a functional group in the presence of a dehydrofluorinating agent. A fixing member (Japanese Patent No. 3142074) obtained by carrying out in the presence of a polyorganosiloxane having a group can be mentioned. In this method, the outer layer of fluoroelastomer is first cross-linked with a polyol or polyamine, and then polyorganosiloxane is chemically bonded (grafted) to the surface of the fluoroelastomer by an addition reaction.

Further, it may be considered to improve the toner release property in terms of surface energy of the fluoroelastomer. For example, a fixing roller having at least a surface layer containing a fluoroelastomer, wherein the fluoroelastomer is formed by crosslinking a fluoropolymer which is a terpolymer of vinylidene fluoride, tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether. A fixing roller and a fixing device having the fixing roller can be considered.

However, when the fixing member as described above is used in a full-color image forming apparatus, the wettability of the silicone oil applied for the purpose of assisting toner release may be insufficient, resulting in uneven application of the oil. However, uneven gloss may occur in the fixed image.

On the other hand, since a halogen heater is arranged inside the core metal and the heat softens the toner to press it to the recording material, the fluoroelastomer layer is a thin layer from the viewpoint of heat transfer from the core metal to the roller surface. Is preferred.

When manufacturing a roller having a thin surface layer and excellent surface smoothness, a coating method is suitable as a method for forming the fluoroelastomer as the surface layer. Generally, a polyamine vulcanization system, a polyol vulcanization system, or a fluoroelastomer composition in which these vulcanization systems are used together is dissolved in an organic solvent to prepare a coating solution. This coating solution is uniformly applied onto a roller substrate by blade coating, ring coating, roll coating, dipping, spray coating, etc. and dried, and the fluoroelastomer layer is vulcanized by heating to produce a roller.

As an example of this, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-31073
No. 8 discloses a flow coating containing a fluoroelastomer, a polyamine vulcanization type nucleophilic crosslinking agent, a polyol vulcanization type nucleophilic crosslinking agent, or a mixture thereof. Those using a solution are described.

In the roller using the polyamine vulcanization type or polyol vulcanization type fluoroelastomer molded as described above as the surface layer, the surface energy is relatively high because the minimum necessary kinds and amounts of the compounding agents are large, and the toner is There is a risk that the non-adhesiveness to will be insufficient. On the other hand, in the case of using the peroxide vulcanizing fluoroelastomer, the type and amount of the minimum necessary compounding agent are small, and relatively good non-adhesiveness is obtained. However,
When a roller using a peroxide vulcanization type fluoroelastomer for the surface layer is manufactured by the above coating method, if atmospheric pressure hot air vulcanization such as oven vulcanization is performed, oxygen in the air may cause curing inhibition. .

In order to avoid such a problem, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-324589, vulcanization is performed in a nitrogen atmosphere to remove oxygen, and a peroxide vulcanization fluorocarbon is formed on the outermost layer of the fixing roll. Forming an elastomer layer is described. However, such a device is relatively expensive, and it is necessary to perform nitrogen replacement before heating before each use, and there is a possibility that sufficient productivity cannot be realized.

[0029]

In view of the above situation, the present invention has the following objects.

First, the surface layer is made of a fluoroelastomer, and the fluoroelastomer is made of a terpolymer of vinylidene fluoride containing iodine or bromine in the molecule, tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoromethyl vinyl ether. In the fixing member that is radically cross-linked, the good wettability is achieved by the affinity factor of the silicone oil applied to the fluoroelastomer surface layer for the purpose of assisting the toner release.

Secondly, to realize good wettability due to the form factor of the silicone oil applied to the fluoroelastomer surface layer for the purpose of assisting toner release.

Thirdly, to realize excellent heat transfer property to the toner contact surface.

Fourth, on the fluoroelastomer surface layer,
A sufficient amount of the silicone polymer is chemically bonded uniformly as the outermost layer.

Fifth, to realize sufficient heat resistance of the outermost layer silicone polymer on the fluoroelastomer surface layer.

Sixth, to realize good surface smoothness of the outermost layer silicone polymer.

Seventh, to realize a fixing member and a fixing device which can obtain a high-quality toner image without causing uneven gloss.

Eighth, there is provided a method for producing a fixing member in which at least the surface layer contains a peroxide cross-linking elastomer, which is a method for cross-linking a peroxide cross-linking elastomer, in which oxygen which causes curing inhibition is blocked, It is to realize a simple method for manufacturing a fixing member that can be oxide-crosslinked.

Ninth, to realize a relatively low cost and simple manufacturing method of a fixing member capable of peroxide-crosslinking the coated fluoropolymer.

[0039]

According to the present invention for achieving the above object, vinylidene fluoride containing at least one of iodine and bromine in the molecule, tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoromethyl vinyl ether are combined. A surface layer containing a fluoroelastomer formed by radically cross-linking a fluoropolymer made of a terpolymer, and an outermost layer formed on the surface layer by a liquid silicone polymer chemically bonded to the fluoroelastomer. A fixing member is provided.

According to such a fixing member, good wettability can be realized by the affinity factor of silicone oil.

From the viewpoint of achieving good wettability due to the shape factor of the silicone oil, the ten-point average surface roughness (Rz) of the outermost layer is preferably 1 μm or less.

From the viewpoint of realizing excellent heat transfer to the toner contact surface, the total thickness of the surface layer and the outermost layer is preferably 5 to 300 μm.

The fixing member as described above is a fluoropolymer composed of a terpolymer of vinylidene fluoride containing at least one of iodine and bromine in the molecule, tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoromethyl vinyl ether. A step of applying a coating liquid containing a crosslinking agent and a crosslinking aid to a substrate, and radically crosslinking the fluoropolymer in a state where the coating layer applied to the substrate is in contact with a liquid silicone polymer. And a fluoroelastomer, and at the same time, a step of forming a chemical bond between the fluoroelastomer and the liquid silicone polymer.

The step of forming a chemical bond is preferably carried out by immersing the base material on which the coating layer is formed in a heated liquid silicone polymer.

The cross-linking agent is benzoyl peroxide, and the temperature of the liquid silicone polymer in the heated state is 1
10-250 degreeC is preferable.

Further, the liquid silicone polymer is preferably a dimethyl silicone polymer or a dimethyl silicone polymer having at least one vinyl group.

By manufacturing the fixing member by the above method, a sufficient amount of the silicone polymer can be chemically bonded uniformly as the outermost layer on the fluoroelastomer surface layer.

Further, sufficient heat resistance of the outermost layer silicone polymer on the fluoroelastomer surface layer can be realized.

Furthermore, good surface smoothness of the outermost surface silicone polymer can be realized, and especially when the dipping method is adopted, a surface layer having sufficient surface smoothness can also be formed.

In addition, in the surface layer containing the peroxide cross-linking elastomer, as a method for cross-linking the peroxide cross-linking elastomer, oxygen which causes curing inhibition is blocked, and peroxide cross-linking can be easily carried out.

Therefore, it is possible to realize a relatively low cost and simple method for manufacturing a fixing member, which is capable of forming a fluoroelastomer by peroxide-crosslinking the coated fluoropolymer.

Since the surface layer is composed of a fluoroelastomer obtained by peroxide-crosslinking a fluoropolymer composed of a terpolymer of vinylidene fluoride, tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoromethyl vinyl ether,
Good toner release properties, and good scratch resistance and abrasion resistance can be realized.

As a result, by disposing the fixing member of the present invention in the fixing device as a fixing roller, a fixing belt, a pressure roller, a pressure belt, etc., uneven gloss can be suppressed and a high quality toner image can be obtained. realizable.

[0054]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

The fluoropolymer is preferably a terpolymer of vinylidene fluoride containing iodine or bromine in the molecule, tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoromethyl vinyl ether, and such a fluoropolymer is synthesized by a known method. it can. Further, such a terpolymer is commercially available. For example, as a terpolymer of vinylidene fluoride, tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoromethyl vinyl ether, Daikin Industry Co., Ltd. Daiel LT302 (trade name) is available. ), DuPont Dow Elastomer Japan Viton GLT
(Product name), Viton GLT-305 (trade name), Viton GLT-505 (trade name), Viton GFLT (trade name), Viton GFL
T-300 (trade name), Viton GFLT-30 manufactured by the same company
1 (trade name), Viton GFLT-501 (trade name) manufactured by the same company, Viton GFLT-600 (trade name) manufactured by the same company, and the like.

These fluoropolymers are of the type in which iodine and / or bromine are introduced at the molecular chain ends or side chains, and the crosslinking is carried out by the reaction of abstracting these halogen atoms. In this case, an organic peroxide is preferable as the crosslinking agent. As the crosslinking aid, compounds having two or more acrylic groups or vinyl groups in the molecule are preferable.

In molding the fluoroelastomer surface layer, first, a layer (fluoropolymer layer) in which at least a crosslinking agent and a crosslinking aid are dispersed in a fluoropolymer is formed. The surface of this fluoropolymer layer is preferably made to have excellent smoothness. This is because the surface of the fluoropolymer layer almost determines the smoothness of the surface of the silicone polymer outermost layer formed on this surface. The smoothness of the surface layer of the silicone polymer is important because it determines the wettability of the silicone oil applied for the purpose of assisting toner release due to the form factor.

A heat source is arranged inside the cylindrical base material, and the heat softens the toner and press-bonds it to the recording material. From the viewpoint of heat transfer from the cylindrical base material to the toner contact surface, the fluoropolymer layer is thin. Need to be formed. Further, also in a fixing device in which a heat source is arranged outside, it is preferable to form the fluoropolymer layer thinly from the viewpoint of the heat capacity of the surface layer.

A coating method is suitable as a processing method for forming a layer having a small thickness and excellent surface smoothness. As a coating method, at least a fluoropolymer, a crosslinking agent and a crosslinking aid are dissolved in an organic solvent,
Prepare coating solution. Blade coating, ring coating, spray coating,
A fluoropolymer layer in which at least a cross-linking agent and a cross-linking aid are dispersed in the fluoropolymer can be formed by uniformly coating the material on a cylindrical substrate by dipping or the like and drying.

When the coating method is used, when the fluoropolymer layer is radically crosslinked, if atmospheric pressure hot air crosslinking such as oven crosslinking is performed, oxygen in the air may cause curing inhibition, but the fluoropolymer surface is heated. Status,
That is, the method of contacting and cross-linking a liquid silicone polymer at 110 ° C. or higher, more preferably 130 ° C. or higher and 250 ° C. or lower can block oxygen and radically crosslink without causing curing inhibition. A silicone polymer can be introduced as a surface layer on the surface layer by a chemical bond.

As for the bonding form, the fluoropolymer side is a radical crosslinking point of the fluoropolymer from which iodine or bromine is eliminated or the vinyl group portion which is a radical reaction point of the crosslinking aid, and a methyl group on the silicone polymer side. It is considered that the fluoroelastomer and the silicone polymer are chemically bonded to each other by reacting at the vinyl group portion when the group or the vinyl group is contained.

When the fluoroelastomer surface is wiped off with a solvent having an affinity for a silicone polymer such as toluene when the chemical bond is not present, the silicone polymer at the outermost layer is removed. It can be judged by the wettability. When the silicone polymer is chemically bonded to the fluoroelastomer, it remains as the outermost layer on the fluoroelastomer surface layer without being removed.

The reactivity at the interface between the fluoropolymer and the silicone polymer is influenced by the affinity between them. That is, the higher the affinity, the higher the reactivity, and conversely, the lower the affinity, the lower the reactivity. For example, a binary copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropylene that is generally used as a surface layer, or a fluoropolymer and a silicone polymer composed of a ternary copolymer of vinylidene fluoride, hexafluoropropylene, and tetrafluoroethylene. However, since the affinity between the two is low, the reaction is unlikely to occur, and the amount of the silicone polymer required to function as the outermost layer on the fluoroelastomer surface layer cannot be introduced by a chemical bond.

However, a fluoropolymer composed of a terpolymer of vinylidene fluoride, tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoromethyl vinyl ether is
Compared with commonly used fluoropolymers, they have a higher affinity with silicone polymers, and the amount of silicone polymer required to function as the outermost layer on the fluoroelastomer surface layer can be introduced by chemical bonding.

The viscosity of the liquid silicone polymer is not particularly limited, but is 0.5 at 25 ° C. for convenience of processing.
mm ² / s or more is preferable, 10 mm ² / s or more is more preferable, while 1 m ² / s or less is preferable, and 0.1 m ² / s
s or less is more preferable.

From the viewpoint of heat resistance, the liquid silicone polymer is preferably dimethyl silicone polymer or dimethyl silicone polymer containing at least one vinyl group. Further, as the chemical structure, a linear dimethyl silicone polymer or a linear dimethyl silicone polymer containing at least one vinyl group is more preferable.

Since one molecule of the silicone polymer is considered to be present on the surface layer of the fluoroelastomer,
The thickness of the outermost layer silicone polymer is shorter than the chain length of the silicone polymer, and is considered to be about 1 to 100 nm. The presence of the silicone polymer as the outermost layer on the fluoroelastomer surface layer can improve the wettability of the silicone oil applied to the surface layer with the affinity factor for the purpose of assisting the toner release.

Considering that the particle size of the toner is in the range of 1 to 10 μm, in order to sufficiently secure the wettability due to the shape factor of the silicone oil, the ten-point average surface roughness of the outermost surface layer of the silicone polymer is required. (Rz) is preferably 1 μm or less.

By improving the wettability of the silicone oil due to the affinity factor and the shape factor, uneven coating of the silicone oil can be prevented, and as a result, uneven gloss of the fixed image can be prevented.

The ten-point average surface roughness (Rz) is JI
It can be measured according to S B 0601.

The total thickness of the fluoroelastomer surface layer and the silicone polymer outermost layer is 5 μm to 300 μm.
Within the range, it is possible to obtain a fixing belt or a fixing roller having a relatively excellent heat transfer property to the toner contact surface. When the thickness is 5 μm or more, the functions of the fluoroelastomer surface layer and the silicone polymer outermost layer can be sufficiently exerted, and when the thickness is 300 μm or less, heat transfer property to the toner contact surface can be secured.

As the organic peroxide which is a cross-linking agent dispersed in the fluoropolymer layer, benzoyl peroxide, bis (2,4-dichlorobenzoyl) peroxide, dicumyl peroxide, 2,5-dimethyl-2,
Examples thereof include 5-di (t-butylperoxy) hexane, and benzoyl peroxide having a low decomposition temperature is particularly preferably used.

The compounding amount is not particularly limited, but is usually 0.5 to 100 parts by mass of the fluoropolymer component.
It is 10 parts by mass, preferably 1 to 5 parts by mass. However,
When it is dissolved in a solvent and used as a coating solution, 2 to 10 times this mass may be used.

When benzoyl peroxide is used as the crosslinking agent, if the temperature of the liquid silicone polymer in the heated state is set in the range of 110 ° C. to 250 ° C., a sufficient amount of the silicone polymer outermost layer is uniformly bonded on the fluoroelastomer surface layer by chemical bonding. Can be introduced. By setting the temperature of the liquid silicone polymer to 110 ° C. or higher, which is the decomposition temperature of benzoyl peroxide, the fluoropolymer can be effectively radical-crosslinked, and by setting it to 250 ° C. or lower, thermal deterioration of the liquid silicone polymer can be suppressed.

Examples of the crosslinking aid dispersed in the fluoropolymer layer include triallyl cyanurate and triallyl isocyanurate, and triallyl isocyanurate is particularly preferably used.

The compounding amount of the crosslinking aid is not particularly limited,
It is usually 0.
It is 5 to 10 parts by mass, preferably 1 to 5 parts by mass. However, when it is dissolved in a solvent and used as a coating solution, 2 to 10 times this mass may be used.

When coating a solution containing at least the fluoropolymer, the crosslinking agent and the crosslinking aid as described above, it is desirable that these are completely dissolved in the solvent and remain dissolved throughout the coating process.
Suitable solvents include, for example, polar solvents such as methanol, acetone, methylethylketone and methylisobutylketone, and dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, etc. It is particularly preferable to use methylisobutylketone. Further, it is desirable to add the solvent so that the concentration of the total solid components is 5 to 40% by mass, preferably 10 to 30% by mass.

As a method of manufacturing a fixing member such as a fixing roller or a fixing belt, for example, the following steps can be shown.

Fluoropolymer comprising a terpolymer of vinylidene fluoride containing iodine in the molecule, tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoromethyl vinyl ether, benzoyl peroxide as a cross-linking agent, triallyl isocyanate as a cross-linking aid. Nurate is dissolved in a solvent, methyl isobutyl ketone, to prepare a coating solution.

Next, a cylindrical base material (a metal roller on which a heat-resistant elastic body layer has been previously formed, or a metal or resin belt) on which a primer has been applied and dried in advance is horizontally fixed and rotated. While coating, the coating solution is uniformly applied to the outer periphery of the cylindrical substrate. After applying a desired amount, the solution is allowed to stand at room temperature at a constant number of rotations and leveled while evaporating the solvent to some extent.

After that, it was dried at 50 ° C. for 2 hours and then at 200 ° C.
By immersing in linear dimethyl silicone polymer heated for 1 hour for primary crosslinking to prevent curing inhibition by oxygen, a silicone polymer layer is introduced on the fluoroelastomer surface layer as the outermost layer by a chemical bond. be able to. After the primary crosslinking, the fixing member such as the fixing roller or the fixing belt can be manufactured by taking out the liquid silicone polymer and performing the secondary crosslinking in the heating oven.

The fixing roller thus obtained is shown in FIG. 1, and the fixing belt is shown in FIG. Further, a sectional view of the fixing roller is shown in FIG. 3, and a sectional view of the fixing belt is shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, 1 is a roller made of metal such as aluminum,
2 is a heat-resistant elastic layer made of silicone rubber or the like, 3 is a surface layer made of fluoroelastomer, and 4 is an outermost layer made of silicone polymer. Further, in FIG. 4, 5 is a belt made of metal or resin, 3 is a surface layer made of fluoroelastomer, and 4 is an outermost layer made of silicone polymer.

The fixing roller or the fixing belt is not limited to the three-layer structure and the four-layer structure as described above, and may have a multilayer structure of five layers or more. A three-layer structure and a four-layer structure are preferable in terms of the function as a belt for use.

Next, the fixing device will be described. The fixing device of the present invention is a fixing device used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and is provided with the fixing roller or fixing belt as described above. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor, a latent image forming unit, a unit that develops the formed latent image with toner, a unit that transfers the developed toner image to a transfer material, and a toner image that is fixed on the transfer material. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a unit and the like can be given.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the fixing device. The fixing device 1 is provided with a fixing roller 6 which is an upper roller and a pressure belt 7 which is a lower belt. The fixing roller and the fixing belt of the present invention are used as the fixing roller 6 and the pressure belt 7. Then, the fixing roller 6
A halogen heater 8 is incorporated inside.

The fixing roller 6 is rotationally driven in the arrow direction at a predetermined peripheral speed, and the pressure belt 7 is also rotationally driven in the arrow direction accordingly. Then, the recording material 9 such as paper or OHP sheet is conveyed in the direction of the arrow. When the color unfixed toner image 10 passes through the nip portion formed between the fixing roller 6 and the pressure belt 7, heat from the halogen heater 8 and pressure between the fixing roller 6 and the pressure belt 7 are applied. And is fixed on the recording material 9.

The fixing temperature is maintained at a preset temperature by controlling the output of the halogen heater 8 based on the surface temperature of the fixing roller 6 measured by the thermistor 11. The surface temperature (fixing temperature) of the fixing roller 6 is not particularly limited, but is usually about 130 to 250 ° C., and is set to 170 ° C., for example.

The fixing roller 6 has an oil applying device 12 for uniformly applying oil for the purpose of assisting the toner releasing property, and a cleaning web unit for cleaning dirt such as toner adhering to the surface of the fixing roller 6. It is arranged so that 13 contacts.

The oil applying device 12 includes an oil pan 14 for holding the oil, an oil pumping roller 15 made of metal for rotating and pumping the oil, and an elastic oil applying device for applying the pumped oil to the surface of the fixing roller 6. It is composed of a roller 16 and an elastic oil regulating blade 17 that regulates and controls the amount of oil on the oil application roller.

As the oil, for example, a dimethyl silicone oil having a viscosity of 300 mm ² / s at 25 ° C. (trade name: KF-96SS-300cs, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.)
However, the manufacturing method is not limited to this.

Further, the oil application device is constructed and adjusted so that the oil application amount supplied to the surface of the fixing roller 6 is, for example, 10 mg / 621 cm ² (corresponding to A4).

The cleaning web unit 13 is a cleaning web 18 for cleaning dirt such as toner.
And an elastic roller 19 for pressing the cleaning web 18 against the surface of the fixing roller 6. The cleaning web 18 is gradually wound in the direction of the arrow.

Inside the pressure belt, a roller 20 for ensuring a nip and a roller 21 for separating the recording material are arranged.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing another example of the fixing device of the present invention. The fixing device 2 is provided with a fixing belt 22 which is an upper belt of the fixing device and a pressure roller 23 which is a lower roller. This fixing belt 22
The fixing belt and fixing roller of the present invention are used as the pressure roller 23. Inside the fixing belt 22, rollers 24 to 26 and an internal heating roller 27 having a halogen heater inside are arranged. A halogen heater 8 is also incorporated inside the pressure roller.

The pressure roller 23 is rotationally driven in the arrow direction at a predetermined peripheral speed, and the fixing belt 22 is also rotationally driven in the arrow direction accordingly. Then, the recording material 9 such as paper or OHP sheet is conveyed in the direction of the arrow. When the color unfixed toner image passes through the nip portion formed between the fixing belt 22 and the pressure roller 23, heat from the halogen heater 8 and pressure between the fixing belt 22 and the pressure roller 23 are applied. , And is fixed on the recording material 9.

The fixing temperature is maintained at the set temperature by controlling the output of the halogen heater 8 based on the surface temperature of the fixing belt 22 measured by the thermistor 11. The surface temperature (fixing temperature) of the fixing belt 22 is not particularly limited, but is usually about 130 to 220 ° C., and is set to 170 ° C., for example.

The fixing belt 22 has an oil applying device 12 for evenly applying oil for the purpose of assisting the toner releasing property, and a cleaning web unit for cleaning dirt such as toner adhering to the surface of the fixing belt 22. It is arranged so that 13 contacts.

The fixing device may have the fixing roller and / or the fixing belt of the present invention as a fixing roller or a fixing belt, a pressure roller or a pressure belt. It is not limited to the structure shown.

Further, the uneven glossiness of the image is obtained by using the fixing roller and the fixing belt of the present invention in the fixing device shown in FIG. 5 or 6, and an unfixed color toner image formed on the recording material 9 is obtained. After passing 10 sheets, the gloss unevenness of the image after fixing is visually evaluated.

[0100]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples below, but these do not limit the present invention in any way. Unless otherwise specified below, commercially available high-purity reagents and the like were used.

Example 1 Fixing Roller 1 As a fluoropolymer, Daiel LT302 (trade name,
100 parts by mass of Daikin Industries, Ltd., 12 parts by mass of benzoyl peroxide (25% hydrous product, Kishida Chemical Co., Ltd.) which is a cross-linking agent, and triallyl isocyanurate (trade name: a cross-linking aid). TAIC, Nippon Kasei Co., Ltd.
24 parts by mass) and dissolved in a solvent methyl isobutyl ketone so that the polymer component concentration becomes 25% by mass,
A fluoropolymer coating solution was prepared.

Next, an elastic layer made of heat-resistant silicone rubber having a thickness of 2 mm was formed on a metal roller made of aluminum (outer diameter: 58 mm, inner diameter: 34 mm) via a primer.

Furthermore, the surface of the silicone rubber layer was previously treated with a primer (trade name: GLP-103SR, manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.), the roller was fixed horizontally, and the coating solution prepared while rotating was applied to the outer circumference of the roller. It was applied uniformly by blade coating. After applying a desired amount, it was allowed to stand at room temperature with a constant number of roller rotations and leveled while evaporating the solvent to some extent.

Thereafter, it is dried at 50 ° C. for 2 hours and then at 200 ° C.
Liquid dimethyl silicone polymer (trade name: KF-96SS-3) with a viscosity of 300 mm ² / s (25 ° C.)
Soaked in 00cs, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. for 1 hour,
Primary cross-linking was carried out and then removed from the liquid silicone polymer and toluene was used to remove excess liquid silicone polymer present on the surface of the roller before being placed in an oven for 18
Secondary cross-linking was carried out at 0 ° C. for 24 hours to prepare fixing roller 1.

The ten-point average surface roughness of the silicone polymer outermost layer of this roller was 1 μm or less, and the total thickness of the fluoroelastomer outermost layer and the silicone polymer outermost layer was 50 μm.
It was m.

Further, even when the surface of the obtained fixing roller 1 was wiped with the cloth impregnated with methyl ethyl ketone, the gloss did not disappear, so that the curing inhibition by oxygen did not occur and the crosslinking reaction proceeded. confirmed. Furthermore, a silicone oil (trade name: KF-96SS-100c) having a viscosity of 100 mm ² / s (25 ° C.) with respect to the roller surface is used.
s, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) has good wettability, and thus it was confirmed that the silicone polymer outermost layer was chemically bonded to the fluoroelastomer surface layer.

(Evaluation Example) 100 parts by mass of fluoropolymer (trade name: Daiel LT302, manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.) and benzoyl peroxide (25% as a cross-linking agent).
2 parts by weight of water-containing product, manufactured by Kishida Chemical Co., Ltd., and triallyl isocyanurate (trade name: TAIC, which is a crosslinking aid)
4 parts by mass of Nippon Kasei Co., Ltd. was dissolved in methyl isobutyl ketone as a solvent so that the polymer component concentration was 25% by mass to prepare a fluoropolymer coating solution.

The obtained fluoropolymer coating solution was uniformly applied onto an aluminum plate so that the thickness would be 50 μm after drying, allowed to stand at room temperature to evaporate the solvent to some extent, and then in an oven at 50 ° C. for 2 hours. After being dried, it is heated to 200 ° C. and has a viscosity of 300 mm ² / s (2
5 ℃ liquid dimethyl silicone polymer (trade name: K
Immersed in F-96SS-300cs, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. for 1 hour to carry out primary cross-linking, and then taken out from the liquid silicone polymer, and after removing excess liquid silicone polymer existing on the surface with toluene, oven ( Secondary crosslinking was carried out at 180 ° C. for 24 hours in hot air at atmospheric pressure to prepare a sample. The ten-point average surface roughness of this sample was 1 μm or less.

It was confirmed that even if the surface of this sample was wiped with a cloth impregnated with methyl ethyl ketone, the luster did not disappear, so that curing inhibition by oxygen did not occur and the crosslinking reaction proceeded.

Further, the elemental analysis of the outermost surface of this sample by ESCA (analyzer instrument trade name: Quantum2000
As a result of performing ULVAC-PHI Co., Ltd., it was found that Si element was present and silicone polymer was present. From this, it was confirmed that the outermost surface layer of the silicone polymer was formed by a chemical bond. However, elemental analysis by SEM (analyzer device trade name: JSM-
5800LV type, Japan Phillips, EPM
A: Si element could not be detected by DX-Prime type manufactured by Nippon Philips Corporation.

Since the detection range in the depth direction is in the micron order, it was not detected by the elemental analysis by SEM, but it was detected by the elemental analysis by ESCA, which is the nano order. Therefore, the outermost silicone polymer layer is in the sub-micron to nano order. It was found that the thickness was in the range of. The viscosity of the sample surface is 100 mm ² / s
(25 ° C) silicone oil (trade name: KF-96S
When the contact angle of S-100cs, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., was measured at room temperature (25 ° C), it was 5 ° or less, and it was found that the wettability of the silicone oil was good.

Example 2 Fixing Roller 2 A fixing roller 2 was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the total thickness of the fluoroelastomer surface layer and the silicone polymer outermost layer was 250 μm.

Since the gloss did not disappear even when the surface of the fixing roller 2 was wiped with a cloth impregnated with methyl ethyl ketone, it was confirmed that curing inhibition by oxygen did not occur and the crosslinking reaction proceeded. Further, since the silicone oil (trade name: KF-96SS-100cs, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) having a viscosity of 100 mm ² / s (25 ° C.) with respect to the roller surface has good wettability, the silicone polymer outermost layer is fluoro. It was confirmed that it was chemically bonded to the elastomer surface layer.

(Example 3) Fixing roller 3 Viscosity when heated to 200 ° C. is 400 mm ² / s (25 ° C.)
A fixing roller 3 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the primary cross-linking was carried out by immersing in a liquid dimethyl silicone polymer having vinyl at both ends of the molecular chain.

The ten-point average surface roughness of the silicone polymer outermost layer of this roller was 1 μm or less, and the total thickness of the fluoroelastomer outermost layer and the silicone polymer outermost layer was 50 μm.
It was m.

Since the gloss of the fixing roller 3 was not lost even when the surface of the fixing roller 3 was wiped with a cloth impregnated with methyl ethyl ketone, it was confirmed that oxygen did not inhibit curing and the crosslinking reaction proceeded. In addition, since the silicone oil (trade name: KF-96SS-100cs, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) having a viscosity of 100 mm ² / s (25 ° C.) with respect to the roller surface has good wettability, the silicone polymer outermost layer is It was confirmed that it was chemically bonded to the fluoroelastomer surface layer.

Example 4 Fixing Belt 1 100 parts by mass of fluoropolymer (trade name: Daiel LT302, manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.) and benzoyl peroxide (25% water content, Kishida Chemical Co., Ltd.) as a cross-linking agent. )) And 4 parts by weight of triallyl isocyanurate (trade name: TAIC, manufactured by Nippon Kasei Co., Ltd.) which is a crosslinking aid.
8 parts by mass was dissolved in a solvent such as methyl isobutyl ketone so that the concentration of the polymer component was 25% by mass to prepare a fluoropolymer coating solution.

A fluoropolymer coating solution prepared by fixing a belt having a heat-resistant silicone rubber layer having a thickness of 200 μm horizontally on a resin belt made of polyimide having a thickness of 50 μm and having been treated with a primer and rotating the belt was applied. Was uniformly applied to the outer periphery of the blade by blade coating. After applying a desired amount, the coating was left at room temperature at a constant rotation speed and leveled while evaporating the solvent to some extent.

Then, it is dried at 50 ° C. for 2 hours and then at 200 ° C.
Liquid dimethyl silicone polymer (trade name: KF-96SS-3) with a viscosity of 300 mm ² / s (25 ° C.)
00cs, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. for 1 hour to perform primary cross-linking, then take out from the liquid silicone polymer, remove excess liquid silicone polymer on the belt surface with toluene, and then heat in an oven (normal pressure heat). Secondary cross-linking was performed in air) at 180 ° C. for 24 hours to prepare fixing belt 1.

The ten-point average surface roughness of the outermost layer of the silicone polymer of this belt is 1 μm or less, and the total thickness of the fluoroelastomer outer layer and the outermost layer of the silicone polymer is 50 μm.
It was m.

Further, even when the surface of the obtained fixing belt 1 was wiped with the cloth impregnated with methyl ethyl ketone, the gloss did not disappear, so that the curing inhibition by oxygen did not occur and the crosslinking reaction proceeded. confirmed. Further, a silicone oil (trade name: KF-96SS-100cs, having a viscosity of 100 mm / s (25 ° C.) with respect to the surface of the belt,
Since the wettability of Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. was good, it was confirmed that the silicone polymer outermost layer was chemically bonded to the fluoroelastomer outer layer.

(Comparative Example 1) Roller 4 Roller 4 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that primary crosslinking was carried out for 1 hour in an oven (normal temperature hot air) heated to 200 ° C.

When the surface of the roller 4 was wiped with a cloth impregnated with methyl ethyl ketone, the gloss disappeared.
It was confirmed that curing was inhibited by oxygen and that crosslinking was poor.

(Comparative Example 2) Roller 5 Fluorine oil heated to 200 ° C. (trade name: Demnum S)
Roller 5 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that primary cross-linking was performed by immersing the roller 5 in -65, manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd. for 1 hour.

Since the gloss of the roller 5 was not lost even when the surface of the roller 5 was wiped with a cloth impregnated with methyl ethyl ketone, it was confirmed that oxygen did not inhibit curing and the crosslinking reaction proceeded.

The ten point average surface roughness of the fluoroelastomer layer of this roller was 1 μm or less, and the layer thickness was 50 μm.
Met.

(Evaluation Example) 100 parts by mass of fluoropolymer (trade name: Daiel LT302, manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.) and benzoyl peroxide (25% as a cross-linking agent).
2 parts by weight of water-containing product, manufactured by Kishida Chemical Co., Ltd., and triallyl isocyanurate (trade name: TAIC, which is a crosslinking aid)
4 parts by mass of Nippon Kasei Co., Ltd. was dissolved in methyl isobutyl ketone as a solvent so that the polymer component concentration was 25% by mass to prepare a fluoropolymer coating solution.

The obtained fluoropolymer coating solution was uniformly applied on an aluminum plate so that the thickness would be 50 μm after drying, and allowed to stand at room temperature to evaporate the solvent to some extent, and then in an oven at 50 ° C. for 2 hours. After being dried, it is immersed in fluorine oil (trade name: Demnum S-65, manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.) heated to 200 ° C. for 1 hour to carry out primary cross-linking, and then taken out from the fluorine oil and surface-treated with toluene. Remove the excess fluorinated oil and leave it in the oven (atmospheric pressure hot air) for 18
Secondary crosslinking was carried out at 0 ° C. for 24 hours to prepare a sample.
The ten-point average surface roughness of this sample was 1 μm or less.

It was confirmed that even if the surface of this sample was wiped with a cloth impregnated with methyl ethyl ketone, the luster did not disappear, so that the curing reaction by oxygen did not occur and the crosslinking reaction proceeded.

Elemental analysis by ESCA (analyzer: Quantum 2000 ULVAC-PHI Co., Ltd.) of the outermost surface of this sample was performed, and as a result, it was confirmed that no Si element was present and no silicone polymer was present.
The viscosity of the sample surface is 100 mm ² / s
(25 ° C) silicone oil (trade name: KF-96S
When the contact angle of S-100cs, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. was measured at room temperature (25 ° C), it was about 35-40 °.
It was found that the wettability of the silicone oil was not so good.

(Comparative Example 3) Roller 6 100 parts by mass of fluoropolymer (trade name: Daiel LT302, manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.) and benzoyl peroxide (25% water content, manufactured by Kishida Chemical Co., Ltd.) as a crosslinking agent. ) 2 parts by mass and triallyl isocyanurate (trade name: TAIC, manufactured by Nippon Kasei Co., Ltd.) which is a crosslinking aid
4 parts by mass were blended using an open roll manufactured by Kansai Roll Co., Ltd.

Next, an elastic layer made of heat-resistant silicone rubber having a thickness of 2 mm was formed on a metal roller made of aluminum (outer diameter: 58 mm, inner diameter: 34 mm) via a primer. Further, the surface of the silicone rubber layer was treated with a primer (trade name: GLP-103SR, manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.).

Press molding (1.7 kN / cm ² , 110) by transfer using a mold was performed by using the roller on which this silicone rubber layer was formed and subjected to the primer treatment, and the fluoropolymer kneaded with the compounding agent. ℃, 30 minutes), remove the mold, and secondary cross-linking (180
The roller was finished by polishing after heating (° C, 24 hours). The ten-point average surface roughness (Rz) of this fluoroelastomer layer was 3 μm, and the layer thickness was 250 μm.

(Comparative Example 4) Roller 7 Roller 7 was finished in the same manner as Comparative Example 3 except that polishing was performed so that the ten-point average surface roughness (Rz) was 5 μm.

(Comparative Example 5) Belt 2 Fluorine oil heated to 200 ° C (trade name: Demnum S
-65, manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.) for 1 hour,
A belt 2 was produced in the same manner as in Example 4 except that primary crosslinking was performed.

The ten-point average surface roughness of the fluoroelastomer surface layer of this belt was 1 μm or less, and the layer thickness was 50 μm.

Further, since the gloss of the belt 2 obtained with the cloth impregnated with methyl ethyl ketone did not disappear, it was confirmed that oxygen did not inhibit curing and the crosslinking reaction proceeded.

(Evaluation of Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4) FIG. 5 shows fixing rollers 1 to 3 and rollers 4 to 7 as fixing roller 6 and fixing belt 1 as pressure belt 7. The fixing device was arranged in the fixing device 1 to form a fixing device.

An unfixed color toner image was passed through this fixing device, and the toner gloss unevenness of the image after fixing was visually observed. The observation results were expressed in three grades: good (◯), somewhat poor (Δ), and poor (×). The results are shown in Table 1. The roller 4 could not be evaluated due to poor crosslinking.

[0140]

[Table 1]

In the roller 4 using the oven cross-linking (normal pressure hot air cross-linking), the curing inhibition by oxygen occurred, and the peroxide cross-linking could not be sufficiently performed. On the other hand, with the rollers 1 to 3 using the hot silicone oil immersion crosslinking method and the roller 5 using the hot fluorine oil immersion crosslinking, the peroxide crosslinking could be performed without causing curing inhibition.

Further, in the rollers 6 and 7 which have undergone the manufacturing steps of die press cross-linking and polishing, the surface roughness of the fluoroelastomer layer is large, so that uneven gloss of the image occurs. In addition, the roller 5 which is excellent in surface smoothness but in which the silicone polymer outermost layer is not present also has a slight uneven gloss.

On the other hand, fixing rollers 1 to 3 having excellent surface smoothness and having a silicone polymer outermost layer are present.
In the above, a high quality image could be obtained without causing uneven gloss of the image.

Further, with respect to the fixing rollers 1 to 3, the toner release property, heat resistance, heat transfer property to the roller surface, scratch resistance, and abrasion resistance were all good.

(Evaluation of Example 4 and Comparative Example 5) The fixing belt 1 and the belt 2 are arranged in the fixing device 2 shown in FIG. 6 as the fixing belt 22 and the fixing roller 1 as the pressure roller 23, respectively. The fixing device was constructed.

An unfixed color toner image was passed through the fixing device, and uneven gloss of the fixed image was visually observed. The observation results are good (○), slightly bad (△), bad (×),
It was expressed in three stages. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0147]

[Table 2]

The belt 2 having excellent surface smoothness but having no silicone polymer outermost layer had a slightly uneven gloss.

On the other hand, with the fixing belt 1 having excellent surface smoothness and having the outermost surface layer of the silicone polymer, it was possible to obtain a high quality image without causing uneven gloss of the image.

Further, the fixing belt 1 was excellent in toner release property, heat resistance, heat transfer property to the roller surface, scratch resistance, and abrasion resistance.

[0151]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Fixing roller and fixing in which a silicone polymer is chemically bonded as the outermost layer on the fluoroelastomer surface layer obtained by radically crosslinking a fluoropolymer consisting of a terpolymer of vinylidene fluoride, tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoromethyl vinyl ether You can get a belt for.

Further, when the fixing roller and / or the fixing belt of the present invention is used in a fixing device such as a copying machine or LBP, the wettability of silicone oil applied for the purpose of assisting toner release is good. Therefore, a high-quality toner image can be obtained without causing uneven gloss.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view for explaining a fixing roller of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view for explaining a fixing belt of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view for explaining a fixing roller of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view for explaining a fixing belt of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the fixing device 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the fixing device 2 of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 metal roller 2 Heat resistant elastic layer 3 surface 4 outermost layer 5 Metal or resin belt 6 fixing roller 7 Pressure belt 8 halogen heater 9 Recording material 10 Toner image 11 thermistor 12 Oil coating device 13 Cleaning web unit 14 oil pan 15 pumping roller 16 Application roller 17 Oil regulation blade 18 cleaning web 19 Elastic roller 20 Laura 21 Laura 22 Fixing belt 23 Pressure roller 24 roller 25 roller 26 Laura 27 Internal heating roller

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Hideo Kawamoto             3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo             Non non corporation (72) Inventor Osamu Mayu             3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo             Non non corporation (72) Inventor Kazuo Kishino             3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo             Non non corporation F-term (reference) 2H033 AA02 AA09 AA10 AA31 BA12                       BB05 BB06 BB14 BB15 BB26                       BB29 BB30 BB31 BB39                 3J103 AA02 AA13 AA32 AA51 BA41                       CA01 EA11 FA18 GA02 GA57                       GA58 HA04 HA47 HA54

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A fluoropolymer comprising a terpolymer of vinylidene fluoride containing at least one of iodine and bromine in the molecule, tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoromethyl vinyl ether, is radically cross-linked to form. A fixing member comprising a surface layer containing a fluoroelastomer and an outermost layer formed on the surface layer by a liquid silicone polymer chemically bonded to the fluoroelastomer. 2. The ten-point average surface roughness (Rz) of the outermost layer
Is 1 μm or less, the fixing member according to claim 1. 3. The fixing member according to claim 1, wherein the sum of the thickness of the surface layer and the thickness of the outermost layer is 5 to 300 μm. 4. The fixing member according to claim 1, wherein the liquid silicone polymer is a dimethyl silicone polymer or a dimethyl silicone polymer having at least one vinyl group. 5. A fixing device used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein the fixing member according to claim 1 is arranged. 6. A fluoropolymer comprising a terpolymer of vinylidene fluoride containing at least one of iodine and bromine in the molecule, tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoromethyl vinyl ether, a cross-linking agent, and a cross-linking aid. A step of applying a coating liquid containing an agent to a base material, and radical-crosslinking the fluoropolymer into a fluoroelastomer while the coating layer applied to the base material is in contact with a liquid silicone polymer. At the same time, a method for producing a fixing member, which comprises a step of forming a chemical bond between the fluoroelastomer and the liquid silicone polymer. 7. The fixing method according to claim 6, wherein the step of forming the chemical bond is performed by immersing the substrate on which the coating layer is formed in the liquid silicone polymer in a heated state. A method of manufacturing a member. 8. The method for producing a fixing member according to claim 7, wherein the cross-linking agent is benzoyl peroxide, and the temperature of the liquid silicone polymer in the heated state is 110 to 250 ° C. 9. The method for manufacturing a fixing member according to claim 6, wherein the liquid silicone polymer is a dimethyl silicone polymer or a dimethyl silicone polymer having at least one vinyl group.