JP2003316110A - Conductive member, and image forming device and process cartridge using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conductive member having excellent characteristics which is suitable for high image quality and color and to provide an image forming device and process cartridge which have the conductive member. <P>SOLUTION: The conductive member is in contact with a charged member, a voltage is applied to the conductive member, and thus the conductive member charges the charged member. The conductive member is formed from a conductive support and one or more covering layers formed on the support. At least the covering layers contain two or more kinds of fine particles subjected to surface treatment. The image forming device and process cartridge have the conductive member as a charging means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a charging member, a developer carrying member, a transfer member, a cleaning member, a charge removing member, etc. in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile and a copying machine. The present invention relates to a conductive member for controlling an object to be contacted, more specifically, a charging member to which a voltage is applied is brought into contact with an object to be charged,
The present invention relates to a contact charging member that charges a body to be charged.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For convenience, an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic laser beam printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile will be described as an example.

Conventionally, in the charging process in the electrophotographic process, a high voltage (DC voltage of 6 to 8 kV) is applied to the metal wire.
A corona charger that uniformly charges a surface of a photosensitive member, which is a member to be charged, to a predetermined polarity and potential by a corona shower generated by applying a voltage has been widely used. However, there has been a problem that a high voltage power source is required and a relatively large amount of ozone is generated.

On the other hand, a contact charging method in which a voltage is applied while the charging member is in contact with the photosensitive member to charge the surface of the photosensitive member has been put into practical use. In this method, a charging member such as a roller type, a blade type, a brush type, or a magnetic brush type, which is a charge supplying member, is brought into contact with the photosensitive member, and a predetermined charging bias is applied to the contact charging member so that the surface of the photosensitive member is fixed. It is to be uniformly charged with polarity and potential. This charging method is
It has the advantages of lowering the voltage of the power supply and producing less ozone. Among them, the roller charging method using a conductive roller (charging roller) as the contact charging member is preferably used from the viewpoint of charging stability.

However, the charging uniformity is slightly inferior to that of the corona charger.

In order to improve this charging uniformity, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-149669, the charging start voltage (V _TH ) is changed to a DC voltage corresponding to a desired surface potential Vd of the body to be charged. Applying voltage (alternating voltage, pulsating current voltage, oscillating voltage; voltage whose voltage value changes cyclically with time) that superimposes an AC voltage component (AC voltage component) with a peak-to-peak voltage that is more than twice the voltage to the contact charging member. The “AC charging method” is used. This is for the purpose of leveling the potential by the AC voltage, and the potential of the body to be charged converges to the potential Vd which is the center of the peak of the AC voltage and is not affected by disturbances such as the environment. It is an excellent method as a contact charging method.

However, JP-A-63-149669
In the publication, the charging start voltage (V
_Since a high AC voltage, which is a peak-to-peak voltage that is more than twice _TH ), is superimposed, an AC power supply is required in addition to the DC power supply, resulting in an increase in the cost of the device itself. Further, there is a problem that the durability of the charging roller and the photoconductor is deteriorated by consuming a large amount of alternating current.

Although these problems can be solved by applying only the DC voltage to the charging roller to perform charging, the following problems occur when only the DC voltage is applied to the charging roller.

When only a DC voltage is applied to the conventional charging member, there is a problem that unevenness on the surface of the charging member is likely to appear on the image, especially in a low humidity environment, and the image quality is deteriorated.

Further, even if the resistance of the charging member is slightly uneven,
There is a problem that density unevenness is likely to appear on the image, and the image quality is deteriorated.

In recent electrophotographic technology, there is a high demand for high image quality and colorization, and the slight deterioration in image quality as described above is an important issue that must be improved to achieve these requirements. Has become.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and provide a conductive member having excellent characteristics suitable for high image quality and colorization.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge having the above conductive member.

[0014]

According to the present invention, in a conductive member in which a conductive member is in contact with a body to be charged and a voltage is applied to the conductive member to charge the body to be charged, The member is composed of a conductive support and one or more coating layers formed thereon, and at least the coating layer contains two or more kinds of surface-treated fine particles. A conductive member is provided.

According to the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge having the above conductive member as a charging means.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below.

In the present invention, by using fine particles which have been subjected to a specific surface treatment, it is possible not only to suppress the image defect due to the uneven resistance value of the conductive member, but also due to the uneven shape on the surface of the conductive member. The poor charging can also be suppressed, and a very excellent image quality can be obtained.

Through the earnest studies by the present inventors, the following has been clarified.

First, by subjecting the insulating fine particles contained in the surface layer to the surface treatment as in the present invention, the charging ability of the conductive member was improved. Specifically, when the surface of the photoconductor is charged by the conductive member as in the present invention, compared to the case where the surface of the photoconductor is charged by the conventional conductive member, the saturation potential (dark part) of the surface of the photoconductor is increased. The potential Vd) is several tens of volts (2
It was found that a lot of it was loaded. Thus, it was found that the conductive member of the present invention having improved charging ability is advantageous for image defects due to slight resistance value unevenness of the conductive member and charging defects due to uneven shapes on the surface. .

It has been found that two kinds of surface treatment agents are preferably used for the surface treatment. In particular, it has been found that it is most effective and preferable to treat the insulating fine particles with a silane coupling agent and then surface-treat with silicone oil. In addition, the insulating fine particles that have been surface-treated with silicone oil after being treated with the silane coupling agent are preferable because the charging ability can be improved by adding a small amount thereof.

According to the various studies as described above, by containing two or more kinds of surface-treated fine particles in the surface layer,
The conductive member of the present invention is excellent in the stability / uniformity of charging.

Next, the schematic structure of the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described.

(1) Image Forming Apparatus FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of an image forming apparatus equipped with the process cartridge of the present invention. The image forming apparatus of this example is a reversal developing method utilizing transfer electrophotography and a developing / cleaning method (cleanerless).

The rotary drum type electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 as an image bearing member is rotationally driven at a predetermined peripheral speed (process speed) in the direction of the arrow.

A charging roller (conductive member of the present invention) 2 as a charging means of the electrophotographic photosensitive member is brought into contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 with a predetermined pressing force. In this example, the charging roller 2 is used.
Are driven to rotate at the same speed as the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1. A predetermined DC voltage (in this case, −1200 V) is applied to the charging roller 2 from the charging bias applying power source S1 so that the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 has a predetermined polarity potential (dark portion potential −600 V). ) Is uniformly charged by the contact charging method and the DC charging method.

The exposing means 3 is, for example, a laser beam scanner. The surface L of the electrophotographic photosensitive member is set to the potential of the exposed bright portion (bright portion potential −120 V) by exposing the charged surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 to light L corresponding to the target image information by the exposure unit 3. ) Is selectively reduced (attenuated) to form an electrostatic latent image.

The reversal developing means 4 applies toner (negative toner) charged in the same bright polarity (developing bias -350 V) as the charging polarity of the electrophotographic photosensitive member to the exposed bright portion of the electrostatic latent image of the electrophotographic photosensitive member. The electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image by selectively adhering. In the figure, 4a is a developing roller, 4b is a toner supply roller, and 4c is a toner layer thickness regulating member.

A transfer roller 5 as a transfer means forms a transfer portion by contacting the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 with a predetermined pressing force, and rotates the electrophotographic photosensitive member in a forward direction with respect to the rotation of the electrophotographic photosensitive member. It rotates at almost the same peripheral speed as the peripheral speed. Also,
A transfer voltage having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner is applied from the transfer bias applying power source S2. The transfer material P is fed to the transfer portion from a paper feed mechanism (not shown) at a predetermined control timing, and the back surface of the fed transfer material P is charged with toner by the transfer roller 5 to which a transfer voltage is applied. The toner image on the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 is electrostatically transferred to the transfer material P at the transfer portion by being charged to the opposite polarity.

The transfer material P, to which the toner image has been transferred at the transfer portion, is separated from the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 and introduced into a toner image fixing means (not shown) to undergo a toner image fixing process to form an image-formed product. Is output as. In the case of the double-sided image forming mode or the multiple image forming mode, this image formed product is introduced into a recirculation conveyance mechanism (not shown) and reintroduced into the transfer section.

Residues such as transfer residual toner on the electrophotographic photosensitive member are charged by the charging roller 2 to the same polarity as the charging polarity of the electrophotographic photosensitive member. And the transfer residual toner is
After passing through the exposure part, the developing means 4 is reached and electrically collected in the developing device due to the back contrast, so that the cleaning / development (cleanerless) is achieved.

In this embodiment, the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1, the charging roller 2 and the developing means 4 are integrally supported, and the process cartridge 6 is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus. At this time, the developing means 4 may be a separate body.

(2) Conductive member For example, the charging member has a roller shape as shown in FIG. 2, and the conductive support 2a and the elastic layer 2b integrally formed on the outer periphery thereof as a coating layer and the elastic layer. The surface layer 2c is formed on the outer periphery of the.

Another configuration of the charging member of the present invention is shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the charging member may be three layers including the elastic layer 2b, the resistance layer 2d, and the surface layer 2c, or may be formed between the resistance layer 2d and the surface layer 2c. It is also possible to adopt a structure in which two or more resistance layers 2e are provided and four or more layers are formed as coating layers on the conductive support 2a.

The conductive support 2a used in the present invention is
A round bar made of a metal material such as iron, copper, stainless steel, aluminum and nickel can be used. Further, these metal surfaces may be subjected to a plating treatment for the purpose of preventing rust and imparting scratch resistance, but it is necessary that the conductivity is not impaired.

In the charging roller 2, the elastic layer 2b is provided with appropriate conductivity and elasticity in order to secure electric power supply to the electrophotographic photosensitive member as a member to be charged and good uniform adhesion to the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1. is there. Further, in order to secure the uniform adhesion between the charging roller 2 and the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1, the elastic layer 2b is formed into a so-called crown shape by polishing so that the central portion becomes thickest at the center and becomes thinner toward both ends. Is preferred. Generally used charging roller 2 is
Since a predetermined pressing force is applied to both ends of the support member 2a and the support member 2a is in contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1, the pressing force at the central portion is small and the pressing force at both ends is large.
If the straightness is sufficient, there is no problem, but if it is not sufficient, density unevenness may occur in the image corresponding to the central portion and both end portions. The crown shape is formed to prevent this.

The electroconductivity of the elastic layer 2b is such that an electroconductive agent having an electron conduction mechanism such as carbon black, graphite and electroconductive metal oxides in an elastic material such as rubber or an ionic conduction such as an alkali metal salt or a quaternary ammonium salt. It is preferably adjusted to less than 10 ¹⁰ Ω · cm by appropriately adding a conductive agent having a mechanism. Specific elastic materials for the elastic layer 2b include, for example, natural rubber and ethylene propylene rubber (E
PDM), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), silicone rubber, urethane rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber,
Other examples include synthetic rubbers such as isoprene rubber (IR), butadiene rubber (BR), nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) and chloroprene rubber (CR), as well as polyamide resin, polyurethane resin and silicone resin.

In a charging member for charging a charged body by applying only a DC voltage, in order to achieve uniform charging, a polar rubber having a medium resistance (for example, epichlorohydrin rubber, NBR, CR and urethane) is used. It is preferable to use rubber) or polyurethane resin as the elastic material. It is considered that these polar rubbers and polyurethane resins have a small amount of electric conductivity because water or impurities in the rubber or resin serve as carriers, and it is considered that these conductive mechanisms are ionic conduction. However, the charging member obtained by forming an elastic layer without adding a conductive agent to these polar rubbers or polyurethane resins has a high resistance value in a low temperature and low humidity environment (L / L) and is 10 ¹⁰ Ω · cm or more. Therefore, a high voltage has to be applied to the charging member.

Therefore, the conductive agent having an electronic conductive mechanism or the conductive agent having an ionic conductive mechanism described above is appropriately added and adjusted so that the resistance value of the charging member becomes less than 10 ¹⁰ Ω · cm in the L / L environment. Preferably. However, a conductive agent having an ionic conductive mechanism has a small effect of lowering the resistance value, and particularly has a small effect in an L / L environment. for that reason,
In addition to the addition of the conductive agent having the ionic conductive mechanism, the conductive agent having the electronic conductive mechanism may be supplementarily added to adjust the resistance. However, when the elastic layer is a surface layer, the conductive agent is preferably surface-treated conductive fine particles.

The elastic layer 2b may be a foamed body obtained by foaming and molding these elastic materials.

Since the resistance layer 2d (e) is formed at a position in contact with the elastic layer, the resistance layer 2d (e) is provided for the purpose of preventing bleeding out of the softening oil, plasticizer, etc. contained in the elastic layer to the surface of the charging member. , Is provided for the purpose of adjusting the electric resistance of the entire charging member.

Examples of the material constituting the resistance layer used in the present invention include epichlorohydrin rubber, NBR, urethane rubber, urethane resin, polyolefin thermoplastic elastomer, urethane thermoplastic elastomer, polystyrene thermoplastic elastomer, fluororubber rubber. Thermoplastic elastomer, polyester-based thermoplastic elastomer,
Examples thereof include a polyamide-based thermoplastic elastomer, a polybutadiene-based thermoplastic elastomer, and an ethylene vinyl acetate-based thermoplastic elastomer. These materials may be used alone or in combination of two or more, and may be a copolymer.

The resistance layer 2d (e) used in the present invention needs to have conductivity or semiconductivity. Conductivity,
In order to exhibit semiconductivity, conductive agents having various electronic conduction mechanisms (conductive carbon, graphite, conductive metal oxides, copper, aluminum, nickel, iron powder, alkali metal salts, ammonium salts, etc.) or ions A conductive agent can be used as appropriate. In this case, in order to obtain a desired electric resistance, two or more of the various conductive agents may be used in combination. The resistance layer 2d (e) of the present invention particularly preferably contains a surface-treated conductive agent, and when the resistance layer is a surface layer, the conductive agent is surface-treated conductive fine particles. is necessary.

The surface layer 2c constitutes the surface of the charging member,
It must not have a material constitution that would contaminate the photoconductor because it comes into contact with the photoconductor that is the member to be charged.

Examples of the binder resin material for the surface layer 2c used in the present invention include fluororesin, polyamide resin, acrylic resin, polyurethane resin, silicone resin, butyral resin, styrene-ethylene / butylene-olefin copolymer (SEBC). And an olefin-ethylene / butylene-olefin copolymer (CEBC) and the like. As the material of the surface layer in the present invention, fluororesin, acrylic resin, polyurethane resin and silicone resin are particularly preferable.

For the purpose of reducing the coefficient of static friction, a solid lubricant such as graphite, mica, molybdenum disulfide and fluororesin powder, or a fluorosurfactant, wax or silicone oil is added to these binder resins. Good.

The surface layer has various conductive fine particles (conductive carbon, graphite, copper, aluminum, nickel,
Iron powder and metal oxides such as conductive tin oxide and conductive titanium oxide) are appropriately used. In the present invention, in order to obtain a desired electric resistance, two or more kinds of the various conductive fine particles may be used in combination. The particle diameter of the conductive fine particles is preferably 0.001 to 1.0 μm in number average particle diameter. If the average particle size is less than 0.001 μm, the conductive fine particles are likely to aggregate with each other, which makes it difficult to carry out the surface treatment or makes the surface treatment uneven, which makes it difficult to perform uniform treatment. When it exceeds 1.0 μm, when the surface layer of the charging member is formed by coating, the conductive fine particles tend to settle in the paint, which is not preferable.

The mass ratio of the conductive fine particles to the binder resin is preferably 0.1: 1.0 to 2.0: 1.0. If the conductive fine particles are less than 0.1, it becomes difficult to obtain the effect due to the inclusion of the conductive fine particles.
When it exceeds, the mechanical strength of the surface layer is lowered, the layer becomes brittle, the hardness is improved, and the flexibility is easily lost.

The present invention is characterized in that the conductive fine particles in the surface layer are subjected to a surface treatment, preferably a hydrophobic treatment. As the hydrophobizing agent, a coupling agent (a central element such as silicon, titanium, aluminum and zirconium is not particularly selected), oil, varnish and an organic compound are preferable, and an alkoxysilane coupling agent and a fluoroalkylalkoxysilane are particularly preferable. Coupling agents are preferred.

As a method for hydrophobizing the conductive fine particles, for example, in the case of a silane coupling agent, there are two methods, a dry method and a wet method.

(A) Dry method The silane coupling agent is sprayed or blown in a vapor state while thoroughly stirring the conductive fine particles. Add heat treatment if necessary.

(B) Wet method The conductive fine particles are dispersed in a solvent, and the silane coupling agent is also diluted with water or an organic solvent and added in a slurry state with vigorous stirring. This method is preferable for uniform treatment. Furthermore, there are the following three methods as specific methods for pretreatment of silane on the surface of the conductive fine particles.

(1) Aqueous solution method Approximately 0.1 to 0.5% by mass of silane is poured into water having a constant pH or water-solvent with sufficient stirring, dissolved therein, and hydrolyzed. After immersing the filler in this solution, it is filtered or squeezed to remove water to some extent, and then 120 to 13
Dry thoroughly at 0 ° C.

(2) Organic solvent method Organic solvent (alcohol, benzene or halogenated hydrocarbon) containing a small amount of water and a solvent for hydrolysis (hydrochloric acid or acetic acid)
Dissolve the silane in. After soaking the filler in this solution,
It is filtered or squeezed to remove the solvent and sufficiently dried at 120 to 130 ° C.

(3) Spraying method The silane aqueous solution or solvent solution is sprayed while vigorously stirring the filler. After that, 120-130 ℃
To dry sufficiently.

Further, it was found that the resistance change during continuous use of the conductive member depends at least on the surface state (hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity) of the conductive fine particles. For example, it has been found that when the conductive member contains hydrophilic conductive fine particles, the resistance is likely to increase due to continuous use of the conductive member. In particular, in a low temperature and low humidity environment, the resistance of the conductive member increases significantly. Then, in this low temperature and low humidity environment, in order to reduce the resistance increase due to continuous use of the conductive member, it is effective to use the conductive fine particles subjected to the hydrophobic treatment as described above as the conductive agent of the conductive member. I knew it was.

The mechanism of resistance increase during continuous use of the conductive member is that the resistance increase occurs when the hydrophilic conductive agent is contained in the surface layer. However, it is considered that the conductive function as a conductive agent may be lost.

In particular, in a low temperature and low humidity environment, since water does not exist around the hydrophilic group, it is considered that it is likely to be affected by electricity. Therefore, since it is possible to reduce the portion to be charged up by hydrophobizing and crushing the hydrophilic groups, it is considered that the resistance does not increase even if the charging member is continuously used (continuous energization).

The coating layer of the present invention is characterized by containing fine particles having two or more kinds of surface treatments. Fine particles as a raw material before the surface treatment of the present invention, particularly insulating fine particles include resin particles, metal oxides, spherical carbon particles, silica particles, strontium titanate particles, calcium titanate particles and silicon titanate particles. And the like.

The surface treatment agent for fine particles is preferably a silane coupling agent, silicone oil or silicone varnish.

As the silane coupling agent, for example,
Hexamethyldisilazane, trimethylsilane, trimethylchlorosilane, trimethylethoxysilane, dimethyldichlorosilane, methyltrichlorosilane, allyldimethylchlorosilane, allylphenyldichlorosilane, benzyldimethylchlorosilane, bromomethyldimethylchlorosilane, α-chloro Ethyltrichlorosilane, β-
Chlorethyltrichlorosilane, chloromethyldimethylchlorosilane, triorganosilylmercaptan, trimethylsilylmercaptan, triorganosilylacrylate, vinyldimethylacetoxysilamen, dimethyldiethoxysilane, dimethyldimethoxysilane, diphenyldiethoxysilane, hexamethyldisiloxane,
1,3-divinyltetramethyldisiloxane, 1,3-
Examples thereof include diphenyltetramethyldisiloxane and dimethylpolysiloxane having 2 to 12 siloxane units per molecule and each terminal unit having a hydroxyl group bonded to a silicon atom.

As the silicone oil, those represented by the following general formula (I) are preferable.

[0062]

[Chemical 1]

In the formula, R represents an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, R'represents an alkyl group, a halogen-modified alkyl group, a phenyl group, a silicone oil-modified group such as modified phenyl, and R "represents 1 carbon atom. To an alkyl group or an alkoxy group of 3. m and n are m ≧ 0, n ≧ 0, and m + n> 0.

Specific examples of the general formula (I) include, for example, dimethyl silicone oil, alkyl-modified silicone oil, α-methylstyrene-modified silicone oil,
Examples include chlorophenyl silicone oil and fluorine-modified silicone oil.

In the present invention, a modified silicone oil having a structure represented by the following general formula (II) can be used as the silicone oil.

[0066]

[Chemical 2]

In the general formula (II), R ₁ and R ₆ represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an aryl group or an alkoxy group, R ₂ represents an alkylene group or a phenylene group, and R ₃ represents a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ring. And R ₄ and R _{5 each} represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or an aryl group, and R ₂
It does not have to be. However, the above alkyl group, aryl group, alkylene group, and phenylene group may have an amine, and may have a halogen as a substituent as long as the chargeability is not impaired. m is a number of 1 or more, and n, k
Is a positive number including 0. However, n + k is a positive number of 1 or more.

The most preferred structure among the above structures is one in which the number of nitrogen atoms in the side chain containing the nitrogen atom is 1 or 2. As the unsaturated heterocycle having nitrogen, an example of the structure thereof will be given below.

[0069]

[Chemical 3]

As the saturated heterocycle having nitrogen, an example of the structure thereof will be given below.

[0071]

[Chemical 4]

However, the present invention is not limited to the above compound examples, but those having a 5- or 6-membered heterocycle are preferable.

Examples of the derivative include a derivative obtained by introducing a hydrocarbon group, a halogen group, an amino group, a vinyl group, a mercapto group, a methacryl group, a glycidoxy group or a ureido group into the above compound group. You may use these 1 type (s) or 2 or more types.

Examples of the silicone varnish used in the present invention include methylsilicone varnish and phenylmethylsilicone varnish. In particular, methylsilicone varnish is preferably used in the present invention. Methyl silicone varnish is a polymer composed of T ³¹ units, D ³¹ units, and M ³¹ units represented by the following structure, and is a three-dimensional polymer containing a large amount of T ³¹ units.

[0075]

[Chemical 5]

The methyl silicone varnish or phenylmethyl silicone varnish is specifically represented by the following structural formula (II
It is a substance having a chemical structure as shown in I).

[0077]

[Chemical 6]

In the formula, R ³¹ represents a methyl group or a phenyl group.

In the above silicone varnish, especially T³¹
The unit imparts good thermosetting properties and has a three-dimensional network structure.
It is an effective unit for On top of the silicone varnish
Note T ³¹The unit is 10 to 90 mol%, particularly 30 to 80 mol
It is preferable to use those contained in the range of%.

Such a silicone varnish has a hydroxyl group at the terminal or side chain of the molecular chain, and is cured by the dehydration condensation reaction of this hydroxyl group. Examples of the curing accelerator that can be used to accelerate the curing reaction include fatty acid salts such as zinc, lead, cobalt and tin; amines such as triethanolamine and butylamine. Of these, amines can be preferably used.

In order to use the above-mentioned silicone varnish as an amino-modified silicone varnish, the above-mentioned T ³¹ unit, D
A part of the methyl group or phenyl group present in ³¹ units and M ³¹ units may be replaced with a group having an amino group.
Examples of the group having an amino group include, but are not limited to, those represented by the structural formulas shown below.

[0082]

[Chemical 7]

The surface treatment method for fine particles with these silicone oils or silicone varnishes includes, for example,
Examples thereof include a method of mixing fine particles with silicone oil or silicone varnish using a mixer; and a method of spraying silicone oil or silicone varnish into silica fine powder using a sprayer.

As a treatment form for producing the above-mentioned peculiar fine particles of the present invention used in the present invention, it is preferable to use a combination of a silane coupling agent and a silicone oil or a silicone varnish. Among them, the preferred form of treatment is, first, surface-treating with a silane coupling agent and then further surface-treating with silicone oil or silicone varnish.
Among them, particularly preferred is a mode in which the surface is treated with hexamethyldisilazane and then the surface is treated with silicone oil.

As a treatment method with a silane coupling agent, it is preferable to use a dry method in which the silane coupling agent is brought into contact with finely ground silica fine powder in the presence of water vapor to cause a reaction. In the treatment with this silane coupling agent, since the silane coupling agent is treated in the presence of water vapor, the water vapor acts as a catalyst and the reaction of the silane coupling agent can be enhanced,
A uniform surface treatment is possible. On the other hand, when steam is not present during the treatment of the silane coupling agent,
The reactivity of the silane coupling agent is lowered, and as a result, it becomes difficult to obtain a silane coupling agent satisfying the above-mentioned characteristics of the present invention.

The surface treatment of the insulating fine particles with silicone oil and / or silicone varnish is, for example, a method of directly mixing the insulating fine particles and silicone oil not diluted with a solvent using a mixer such as a Henschel mixer. And a method of spraying the insulating fine particles with a silicone oil which is not diluted with a solvent.
In this case, the silicone oil and / or the silicone varnish are more preferable because the treatment can be performed more uniformly if they are heated at a temperature of 50 to 200 ° C. to reduce the viscosity. As described above, in the present invention, since the silicone oil and / or the silicone varnish are used for the surface treatment without being diluted with a solvent, it is preferable to use one having a viscosity of 10 to 2000 centistokes at 25 ° C.

Therefore, in order to obtain the surface-treated insulating fine particles used in the present invention, the insulating fine particles are treated with a silane coupling agent, sprayed with silicone oil or silicone varnish, and then heated to 200 ° C. or higher. A manufacturing method in which heat treatment is performed at a temperature is preferably used. When the insulating fine particles are treated with a silane coupling agent, silicone oil or silicone varnish is sprayed, and then 200
According to the method of heating at a high temperature of 0 ° C. or higher, the silicone oil or silicone varnish can be uniformly and firmly adhered to the surface of the insulating fine particles.

In the present invention, the silane coupling agent is used in an amount of 5 to 60 with respect to 100 parts by mass of the insulating fine particle raw material.
A mass part is preferable, and more preferably, it is added and treated in a range of 10 to 50 mass parts. When it is less than 5 parts by mass, the effect of improving the charging property of the conductive member is small, and when it is more than 60 parts by mass, it may be difficult to manufacture.

Silicone oil or silicone varnish is an insulating fine particle raw material or a surface-treated insulating fine particle 1.
The amount used is preferably 5 to 40 parts by mass, more preferably 7 to 35 parts by mass with respect to 00 parts by mass. When the amount is less than 5 parts by mass, the effect of improving the charging property of the conductive member is small, and when the amount is more than 40 parts by mass, the adverse effect that dirt such as toner adheres to the surface of the conductive member tends to occur. .

The resistance value of the insulating fine particles used in the present invention is preferably 10 ¹⁰ Ω · cm or more. On the other hand, the resistance value of the conductive fine particles used in the present invention is 10 ¹⁰ Ω.
・ Be less than cm.

Particles of insulating fine particles (metal oxides, spherical carbon particles, silica fine particles, strontium titanate fine particles, calcium titanate fine particles, silicon titanate fine particles, and other complex oxides) other than the resin particles used in the present invention The number average particle size (average length) is preferably 1.0 μm or less, and particularly preferably 0.001 μm to 0.5 μm. When the number average particle diameter of the insulating fine particles excluding the resin particles exceeds 1.0 μm, the problem of settling in the paint is likely to occur. Also, 0.001
If it is less than μm, it becomes difficult to perform a uniform surface treatment.

The resin particles as the insulating fine particles used in the present invention have a number average particle diameter (average length) of 50 μm.
The following is preferable, and 0.001 μm to 30 μm is particularly preferable. Number average particle size of resin particles is 50μ
If it exceeds m, problems such as sedimentation in the coating material are likely to occur. Further, if it is less than 0.001 μm, it becomes difficult to perform a uniform surface treatment. The metal oxide, spherical carbon particles, silica fine particles, strontium titanate fine particles, calcium titanate fine particles and silicon titanate fine particles, which can have a larger particle diameter than composite oxides, can be used as resin particles. This is because the specific gravity is lighter than other materials and is less likely to settle in the paint.

When the elastic layer or resistance layer of the present invention is a surface layer, it must contain fine particles which have been subjected to two or more kinds of surface treatments as described above.

[0094]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to specific examples. In addition, "part" in an Example shows a mass part.

(Example 1) A charging roller as a charging member was manufactured in the following manner.

[0096] Epichlorohydrin rubber terpolymer 100 parts Quaternary ammonium salt 2 parts Light calcium carbonate 30 parts Zinc oxide 5 parts Fatty acid 2 parts

After kneading the above materials for 10 minutes in a closed mixer adjusted to 60 ° C., 5 parts of sebacic acid polyester plasticizer was added to 100 parts of epichlorohydrin rubber, and the mixture was cooled to 20 ° C. in a closed mixer. Knead for an additional 20 minutes to adjust the raw material compound. To this compound, 100 parts of epichlorohydrin rubber as a raw material rubber, 1 part of sulfur as a vulcanizing agent, 1 part of NOXCELLER DM as a vulcanization accelerator, and 0.5 parts of NOXCELLER TS were added to 20 parts of 20 ° C.
Kneading is carried out for 10 minutes by the two-roll machine cooled to above. The obtained compound was molded into a roller shape around a φ6 mm stainless steel core by an extrusion molding machine, heat-vulcanized and molded, and then polished to an outer diameter of 12 mm to obtain an elastic layer. It was

Next, a surface layer as shown below was formed on the elastic layer by coating. As a material for the surface layer 2c, an acrylic polyol solution (active ingredient 70 mass%) 100 parts Isocyanate A (IPDI) (active ingredient 60 mass%) 40 parts Isocyanate B (HDI) (active ingredient 80 mass%) 30 parts Hydrophobizing treatment Conductive tin oxide 90 parts (treatment agent; fluoroalkylalkoxysilane) Two kinds of surface-treated silica fine particles 2.5 parts (treatment agent A: hexamethyldisilazane, treatment agent B: dimethyl silicone oil) Methyl isobutyl ketone ( A mixture solution was prepared by stirring 340 parts of MIBK) solvent using a mixer. Then, the mixed solution is used as a circulating medium, and the diameter is 0.6 m.
Dispersion treatment was carried out using a bead mill disperser having m glass beads to prepare a dipping coating material. This coating material for dipping is applied on the elastic layer by a dipping method so that the film thickness becomes 25 μm, and after air-drying for 10 minutes, it is dried at 150 ° C. for 1 hour in a heating dryer.
The surface layer was formed by coating to obtain a roller-shaped charging member.

The conductive tin oxide has an average particle diameter of 0.02.
μm, resistance value 3 Ω · cm, silica fine particles having an average particle diameter 0.015 μm, and resistance value 10 ¹⁶ Ω · cm. The conductive tin oxide was hydrophobized by the above-mentioned wet method. The fine silica particles were prepared by the method described above.

The electric resistance of the charging roller was measured under the condition of environment 1 of temperature 23 ° C./humidity 55% RH by applying a DC voltage of −250 V using a resistance measuring machine as shown in FIG. It was 5.0 × 10 ⁶ Ω. The 10-point average surface roughness Rz of the charging roller surface was 2.9 μm.

<Evaluation of Image when Only DC Voltage is Applied to Charging Roller> The charging roller obtained above was attached to the electrophotographic image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and the environment 1 (temperature 23 ° C./humidity 55 % RH, environment 2 (temperature 32.5 ° C /
Humidity 80% RH, Environment 3 (Temperature 15 ° C / Humidity 10% R)
Under each environment of H), an image output and a multiple image output durability test were performed. The obtained image was visually observed, and image evaluation was carried out for the occurrence of image density unevenness caused by unevenness of the resistance value of the charging roller and image defects (spots and scratches) caused by unevenness of the surface of the charging roller.

The evaluations in Table 1 show that the image quality is A, B, and C with respect to the occurrence of image density unevenness caused by the unevenness of the resistance value of the charging roller and image defects (pots and roughness) caused by the unevenness of the surface of the charging roller. It was divided into 5 ranks of D and E.
It should be noted that A: a level at which there is no unevenness in image density and spots and greasiness, B: a level at which there is some unevenness in image density and spots and greasiness, but a practical level, C: level at which image density unevenness and spots and greasiness are seen, D: image density It is assumed that unevenness, spots and roughness are noticeable, and E: image density unevenness and spots and roughness are extremely high.

The initial charging potential of the surface of the photoconductor is shown in FIG. 4 under the condition of environment 3 of temperature 15 ° C. and humidity 10% RH.
It measured with the apparatus shown in. The results are shown in Table 1. Generally, a conductive member such as a charging roller is used in a low temperature and low humidity environment.
The electric resistance tends to be the highest and the charging ability tends to decrease. Therefore, the charging potential of the charging roller was evaluated by measuring the charging potential on the surface of the photoconductor in the most severe environment.

As a result, a good image was obtained from the initial stage in all environments, and an image almost the same as the initial stage was obtained even after outputting 15,000 images.

(Example 2) A charging roller as a charging member was manufactured in the following manner.

[0106] NBR 100 copies Quaternary ammonium salt 3 parts Ester plasticizer 20 parts Light calcium carbonate 30 parts Zinc oxide 5 parts Fatty acid 2 parts

The above materials are kneaded for 10 minutes in a closed mixer adjusted to 60 ° C., and further kneaded for 20 minutes in a closed mixer cooled to 20 ° C. to adjust the raw material compound. To this compound, 1 part of sulfur as a vulcanizing agent and 3 parts of Nocceller TS as a vulcanization accelerator were added to 100 parts of NBR of raw material rubber, and the mixture was kneaded for 10 minutes by a two-roll machine cooled to 20 ° C. The obtained compound is φ
A 6 mm stainless steel cored bar is molded by an extrusion molding machine into a roller shape, heat-vulcanized and molded, and then has an outer diameter of φ1.
An elastic layer was obtained by polishing to 2 mm.

Next, a surface layer as shown below was formed on the elastic layer by coating. Material for forming the surface layer 2c: Polyvinyl butyral resin 100 parts (ethanol solution; solid content 50 mass%) Hydrophobized conductive titanium oxide 60 parts (treatment agent: hexyltrimethoxysilane) Two types of surface-treated polybutyl 5 parts of methacrylate (PBMA) particles (treatment agent A; hexamethyldisilazane, treatment agent B; dimethyl silicone oil) were stirred using a mixer to prepare a mixed solution. Then, the mixed solution was subjected to a dispersion treatment using a bead mill disperser having glass beads of φ0.8 mm as a circulation type medium to prepare a dipping coating material. The dipping coating material was applied onto the elastic layer by a dipping method so that the film thickness was 18 μm, and after air-drying for 10 minutes, the coating was dried with a heating dryer at 130
It was dried at ℃ for 1 hour, the surface layer was coated to form a roller-shaped charging member.

Further, the conductive titanium oxide has an average particle size of 0.
The PBMA particles used had an average particle diameter of 5 μm and a resistance value of 10 ¹⁶ Ω · cm.
The conductive titanium oxide and PBMA particles were surface-treated in the same manner as in Example 1.

The electrical resistance of the charging roller was 7.0 × 10 ⁶ Ω as a result of measurement under the condition of environment 1 of temperature 23 ° C./humidity 55% RH and applying a DC voltage of −250V.
The 10-point average surface roughness Rz of the charging roller surface is
It was 1.8 μm.

This charging roller was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, and the results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 3) A charging roller as a charging member was manufactured in the following manner.

[0113] Epichlorohydrin rubber terpolymer 100 parts Quaternary ammonium salt 1 part Conductive carbon black 10 parts Light calcium carbonate 30 parts Zinc oxide 5 parts Fatty acid 2 parts

The above materials were kneaded in a closed mixer adjusted to 60 ° C. for 10 minutes, 10 parts of sebacic acid ester plasticizer was added to 100 parts of epichlorohydrin rubber, and the mixture was cooled to 20 ° C. in a closed mixer. Further kneading for 20 minutes to prepare a raw material compound. To this compound, 100 parts of epichlorohydrin rubber as a raw material rubber, 1 part of sulfur as a vulcanizing agent, 1 part of NOXCELLER DM as a vulcanization accelerator, and 0.5 parts of NOXCELLER TS were added, and the mixture was cooled to 20 ° C. in a two-roll machine. Knead for 10 minutes. The obtained compound was molded by an extrusion molding machine around a φ6 mm stainless steel cored bar in a roller shape, and heat vulcanization molded. Then, the outer diameter of the rubber portion was a central φ12.0 mm and both ends were φ11. The elastic layer was obtained by polishing to have a crown shape of 85 mm.

Next, a resistance layer as shown below was formed on the elastic layer by coating. As a material for the resistance layer 2d, 100 parts of an epichlorohydrin rubber binary copolymer is dispersed and dissolved in a toluene solvent to prepare a resistance layer coating material. The dipping coating material was applied on the elastic layer by a dipping method so that the film thickness was 100 μm, and after air-drying for 10 minutes, it was dried at 150 ° C. for 1 hour in a heating type dryer to obtain a resistance layer 2d. Was coated.

Further, a surface layer 2c shown below was formed by coating on the resistance layer 2d. As a material of the surface layer 2c, a fluororesin copolymer obtained by copolymerizing fluoroolefin (tetrafluoride type), hydroxyalkyl vinyl ether and carboxylic acid vinyl ester was used, and 100 parts of ethyl acetate solution (solid content 50 Mass%), 10 parts of isocyanate (HDI), 50 parts of conductive tin oxide subjected to the same hydrophobic treatment as in Example 1, and two kinds of surface-treated titanium oxide (treatment agent A; hexamethyldisilazane, 2 parts of treating agent B; dimethyl silicone oil) was added and stirred with a mixer to prepare a mixed solution. Then, the mixed solution was subjected to a dispersion treatment using a bead mill disperser having glass beads of φ0.8 mm as a circulation type medium to prepare a dipping coating material. This dipping coating is applied on the resistance layer to a thickness of 8 by dipping.
It was coated to a thickness of μm, air-dried for 10 minutes, and then dried at 150 ° C. for 1 hour in a heating dryer to form a coating on the surface layer to obtain a roller-shaped charging member.

The titanium oxide particles have an average particle size of 0.2.
The one having a resistance of 10 ¹⁶ Ω · cm was used. The surface treatment was performed by the method described above.

The electric resistance of the charging roller was measured under a condition of environment 1 of temperature 23 ° C./humidity 55% RH by applying a DC voltage of −250 V, and the result was 4.0 × 10 ⁶ Ω.
The 10-point average surface roughness Rz of the charging roller surface is
It was 2.5 μm.

The charging roller was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, and the results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 4) In Example 1, except that the surface treating agent for the insulating fine particles used as the material for the surface layer was treating agent A: trimethylethoxysilane, treating agent B: an alkyl-modified silicone oil, A charging roller was produced in the same manner as in Example 1.

Further, this charging roller was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, and the results are shown in Table 1.

(Comparative Example 1) In Comparative Example 1, a charging roller was manufactured by the following method.

[0123]   EPDM 100 parts   Conductive carbon black 30 parts   Zinc oxide 5 parts   Fatty acid 2 parts

The above materials were kneaded for 10 minutes in a closed mixer adjusted to 60 ° C., 15 parts of paraffin oil was added to 100 parts of EPDM, and the mixture was further mixed for 20 minutes in a closed mixer cooled to 20 ° C., Adjust the raw material compound. Raw rubber EPDM1 was added to this compound.
0.5 parts of sulfur as a vulcanizing agent, 1 part of MBT as a vulcanization accelerator, 1 part of TMTD, and ZnMDC1.5 with respect to 00 parts
Parts and kneading for 10 minutes with a two-roll machine cooled to 20 ° C. An elastic layer was obtained by subjecting the obtained compound to heat vulcanization molding with a press molding machine so as to form a roller having an outer diameter of 12 mm around a 6 mm stainless cored bar.

Next, a resistance layer as shown below was formed by coating on the elastic layer. Polyurethane resin 100 parts Conductive carbon black 15 parts was added to methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) solvent as a material for the resistance layer 2d, and the mixture was stirred using a mixer, and the mixed solution was dispersed by a batch type bead mill disperser (paint shaker). Dissolve to produce a resistance layer coating material. This coating material was applied onto the elastic layer 2b by a dipping method to form a resistance layer 2d having a film thickness of 100 μm.

Further, a surface layer 2c shown below was formed on the resistance layer 2d by coating. As a material for the surface layer 2c, polyvinyl butyral resin (ethanol solution; solid content 50% by mass) 100 parts Conductive carbon black 10 parts was stirred using a mixer to prepare a mixed solution. Next, the mixed solution was subjected to a dispersion treatment using a batch type bead mill disperser to prepare a dipping coating material. This coating material for dipping was applied on the resistance layer by a dipping method so that the film thickness was 12 μm, air-dried for 10 minutes, and then dried at 130 ° C. for 1 hour in a heating type dryer to form a surface layer. A roller-shaped charging member was obtained by coating.

The electric resistance of the charging roller was measured under a condition of environment 1 of temperature 23 ° C./humidity 55% RH by applying a DC voltage of −250 V, and the result was 5.5 × 10 ⁶ Ω.

The 10-point average surface roughness Rz of the charging roller surface was 4.9 μm. This charging roller was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, and the results are shown in Table 1.

In the halftone image output by the image forming apparatus using this charging roller, band-shaped density unevenness caused by unevenness in the circumferential resistance value of the charging member was generated. When the surface potential of the photoconductor was measured, the saturation potential (dark portion potential VD) was -570 V, and it was confirmed that the charging ability of the charging roller was lower than that in the examples of the present invention. In addition, it can be seen that in the multiple-image output durability test, the image density unevenness, and the level of spots and roughness are further deteriorated.

(Comparative Example 2) In Comparative Example 2, a charging roller was manufactured by the following method.

[0131] NBR 100 copies Lithium perchlorate 5 parts Light calcium carbonate 30 parts Zinc oxide 5 parts Fatty acid 2 parts

After kneading the above materials for 10 minutes in a closed mixer adjusted to 60 ° C., 20 parts of DOS plasticizer was added to 100 parts of NBR, and kneaded for another 20 minutes in a closed mixer cooled to 20 ° C. , Prepare the raw material compound. To this compound, 1 part of sulfur as a vulcanizing agent and 3 parts of Nocceller TS as a vulcanization accelerator were added to 100 parts of NBR of raw material rubber, and the mixture was kneaded for 10 minutes by a two-roll machine cooled to 20 ° C. The obtained compound is φ6
mm stainless steel cored bar is molded by an extrusion molding machine into a roller shape, heat-vulcanized and molded, and then has an outer diameter of φ12.
The elastic layer was obtained by polishing so that the thickness became mm.

Polyether polyol solution (active ingredient 70% by mass) 100 parts Isocyanate (TDI) (active ingredient 80% by mass) 40 parts Hydrophobized conductive tin oxide (treatment agent; decyltri) (Methoxysilane) Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) was added to 90 parts and stirred using a mixer to prepare a mixed solution. Next, the mixed solution was subjected to a dispersion treatment using a batch type bead mill disperser to prepare a dipping coating material. The dipping coating is applied to the elastic layer to form a film having a thickness of 2
It was coated to a thickness of 2 μm, air-dried for 10 minutes and then dried at 150 ° C. for 1 hour in a heating dryer to form a coating on the surface layer to obtain a roller-shaped charging member.

The conductive tin oxide has an average particle diameter of 0.02.
μm, resistance value 3 Ω · cm was used. The conductive tin oxide was hydrophobized by the dry method described above.

The electric resistance of the charging roller was 6.0 × 10 ⁶ Ω as measured by applying a DC voltage of −250 V under the condition of environment 1 of temperature 23 ° C./humidity 55% RH.
The 10-point average surface roughness Rz of the charging roller surface is 3.
It was 9 μm.

This charging roller was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, and the results are shown in Table 1.

An image output from an image forming apparatus using this charging roller had image density unevenness due to the circumferential resistance unevenness of the conductive member. Further, unevenness on the surface of the conductive member was slightly generated on the halftone image. When the surface potential of the photoconductor was measured, the saturation potential (dark part potential VD) was −580 V, and it was confirmed that the charging ability of the charging roller was lower than that in the examples of the present invention.

[0138]

[Table 1]

[0139]

As described above, according to the present invention, the charging ability of the conductive member is improved, and in particular, only the direct current voltage is applied to the charging member as the conductive member to charge the body to be charged by the contact charging method. It was found that the charging treatment according to (1) is extremely advantageous for image defects due to slight resistance value unevenness of the conductive member and charging defects due to the uneven shape of the surface.
As a result, the charging property of the charging member becomes uniform and stable, and it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus with improved image quality.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a charging roller.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a charging roller showing another embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a charging potential measuring device for a charging member.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Image carrier (electrophotographic photoreceptor) 2 Charging member (charging roller) 2a support 2b elastic layer 2c surface layer 2d resistance layer 2e Second resistance layer 3 exposure means 4 developing means 5 Transfer means (transfer roller) 6 Cleaning means 11 Cylindrical electrode (metal roller) 12 fixed resistors 13 recorder S1, S2, S3 Bias application power supply P transfer material

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G03G 15/08 501 G03G 15/08 501D 15/16 103 15/16 103 (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Nagata Tokyo 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Seiji Tsuru 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku Tokyo Metropolitan area (72) Inventor Satoshi Taniguchi 3 Shimomaruko Ota-ku, Tokyo Chome 30-2 Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Noriaki Kuroda 3-30-2 Shimomaruko Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Atsushi Ikeda 3-30-2 Shimomaruko Ota-ku, Tokyo No. Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Toshihiro Otaka 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Shinji Doi 1888-2 Kizaki, Kashizaki-cho, Inashiki-gun, Kiyono Kasei Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2H077 AC04 AD06 AD13 AD23 AD35 FA13 FA16 FA22 GA17 2H171 FA26 GA25 JA02 JA04 PA03 PA14 QA02 QB03 QB07 QB09 QB15 QB32 QB49 QC03 QC14 TA01 TA03 TA02 TA02 UA03 UA05 UA06 UA10 UA11 UA22 XA02 2H200 FA02 GA23 GA34 GA49 GA56 GA59 GB37 HA02 HA28 HB12 HB43 HB45 HB46 HB47 HB48 JA02 JA28 LA38 LB03 LB18 LC03 LC09 LC10 MA03 A14 A41 A02 A41 A41 A02 A41 A02 A04 A02 A02 A02 A02 A02 A02 A02 A04 A02 A02 A02 A04 A02 A02 A02 A02 A04 A02 A02 A02 A02 A04 A02 A02 A09 A02 A04 A02 A14 A02 A02 A04 A02 A01 FA05 FA06 FA18 GA02 GA52 GA57 GA58 GA60 HA03 HA04 HA12 HA18 HA20 HA32 HA33 HA36 HA37 HA43 HA46 HA47 HA48 HA52 HA53

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A conductive member is in contact with a body to be charged,
In a conductive member that applies a voltage to the conductive member to charge an object to be charged, the conductive member is composed of a conductive support and one or more coating layers formed thereon,
A conductive member, characterized in that at least the coating layer contains two or more kinds of surface-treated fine particles. 2. The conductive member according to claim 1, wherein the fine particles are surface-treated with silicone oil or silicone varnish after being treated with a silane coupling agent. 3. The conductive member according to claim 1, wherein the fine particles are insulating. 4. The conductive member according to claim 1, wherein the coating layer contains conductive fine particles and insulating fine particles. 5. The conductive member according to claim 1, wherein the conductive fine particles are surface-treated. 6. The conductive member according to claim 1, wherein the conductive fine particles are hydrophobized. 7. The conductive member, a conductive support, an elastic layer which is a first coating layer formed thereon, and a surface layer which is a second coating layer further formed thereon. The conductive member according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which has a laminated structure made of. 8. The conductive member according to claim 1, wherein at least the surface layer, which is the outermost layer of the conductive member, contains fine particles which have been subjected to two or more kinds of surface treatments. 9. The elastic material forming the elastic layer of the conductive member is any one of epichlorohydrin rubber, nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), urethane rubber and urethane resin. Conductive member. 10. The conductive member according to claim 1, wherein the elastic layer of the conductive member is made of an elastic material having an ion conductive mechanism. 11. The conductive member according to claim 1, wherein the elastic layer of the conductive member contains an ionic conductive agent. 12. The ionic conductive agent of the elastic layer is a quaternary ammonium salt or an alkali metal salt.
The conductive member according to any one of 1. 13. The conductive member according to claim 1, wherein a DC voltage is applied to the conductive member to charge the body to be charged. 14. The conductive member according to claim 1, wherein the conductive member has a roller shape. 15. An electrophotographic photosensitive member that is at least a member to be charged, a charging unit that contacts the electrophotographic photosensitive member to charge the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and exposes the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member charged by the charging unit. In the image forming apparatus, the charging means is provided with: an exposing means for controlling the latent image formed by the exposing means; a developing means for visualizing the latent image formed by the exposing means; and a transferring means for transferring the latent image visualized on a transfer material. The conductive member constituting the above is composed of at least a conductive support and a coating layer formed thereon, and the coating layer contains two or more kinds of surface-treated fine particles. A characteristic image forming apparatus. 16. An electrophotographic photosensitive member which is a member to be charged, the conductive member according to claim 1, and a cartridge container which integrally houses the electrophotographic photosensitive member and the conductive member. And a process cartridge which is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus.