JP2005070196A - Image forming method, image forming apparatus and process cartridge for image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming method, an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge for the image forming apparatus applicable preferably to a high-endurance digital high-speed electrophotographic process using laser light widely used in recent years as a writing light source, excellent in wear resistance, greatly reduced in photoreceptor deterioration, e.g., filming, and capable of giving a stable excellent image in a high-definition electrophotographic process. <P>SOLUTION: In the image forming method in which at least a photoreceptor is subjected to charging, imagewise exposure, development, transfer, fixation and cleaning, a cleaning unit for the cleaning has an elastic blade containing a lubricant in a part which comes in contact with the photoreceptor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming method, an image forming apparatus, and a process cartridge for the image forming apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge for the image forming apparatus. The present invention relates to an image forming method, an image forming apparatus, and a process cartridge for an image forming apparatus, which can obtain a stable and suitable image for cleaning a photoreceptor containing inorganic fine particles in a protective layer.

An electrophotographic method using the Carlson process and various modifications of this process is widely used in the electrophotographic field such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a printer.
As an electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a photosensitive member) used in this electrophotographic method, an organic photosensitive material has been widely used in recent years because of advantages such as low cost, mass productivity, and non-pollution. It is becoming.
Further, not only the photoreceptor but all units constituting the electrophotographic system have extremely high demands for durability and stability from the viewpoint of resource saving and energy saving.

  The mechanism of electrostatic latent image formation on the photoreceptor is that, after the photoreceptor is charged and irradiated with light, the light is absorbed by the charge generation material, and the charge generation material that has absorbed the light generates charge carriers, and this charge The carrier is injected into the charge transport material, moves in the charge transport layer or photosensitive layer according to the electric field generated by charging, and forms an electrostatic latent image by neutralizing the charge on the surface of the photoreceptor. .

  In addition to those using a photoconductive resin typified by polyvinyl carbazole (PVK), a charge transfer complex type typified by 2,4,7-trinitrofluorenone (TNF) -PVK, Known are pigment dispersion type typified by phthalocyanine-binder, function separation type photoreceptor using a combination of a charge generation material and a charge transport material, etc. Has been.

Various types of organic photoreceptor materials have been developed in the past, but in order to make these excellent photoreceptors that can be put to practical use, sensitivity, acceptance potential, potential retention, potential stability, residual potential, Various characteristics such as electrophotographic characteristics such as spectral characteristics, mechanical durability such as abrasion resistance, and chemical stability against heat, light, discharge products, and the like are required.
In particular, downsizing of the electrophotographic system is desired, and the diameter of the photoreceptor is inevitably reduced, and a demand for durability against the abrasion phenomenon of the photoreceptor that progresses in accordance with the number of sheets passing is increasing. Yes.
As described above, there has been a strong demand for mechanical durability, mainly wear resistance. However, in conventional organic photoreceptors (OPC) and electrophotographic processes using the same, the wear resistance of organic substances. However, at present, sufficient durability has not been obtained.
Further, the requirement for wear resistance is also due to the fact that it is essential to reduce the thickness of the photosensitive layer for higher definition output images, and the margin for wear is becoming stricter.

The reason why the photosensitive layer thickness has a great influence on the high definition of the output image is considered as follows.
For example, in the case of stacked negatively charged OPC, electrons are absorbed by the substrate among positive and negative carriers generated in the charge generation layer by exposure incident light, but the holes move through the charge transport layer to form electrons on the surface of the photoreceptor. Recombine and disappear.
Due to this annihilation, the electric field that pulls the holes to the surface of the photoreceptor gradually weakens, and the holes move toward areas that are not exposed to light.
This is said to be a diffusion phenomenon of carriers toward the surface of the photosensitive member, and prevents the formation of a latent image faithful to the incident incident light and causes image deterioration such as a reduction in resolution.
In this diffusion phenomenon, the thickness of the charge transport layer is greatly affected, and reducing the layer thickness is very effective for maintaining the resolution.

Further, in recent years, in laser exposure, which has become the mainstream, the exposure is different from exposure of a conventional halogen lamp or the like, and the incident photon flow rate relating to exposure is about 10 ⁷ times larger than that of a halogen lamp.
Therefore, the density of the generated carriers becomes extremely large, and the electric field flowing out of the charge transport layer weakens the electric field of the charge generation layer, which affects the carrier moving speed and causes the carriers generated near the center of the laser beam to the surface of the photoreceptor. Arrival will also be delayed.
The space charge distribution generated in this way tends to cause carrier diffusion in the direction parallel to the surface of the photoreceptor, and has a greater effect on resolution reduction.

By the way, in an organic photoreceptor, as a method for improving wear resistance, a method of providing a protective layer containing a filler made of a metal or a metal oxide is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
In this method, the average particle size of the filler is set to 0.3 μm or less to increase the transparency of the protective layer and to suppress an increase in residual potential.

Further, in the charge transport layer containing the filler, the refractive index difference between the filler and the charge transport layer is 0.1 or more, and 1 × 10 ⁴ to 2 × 10 ⁵ particles having a particle diameter of 1 to ³ μm per 1 mm ^2. What is contained is disclosed (for example, refer to Patent Document 2).
On the other hand, with regard to the cleaning device, a fine powder made of zinc stearate or vinylidene fluoride resin and a binder are mixed and dispersed and applied to the surface of the cleaning blade (see, for example, Patent Document 3), and low in which solid lubricant particles are embedded. A cleaning blade (for example, see Patent Document 4) in which a friction coefficient layer is integrally formed with urethane rubber as a molding material is disclosed, and these are intended to improve the cleaning operation by the effect of the lubricant. .
Similarly, a surface thin layer mainly composed of a vinylidene fluoride resin containing a solid lubricant composed of at least one of graphite fluoride, boron nitride, and silicone resin spherical fine particles is provided at a contact portion of the cleaning blade, and the blade A device that suppresses obstacles such as turning over (for example, see Patent Document 5) is disclosed.
Further, a non-smooth surface having fine irregularities is formed on the blade edge portion, and a lubricant is held in that portion (see, for example, Patent Document 6), in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade at the contact portion with the photosensitive member. (For example, refer to Patent Document 7) in which a groove is formed along the contact state between the photosensitive member and the cleaning blade has a great influence on the cleaning operation and the abrasion of the photosensitive member. In particular, in the case of a photoconductor having a protective layer, the protective layer contains a filler composed of inorganic fine particles, and does not cause cleaning defects, suppresses wear of the photoconductor and adheres to the surface of the photoconductor and the cleaning blade contact deposit. However, the above-mentioned conventional technology has not yet obtained characteristics that satisfy all of these problems. A.

JP 57-30864 A JP-A-8-234455 JP-A-7-181862 JP-A-7-306616 JP 2000-147972 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-10941 JP 2000-276019 A

  The present invention can be applied to a high-endurance digital high-speed electrophotographic process in which laser light that has become the mainstream in recent years is used as a writing light source, has excellent wear resistance, filming, etc. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming method, an image forming apparatus, and a process cartridge for an image forming apparatus capable of giving a stable and excellent image to a high-definition electrophotographic process with extremely little deterioration of the photosensitive member. It is.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have intensively studied with a particular focus on a cleaning unit that performs a cleaning process. As a result, the present invention has been completed.
That is, the above-mentioned problem is (1) “image forming method performed by subjecting at least a photosensitive member to charging, image exposure, development, transfer, fixing, and cleaning processing, wherein the cleaning unit that performs the cleaning processing is an elastic body. An image forming method comprising a blade, and the elastic blade contains a lubricant in a portion in contact with the photosensitive member ",
(2) "The image forming method according to (1) above, wherein the elastic blade is impregnated with a lubricant in a portion in contact with the photoreceptor",
(3) “The elastic blade is formed by forming a plurality of cuts in a portion in contact with the photoconductor so as to be non-parallel to the direction of movement of the surface of the photoconductor, and impregnating the portion with a lubricant. The image forming method according to item (1) or (2),
(4) Any one of the above items (1) to (3), wherein the photoconductor has a protective layer, and the protective layer contains inorganic fine particles made of alumina or titanium oxide. Image forming method according to
(5) “The image forming method according to (4) above, wherein the photoconductor protective layer contains a charge transport material”;
(6) The image forming method according to any one of (1) to (5) above, wherein the charging means for the photosensitive member is disposed in contact with or close to the photosensitive member. "
(7) The image forming method as described in (6) above, wherein the charging member is charged by applying a voltage in which an alternating current component is superimposed on a direct current component to the charging member. Is achieved.

In addition, the above-described problem is (8) “an image forming apparatus having at least a charging member, an image exposing unit, a developing unit, a transferring unit, a fixing unit, and a cleaning unit on a photosensitive member, and performing a cleaning process. The image forming apparatus, wherein the unit has an elastic blade, and the elastic blade contains a lubricant in a portion in contact with the photosensitive member ",
(9) “The image forming apparatus according to (8), wherein the elastic blade is impregnated with a lubricant in a portion in contact with the photosensitive member”;
(10) “The elastic blade is formed by forming a plurality of cuts in a portion in contact with the photosensitive member so as to be non-parallel to the movement direction of the surface of the photosensitive member, and impregnating the portion with a lubricant. The image forming apparatus according to item (8) or (9),
(11) Any one of (8) to (10) above, wherein the photoreceptor has a protective layer, and the protective layer contains inorganic fine particles made of alumina or titanium oxide. The image forming apparatus according to the above ",
(12) "The image forming apparatus according to item (10), wherein the photoconductor protective layer contains a charge transport material",
(13) The image forming apparatus according to any one of (8) to (12) above, wherein the charging means for the photosensitive member is disposed in contact with or close to the photosensitive member. apparatus",
(14) The image forming apparatus according to (13), wherein the charging member is charged by applying a voltage in which an alternating current component is superimposed on a direct current component to the charging member. apparatus",
(15) “A part in contact with a photosensitive member used in the image forming method according to any one of (1) to (7) or the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 14. And a photosensitive member having an elastic blade containing a lubricant and a protective layer containing inorganic fine particles made of alumina or titanium oxide.

  According to the present invention, it can be preferably applied to a highly durable digital high-speed electrophotographic process using a laser light that has become the mainstream in recent years as a writing light source, has excellent wear resistance, and extremely little photoreceptor deterioration such as filming, In addition, an image forming method, an image forming apparatus, and a process cartridge for an image forming apparatus that can provide a stable and excellent image for a high-definition electrophotographic process are provided, and the contribution to the electrophotographic field is extremely large. .

  In order to improve the abrasion resistance of the photoreceptor, it is effective to provide a protective layer on the surface layer of the photoreceptor and to contain inorganic fine particles in the protective layer. At this time, a certain number of inorganic fine particles appear on the surface of the protective layer, and it is considered that they have the effect of intermittently supporting the cleaning blade that moves while contacting the surface of the photoreceptor. While these inorganic fine particles are held in the protective layer, the abrasion action by the cleaning blade is suppressed. The inorganic fine particles on the surface layer will eventually desorb as the wear of the surrounding binder part progresses, but since there are further inorganic fine particles in the layer, what is present on the surface layer will be gradually updated. As a result, the wear resistance of the photoreceptor itself can be improved by having such a protective layer.

  On the other hand, the improvement of the wear resistance has become a subject that needs to be newly studied, which has not been considered as a problem in the past. That is, by suppressing the wear, on the contrary, the toner additive and the product generated by charging cannot be removed well from the surface of the photoreceptor, and filming due to the deposited deposit occurs. Filming affects image quality such as halftone reproducibility, and may deteriorate environmental characteristics due to moisture absorption or the like.

  In the toner used in the image forming process, an additive is added to improve characteristics such as fluidity, and in the color process, the addition amount tends to increase. Silica and titanium oxide are used as additives, and they easily adhere to the surface layer of the photoreceptor, causing filming and deterioration of image quality. As the image becomes higher in definition, the toner is intended to have a smaller particle size. In this case, the additive is further increased from the viewpoint of coverage. Therefore, suppression of photoconductor filming is a very important issue in colorization and high definition.

  As in the present invention, when the protective layer contains inorganic fine particles, the adhesion between the cleaning blade and the photoreceptor surface tends to decrease. For example, it is conceivable to take measures such as increasing the contact pressure. However, on the contrary, there is a risk that the released external toner additive may be pushed into the surface of the photosensitive member, and therefore, attention is required. In the present invention, since the lubricant can be effectively present at the contact portion of the cleaning blade with the photoreceptor, the contact surface of the blade has the shape of the photoreceptor surface even in the presence of the inorganic fine particle filler on the surface of the protective layer. Achieved is an image forming method and an image forming apparatus that can move along with each other, have both low wear stress on the surface of the photoconductor and suppressed wear of external additives and filming resistance. It can be done.

As the elastic blade in the present invention, a plate-like elastic member made of urethane rubber or silicon rubber is formed on a support portion made of a metal plate or the like, and is brought into contact with the photoreceptor to form a cleaning unit.
Further, as the characteristics of the elastic member, when used in the cleaning unit of the present invention, the plate thickness is 1 to 3 mm, the hardness is 65 to 80 (JISA Hs), and the rebound resilience is 30 to 60 (%). It is.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, the photoconductor used in the present invention will be described.
The photosensitive member may be either a single layer or a stacked layer, but a function separation type stacked type will be described as an example.
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multilayer electrophotographic photosensitive member used in the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another laminated electrophotographic photosensitive member used in the present invention.
The electrophotographic photosensitive member used in the present invention is provided with a photosensitive layer (2) on a conductive support (conductive substrate) (1), and the photosensitive layer (2) is mainly composed of a charge generating material. And a charge transport layer (4) mainly composed of a charge transport material.
And a protective layer (5) is formed as a surface layer of such an electrophotographic photoreceptor. This protective layer (5) will be described later.

The conductive support (1) is one having a volume resistance of 10 ¹⁰ Ωcm or less, such as a metal such as aluminum, nickel, chromium, nichrome, copper, silver, gold, platinum, tin oxide, indium oxide, etc. Metal oxide film or cylindrical plastic or paper coated by vapor deposition or sputtering, aluminum, aluminum alloy, nickel, stainless steel plate or the like, and then cutting, superfinishing, polishing, etc. It consists of a tube surface treated with

The charge generation layer (3) is a layer mainly composed of a charge generation material.
As the charge generation material, an inorganic or organic material is used, and typical examples include monoazo pigments, disazo pigments, trisazo pigments, perylene pigments, perinone pigments, quinacridone pigments, quinone condensed polycyclic compounds, squarics. Examples include acid dyes, phthalocyanine pigments, naphthalocyanine pigments, azulenium salt dyes, selenium, selenium-tellurium alloys, selenium-arsenic alloys, and amorphous silicon.
These charge generation materials may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

In the charge generation layer (3), the charge generation material is dispersed by a ball mill, attritor, sand mill or the like using a solvent such as tetrahydrofuran, cyclohexanone, dioxane, 2-butanone or dichloroethane together with a binder resin, and a dispersion is applied. Can be formed. The application is performed by a dip coating method, a spray coating method, a bead coating method, or the like.
Examples of the binder resin used as appropriate include polyamide resins, polyurethane resins, polyester resins, epoxy resins, polyketone resins, polycarbonate resins, silicone resins, acrylic resins, polyvinyl butyral resins, polyvinyl formal resins, polyvinyl ketone resins, polystyrene resins, poly resins. An acrylic resin, a polyamide resin, etc. can be mentioned.
The amount of the binder resin is suitably 0 to 2 parts with respect to 1 part of the charge generating material on a weight basis.
The charge generation layer (3) can also be formed by a known vacuum thin film production method.
The film thickness of the charge generation layer (3) is usually 0.01 to 5 μm, preferably 0.1 to 2 μm.

  The charge transport layer (4) can be formed by dissolving or dispersing a charge transport material and a binder resin in an appropriate solvent, and applying and drying the solution. Moreover, a plasticizer, a leveling agent, etc. can also be added as needed.

Among charge transport materials, low molecular charge transport materials include electron transport materials and hole transport materials.
Examples of the electron transport material include chloroanil, bromanyl, tetracyanoethylene, tetracyanoquinodimethane, 2,4,7-trinitro-9-fluorenone, 2,4,5,7-tetranitro-9-fluorenone, 2, 4,5,7-tetranitroxanthone, 2,4,8-trinitrothioxanthone, 2,6,8-trinitro-4H-indeno [1,2-b] thiophene-4-one, 1,3,7-tri Examples thereof include electron accepting substances such as nitrodibenzothiophene-5,5-dioxide.
These electron transport materials may be used alone or as a mixture of two or more.
Examples of hole transport materials include oxazole derivatives, oxadiazole derivatives, imidazole derivatives, triphenylamine derivatives, 9- (p-diethylaminostyrylanthracene), 1,1-bis- (4-dibenzylaminophenyl) propane. , Styrylanthracene, styrylpyrazoline, phenylhydrazones, α-phenylstilbene derivatives, thiazole derivatives, triazole derivatives, phenazine derivatives, acridine derivatives, benzofuran derivatives, benzimidazole derivatives, thiophene derivatives, and the like.
These hole transport materials may be used alone or as a mixture of two or more.

When a polymer charge transport material is used as the charge transport material, it may be dissolved or dispersed in an appropriate solvent, and coated and dried to form a charge transport layer.
The polymer charge transport material may be a material having a charge transporting substituent in the main chain or side chain in the low molecular charge transport material.
Particularly preferred polymer charge transport materials are polycarbonate, polyurethane, polyester, polyether, etc. Among them, use of a polycarbonate having a triarylamine structure is advantageous.
If necessary, an appropriate amount of a binder resin, a low molecular charge transport material, a plasticizer, a leveling agent, a lubricant and the like can be added to the polymer charge transport material.

The binder resin used in the charge transport layer (4) together with the charge transport material includes polystyrene resin, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer, polyester resin, polychlorinated resin. Vinyl resin, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl acetate resin, polyvinylidene chloride resin, polyarylate resin, phenoxy resin, polycarbonate resin, cellulose acetate resin, ethyl cellulose resin, polyvinyl butyral resin, polyvinyl formal resin, polyvinyl toluene resin And thermoplastic or thermosetting resins such as acrylic resin, silicone resin, epoxy resin, melamine resin, urethane resin, phenol resin, and alkyd resin.
If necessary, examples of the plasticizer added to the charge transport layer (4) include general-purpose plasticizers such as dibutyl phthalate and dioctyl phthalate, and the amount used is based on the weight of the binder resin. About 0 to 30% is appropriate.
Examples of leveling agents added to the charge transport layer (4) include silicone oils such as dimethyl silicone oil and methylphenyl silicone oil, and polymers or oligomers having a perfluoroalkyl group in the side chain. The amount is suitably about 0 to 1% based on the weight of the binder resin.

Examples of the solvent include tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, toluene, 2-butanone, monochlorobenzene, dichloroethane, methylene chloride and the like.
The thickness of the charge transport layer (4) may be appropriately selected in the range of 5 to 30 μm according to desired photoreceptor characteristics.
In the present invention, the content of the charge transport material contained in the photosensitive layer is preferably 40% by weight or more of the charge transport layer.
If it is less than 40% by weight, a sufficient light decay time in a high-speed electrophotographic process cannot be obtained in pulsed light exposure in laser writing on a photoreceptor, which is not preferable.

The charge transport layer mobility in the photoreceptor is 3 × 10 ⁻⁵ cm ² / V · s under conditions of the charge transport layer electric field strength in the range of 2.5 × 10 ^{5 to} 5.5 × 10 ⁵ V / cm. It is preferable that it is above, and it is more preferable that it is 7 × 10 ⁻⁵ cm ² / V · s or more.
This mobility can be adjusted as appropriate to achieve this under each use condition.
This mobility may be obtained by a conventionally known (Time Of Flight) method.

In the laminated electrophotographic photoreceptor used in the present invention, an undercoat layer can be formed between the conductive support (1) and the photosensitive layer.
This subbing layer generally comprises a resin as a main component, but these resins are resins that are highly soluble in general organic solvents in consideration of applying a photosensitive layer thereon using a solvent. It is desirable.
Examples of such resins include polyvinyl alcohol resins, caseins, water-soluble resins such as sodium polyacrylate, alcohol-soluble resins such as copolymer nylon and methoxymethylated nylon, polyurethane resins, melamine resins, alkyd-melamine resins, and epoxy resins. Examples thereof include curable resins that form an equal three-dimensional network structure.

Further, fine powder of metal oxide such as titanium oxide, silica, alumina, zirconium oxide, tin oxide, and indium oxide may be added to the undercoat layer in order to prevent moire and reduce residual potential.
This undercoat layer can be formed by using an appropriate solvent and coating method as in the case of the photosensitive layer.
Furthermore, it is also useful to use a metal oxide layer formed by, for example, a sol-gel method using a silane coupling agent, a titanium coupling agent, a chromium coupling agent or the like as the undercoat layer.
In addition, the undercoat layer is formed by anodizing Al ₂ O ₃ , organic materials such as polyparaxylylene (parylene), inorganic materials such as SiO, SnO ₂ , TiO ₂ , ITO, and CeO _2. It is also effective to form the film by a vacuum thin film manufacturing method.
The thickness of the undercoat layer is suitably from 0 to 5 μm.

In the multilayer electrophotographic photoreceptor, a protective layer (5) containing a filler is formed on the photosensitive layer (2) as a surface layer for the purpose of protecting the photosensitive layer and improving durability.
Materials used for the protective layer (5) include ABS resin, ACS resin, olefin-vinyl monomer copolymer, chlorinated polyether resin, allyl resin, phenol resin, polyacetal resin, polyamide resin, polyamideimide resin, Polyacrylate resin, polyallylsulfone resin, polybutylene resin, polybutylene terephthalate resin, polycarbonate resin, polyethersulfone resin, polyether resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin, polyimide resin, acrylic resin, polymethylpentene resin, polypropylene resin, polyphenylene oxide resin, Examples of the resin include polysulfone resin, AS resin, AB resin, BS resin, polyurethane resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyvinylidene chloride resin, and epoxy resin.
A filler is added to the protective layer (5) for the purpose of improving the wear resistance.

As the filler, fine powder made of an inorganic material of alumina or titanium oxide is used in the present invention. In some cases, these fillers are used together or inorganic fine particles such as silica are added.
The amount of filler added to the protective layer (5) is usually 10 to 40%, preferably 20 to 30% on a weight basis.
If the amount of the filler is less than 10%, the wear is large and the durability is inferior. If it exceeds 40%, the bright portion potential at the time of exposure increases remarkably, and the sensitivity reduction cannot be ignored.
Furthermore, a dispersion aid can be added to the protective layer (5) in order to improve the dispersibility of the filler.

As the added dispersion aid, those used in coatings and the like (for example, modified epoxy resin condensates, unsaturated polycarboxylic acid low molecular weight polymers, etc.) can be used as appropriate, and the amount is usually a filler based on weight. The amount is 0.5 to 4%, preferably 1 to 2%.
Moreover, it is very effective to add the above-mentioned charge transport material to the protective layer (5), and the addition amount may be the same, and the characteristics for exposure can be improved.
Further, an antioxidant can be added as necessary. The antioxidant will be described later.
As a method for forming the protective layer (5), a normal coating method such as a spray method is adopted, and the thickness of the protective layer (5) is suitably about 0.5 to 10 μm, preferably about 4 to 6 μm.

In the present invention, another intermediate layer can be formed between the photosensitive layer and the protective layer.
In the intermediate layer, a binder resin is generally used as a main component.
Examples of the binder resin include polyamide resin, alcohol-soluble nylon, water-soluble polyvinyl butyral resin, polyvinyl butyral resin, and polyvinyl alcohol resin.
As the method for forming the intermediate layer, the above-described normal coating method is adopted, and the thickness of the intermediate layer is suitably about 0.05 to 2 μm.

  In the present invention, in order to improve environmental resistance, for the purpose of preventing a decrease in sensitivity and an increase in residual potential, an antioxidant, a plasticizer, a lubricant, an ultraviolet absorber, and a low molecular charge transport material are used for each layer. And leveling agents can be added.

  Antioxidants that can be added to each layer include phenol compounds such as 2,6-di-t-butyl-p-cresol, butylated hydroxyanisole, 2,6-di-t-butyl-4-ethylphenol, n -Octadecyl-3- (4-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylphenol), 2,2-methylene-bis- (4-methyl-6-tert-butylphenol), 2,2-methylene-bis- ( 4-ethyl-6-tert-butylphenol), 4,4-thiobis- (3-methyl-6-tert-butylphenol), 4,4-butylidenebis- (3-methyl-6-tert-butylphenol), 1,1 , 3-Tris- (2-methyl-4-hydroxy-5-tert-butylphenyl) butane, 1,3,5-trimethyl-2,4,6-tris (3,5-di-tert-butyl-4 − Droxybenzyl) benzene, tetrakis- [methylene-3- (3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) propionate] methane, bis [3,3-bis (4-hydroxy-3-tert-butyl) Phenyl) butyric acid] glycol ester, tocopherols and the like.

  As paraphenylenediamines, N-phenyl-N-isopropyl-p-phenylenediamine, N, N-di-sec-butyl-p-phenylenediamine, N-phenyl-N-sec-butyl-p-phenylenediamine, N , N-di-isopropyl-p-phenylenediamine, N, N-dimethyl-N, N-di-t-butyl-p-phenylenediamine, and the like.

  As hydroquinones, 2,5-di-t-octylhydroquinone, 2,6-didodecylhydroquinone, 2-dodecylhydroquinone, 2-dodecyl-5-chlorohydroquinone, 2-t-octyl-5-methylhydroquinone, 2- (2-octadecenyl) -5-methylhydroquinone and the like.

  Examples of organic sulfur compounds include dilauryl-3,3-thiodipropionate, distearyl-3,3-thiodipropionate, and ditetradecyl-3,3-thiodipropionate.

  Examples of the organic phosphorus compounds include triphenylphosphine, tri (nonylphenyl) phosphine, tri (dinonylphenyl) phosphine, tricresylphosphine, and tri (2,4-dibutylphenoxy) phosphine.

  Plasticizers that can be added to each layer include phosphate ester plasticizers such as triphenyl phosphate, tricresyl phosphate, trioctyl phosphate, octyl diphenyl phosphate, trichloroethyl phosphate, cresyl diphenyl phosphate, tributyl phosphate, Examples include tri-2-ethylhexyl phosphate and triphenyl phosphate.

  As phthalate ester plasticizers, dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, diheptyl phthalate, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, diisooctyl phthalate, di-n-octyl phthalate, phthalic acid Dinonyl, diisononyl phthalate, diisodecyl phthalate, diundecyl phthalate, ditridecyl phthalate, dicyclohexyl phthalate, butyl benzyl phthalate, butyl lauryl phthalate, methyl oleyl phthalate, octyl decyl phthalate, dibutyl fumarate, dioctyl fumarate, etc. Is mentioned.

  Examples of the aromatic carboxylate plasticizer include trioctyl trimellitic acid, tri-n-octyl trimellitic acid, octyl oxybenzoate, and the like.

  As an aliphatic dibasic ester plasticizer, dibutyl adipate, di-n-hexyl adipate, di-2-ethylhexyl adipate, di-n-octyl adipate, adipate-n-octyl-n-decyl, Diisodecyl adipate, dicapryl adipate, di-2-ethylhexyl azelate, dimethyl sebacate, diethyl sebacate, dibutyl sebacate, di-n-octyl sebacate, di-2-ethylhexyl sebacate, di-2-sebacate Examples thereof include ethoxyethyl, dioctyl succinate, diisodecyl succinate, dioctyl tetrahydrophthalate, and di-n-octyl tetrahydrophthalate.

  Examples of the fatty acid ester derivative plasticizer include butyl oleate, glycerin monooleate, methyl acetylricinoleate, pentaerythritol ester, dipentaerythritol hexaester, triacetin, and tributyrin.

  Examples of the oxyester plasticizer include methyl acetyl ricinoleate, butyl acetyl ricinoleate, butyl phthalyl butyl glycolate, and tributyl acetyl citrate.

  Epoxy plasticizers such as epoxidized soybean oil, epoxidized linseed oil, butyl epoxy stearate, decyl epoxy stearate, octyl epoxy stearate, benzyl epoxy stearate, dioctyl epoxy hexahydrophthalate, didecyl epoxy hexahydrophthalate, etc. Is mentioned.

  Examples of the dihydric alcohol ester plasticizer include diethylene glycol dibenzoate and triethylene glycol di-2-ethylbutyrate.

  Examples of the chlorine-containing plasticizer include chlorinated paraffin, chlorinated diphenyl, chlorinated fatty acid methyl, and methoxychlorinated fatty acid methyl.

  Examples of the polyester plasticizer include polypropylene adipate, polypropylene sebacate, polyester, and acetylated polyester.

  As sulfonic acid derivative plasticizers, p-toluenesulfonamide, o-toluenesulfonamide, p-toluenesulfoneethylamide, o-toluenesulfoneethylamide, toluenesulfone-N-ethylamide, p-toluenesulfone-N-cyclohexylamide Etc.

  Examples of the citric acid derivative plasticizer include triethyl citrate, triethyl acetyl citrate, tributyl citrate, tributyl acetyl citrate, tri-2-ethylhexyl acetyl citrate, and acetyl citrate-n-octyldecyl.

  Other examples include terphenyl, partially hydrogenated terphenyl, camphor, 2-nitrodiphenyl, dinonylnaphthalene, methyl abietic acid, and the like.

  Examples of ultraviolet absorbers that can be added to each layer include 2-hydroxybenzophenone, 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone, 2,2,4-trihydroxybenzophenone, 2,2,4,4-tetrahydroxybenzophenone as benzophenone ultraviolet absorbers. 2,2-dihydroxy 4-methoxybenzophenone and the like.

  Examples of the salicylate ultraviolet absorber include phenyl salicylate, 2,4 di-t-butylphenyl 3,5-di-t-butyl 4-hydroxybenzoate, and the like.

  As a benzotriazole ultraviolet absorber, (2-hydroxyphenyl) benzotriazole, (2-hydroxy5-methylphenyl) benzotriazole, (2-hydroxy5-methylphenyl) benzotriazole, (2-hydroxy-3-tert-butyl) 5-methylphenyl) 5-chlorobenzotriazole and the like.

  Examples of the cyanoacrylate ultraviolet absorber include ethyl-2-cyano-3,3-diphenyl acrylate, methyl 2-carbomethoxy 3 (paramethoxy) acrylate, and the like.

  Examples of the quencher (metal complex salt) ultraviolet absorber include nickel (2,2thiobis (4-t-octyl) phenolate) normal butylamine, nickel dibutyldithiocarbamate, nickel dibutyldithiocarbamate, cobalt dicyclohexyldithiophosphate and the like.

  As HALS (hindered amine) -based UV absorbers, bis (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl) sebacate, bis (1,2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidyl) sebacate, 1 -[2- [3- (3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) propionyloxy] ethyl] -4- [3- (3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) Propionyloxy] -2,2,6,6-tetramethylpyridine, 8-benzyl-7,7,9,9-tetramethyl-3-octyl-1,3,8-triazaspiro [4,5] undecane-2 , 4-dione, 4-benzoyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine and the like.

  In the present invention, a photosensitive layer and a protective layer are formed on a conductive substrate in this way, and an electrophotographic photosensitive member in which an undercoat layer and an intermediate layer are optionally formed is used, and by containing a filler in the protective layer, It is intended to improve resistance to wear and improve durability.

  In particular, in the present invention, a toner that has been a conventional problem in a photoreceptor having a protective layer by containing a lubricant in a contact portion of the cleaning blade mounted on the cleaning unit in the image forming method and apparatus with the photoreceptor. It has become possible to suppress filming of components and charged products.

Various cleaning means such as blades and brushes are used alone or in combination as cleaning means used in the electrophotographic method and apparatus, but those using elastic blades are low in cost.
In the present invention, since the photosensitive member having the protective layer is used, it is necessary to improve the cleaning blade.
In other words, the durability of the photoconductor has improved, making it harder to wear and filming easily, and the amount of external additives added to the toner has increased for colorization and higher definition, which also tends to cause filming. That became. Since the adhesion between the cleaning blade and the surface of the photoreceptor tends to decrease due to the inorganic fine particle filler present in the photoreceptor protective layer, the cleaning blade as in the present invention is suitable.

Urethane rubber, which is a constituent material of the cleaning blade, may be conventionally used, and contains or impregnates a lubricant. It is possible to make the lubricant in contact with the photosensitive member by dispersing and molding powdery lubricant in urethane rubber, but keep the edge surface smooth by depositing the lubricant on the blade surface layer. In such a case, the smoothness may be restored by heating up to the melting point of the lubricant and subsequent cooling. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, it is also effective to provide a plurality of cuts in the contact portion of the cleaning blade with the photosensitive member so as to be non-parallel to the movement direction of the surface of the photosensitive member and impregnate the portion with a lubricant. is there. The interval and depth of the incision can be appropriately set according to the elasticity of the blade and the thickness of the blade. By adopting such a shape, the surface of the photoreceptor having the protective layer containing the inorganic fine particle filler used in the present invention can be used. The followability to the shape is improved.
For example, in a 2 mm-thick urethane blade, cuts having a depth of 0.5 mm and a length of 2 mm can be formed at an interval of 1 mm with an inclination of about 45 ° with respect to the direction of movement of the photoreceptor surface. If this angle is 0 °, that is, parallel to the surface motion direction of the photosensitive member, the toner may slip through the notch, so it is preferable to set the angle in this way. To 40 ° to 60 ° with respect to the direction of surface motion of the photoreceptor.
As an example of the lubricant, for example, zinc stearate is dispersed in ethanol and impregnated as a powder lubricant for this incision. Thereafter, by heating to about 120 ° C. and gradually cooling, a cleaning blade containing a lubricant can be formed at the contact portion with the photoreceptor. Note that the sliding material itself may be melted and impregnated in a temperature range that does not deteriorate the urethane rubber used in the blade.

  As the lubricant used here, materials having various lubricating actions such as liquid and powder can be used. That is, lubricating liquids such as silicon oil and fluorine oil, or waxes such as paraffin wax, carnauba wax and ester wax, and also zinc stearate, zinc laurate, zinc myristate, calcium stearate, aluminum stearate, etc. The object is achieved by supplying a fatty acid metal salt or the like to the contact portion of the cleaning blade with the surface of the photoreceptor by an appropriate method such as melting or dissolving or dispersing in a solvent.

Subsequently, an image forming method and an image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an image forming method and an image forming apparatus of the present invention.
The photoconductor (6) has a drum shape, but may be a sheet or an endless belt.
Around the photoreceptor (6), a pre-transfer charger (7), a transfer charger, a separation charger, and a pre-cleaning charger (8) are arranged as necessary, and corotron, scorotron, solid state charger (solid state Charger) and known means such as a charging roller are arranged.

The charging member (9) may be in contact with the photosensitive member. However, by providing an adjacent gap with an appropriate gap (about 10 to 200 μm) between them, the wear amount of both can be reduced and the charging member Toner filming can be suppressed and can be preferably used.
In particular, the photoreceptor of the present invention can maintain good characteristics by providing a gap of about 50 μm, which is considered to be because the influence of the surface state of the protective layer can be reduced.
The voltage applied to the charging member (9) is effective when the AC component is superimposed on the DC component in order to stabilize charging and suppress charging unevenness.
However, while charging is stabilized, it has been found that the surface layer of the photoconductor used during the process is more easily worn than when only the DC component is applied. Also in this case, the photoconductor of the present invention can maintain good characteristics without any problem because of its high wear resistance.
As the transfer means, the above charger can be generally used. However, as shown in FIG. 4, a transfer belt (10) is effective.

Further, light sources such as the image exposure unit (11) and the charge removal lamp (12) include fluorescent lamps, tungsten lamps, halogen lamps, mercury lamps, sodium lamps, light emitting diodes (LEDs), semiconductor lasers (LD), electroluminescence (EL). ) And other luminescent materials can be used.
Various types of filters such as a sharp cut filter, a band pass filter, a near infrared cut filter, a dichroic filter, an interference filter, and a color temperature conversion filter can be used to irradiate only light in a desired wavelength range.
These light sources are used not only for the process shown in FIG. 4 but also for a transfer process, a static elimination process, a cleaning process, a pre-exposure process and the like using light irradiation, and irradiate the photoreceptor (6) with light.

The toner developed on the photosensitive member (6) by the developing unit (13) is transferred to the transfer paper (14), but not all is transferred, and the toner remaining on the photosensitive member (6) is also transferred. The toner is removed from the photoreceptor (6) by the fur brush (15) and the cleaning blade (16).
Although cleaning may be performed only with a cleaning blade, a cleaning brush such as a fur brush may be used in combination with the cleaning blade of the present invention.

When the electrophotographic photosensitive member is positively (negatively) charged and image exposure is performed, a positive (negative) electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive member.
If this is developed with negative (positive) polarity toner (electrodetection fine particles), a positive image can be obtained, and if developed with positive (negative) polarity toner, a negative image can be obtained.
A known method is applied to the developing unit, and a known method is also used as the charge eliminating unit.
In FIG. 4, (17) is a registration roller, and (18) is a separation claw.

The present invention is an image forming method and an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic photosensitive member for such image forming means.
That is, the present invention relates to an image forming method performed at least by performing charging, image exposure, development, transfer, fixing and cleaning treatment, and an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a protective layer and containing an inorganic fine particle filler in the protective layer And an image forming apparatus having at least charging, image exposure, development, transfer, fixing, and cleaning means, wherein a cleaning blade containing a lubricant is contained in a contact portion between the photosensitive member and the photosensitive member, An image forming apparatus comprising a cleaning blade having a protective layer and having a lubricant contained in a contact portion between the electrophotographic photosensitive member containing the inorganic fine particle filler in the protective layer and the photosensitive member.

The image forming unit may be fixedly incorporated in a copying apparatus, a facsimile machine, or a printer, but may be incorporated in these apparatuses and made detachable in the form of a process cartridge.
Here, the process cartridge is a single device (part) that contains a photoconductor and further includes a charging unit, an exposure unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit, and a cleaning unit.

Accordingly, the present invention also provides a process cartridge for an image forming apparatus having at least charging, image exposure, development, transfer, fixing, and cleaning means, comprising the electrophotographic photosensitive member and a cleaning blade. A process cartridge for a forming apparatus is also provided.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example of a process cartridge for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example is given and this invention is demonstrated in more detail, this invention is not limited at all by these Examples.
All parts are parts by weight.
(Example 1)
On an aluminum substrate having a diameter of 30 mm, an undercoat layer coating solution, a charge generation layer coating solution, a charge transport layer coating solution and a protective layer coating solution having the following composition were applied and dried in that order, and 3.5 μm An electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising an undercoat layer, a 0.15 μm charge generation layer, a 20 μm charge transport layer, and a 5 μm protective layer was prepared.
At this time, coating of the protective layer was performed by a spray method, and other than that was performed by a dip coating method.
[Undercoat layer coating solution]
Titanium dioxide powder 400 parts (Ishihara Sangyo Teipaque CR-EL)
Melamine resin 65 parts (Dainippon Ink Chemical Co., Ltd. Super Becamine G-821-60)
120 parts alkyd resin (Dainippon Ink & Chemicals, Beckosol 1307-60-EL)
2-butanone 400 parts [charge generation layer coating solution]
Titanyl phthalocyanine 7 parts Polyvinyl butyral 5 parts (Union Carbide XYHL)
2-butanone 400 parts [charge transport layer coating solution]
10 parts of polycarbonate (Teijin Chemicals PCX-5)
Charge transport material of the following structural formula (1) 8 parts Tetrahydrofuran 200 parts

〔保護層塗工液〕
ポリカーボネート １０部
上記構造式（１）の電荷輸送物質 ７部
アルミナ微粒子 ６部
（住友化学工業製ＡＡ−０３、中心粒径０．３μｍ）
分散助剤 ０．０８部
（ビックケミージャパン製ＢＹＫ−Ｐ１０４）
テトラヒドロフラン ７００部
シクロヘキサノン ２００部
なお、分散助剤は調合初期に添加した。
このようにして作製した感光体を使用し、図４に示した電子写真プロセスにて耐久性の評価を実施した。クリーニング装置については、以下の構成とした。また、トナーはリコー製イマジオカラー５１００用シアントナーを使用した。
図３に示すようなウレタンゴムブレード部分に切込みのあるブレードを用意し、その感光体との接触部分に滑材を含浸させた。切込みは感光体表面運動方向に対して４５°とし、深さ０．５ｍｍ、長さ２ｍｍの切込みとし、その部分にカルナウバワックスを含浸させた。含浸は、カルナウバワックスを９０℃に加熱し、溶融状態にして行なった。
プロセスの画像露光は７８０ｎｍのレーザ露光とし、帯電は帯電ローラにＡＣ（２ｋＨｚ、１．８ｋＶｐｐ）＋ＤＣ（−７５０Ｖ）を印加した。
本プロセスのプロセス速度は１２５ｍｍ／ｓとした。
出力画像は、初期及び連続通紙２万枚後においてもほぼ良好であり、２万枚後において感光体表面を顕微鏡観察したところ、トナー添加剤付着によるフィルミングは認められず摩耗状態はほぼ均一であった。
また、連続通紙２万枚後の感光体の摩耗量は０．８μｍであった。

[Protective layer coating solution]
Polycarbonate 10 parts Charge transport material of the above structural formula (1) 7 parts Alumina fine particles 6 parts (AA-03 manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., center particle size 0.3 μm)
Dispersing aid 0.08 parts (BYK-P104 manufactured by Big Chemie Japan)
Tetrahydrofuran 700 parts Cyclohexanone 200 parts The dispersion aid was added at the beginning of the preparation.
Using the photoreceptor thus produced, durability was evaluated by the electrophotographic process shown in FIG. The cleaning device has the following configuration. As the toner, cyan toner for Imagio Color 5100 manufactured by Ricoh was used.
A blade having a notch in the urethane rubber blade portion as shown in FIG. 3 was prepared, and the contact portion with the photoreceptor was impregnated with a lubricant. The incision was 45 ° with respect to the direction of movement of the photoreceptor surface, the incision was 0.5 mm deep and 2 mm long, and this part was impregnated with carnauba wax. The impregnation was performed by heating the carnauba wax to 90 ° C. and in a molten state.
Image exposure of the process was laser exposure of 780 nm, and charging was performed by applying AC (2 kHz, 1.8 kVpp) + DC (−750 V) to the charging roller.
The process speed of this process was 125 mm / s.
The output image is almost good even at the initial stage and after 20,000 sheets of continuous paper. After 20,000 sheets, the surface of the photoreceptor was observed with a microscope. Filming due to adhesion of the toner additive was not observed, and the wear state was almost uniform. Met.
Further, the wear amount of the photoreceptor after 20,000 continuous sheets was 0.8 μm.

(Example 2)
The durability in the electrophotographic process was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the cleaning blade of Example 1 was as follows.
The cutting into the cleaning blade was the same as in Example 1, and the lubricant was zinc stearate, dispersed in ethanol and impregnated at the blade tip. Thereafter, heat treatment was performed by heating at 130 ° C. and gradual cooling, and the device was attached to the evaluation apparatus.
As a result, the output image was good even at the initial stage and after 20,000 sheets of continuous paper, and no halftone unevenness was observed even after 20,000 sheets. Further, when the surface of the photosensitive member was observed with a microscope, filming due to adhesion of the toner external additive material was not observed, and the wear state was almost uniform.
Further, the wear amount of the photosensitive member after 20,000 continuous sheets was 1.0 μm.

(Example 3)
The charge generation layer coating solution used in Example 1 was changed to the following, except that the inorganic fine particles of the protective layer coating solution were alumina fine particles (AA-04 manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., center particle size 0.4 μm). An electrophotographic photosensitive member was produced in the same manner as in Example 1.
[Charge generation layer coating solution]
Bisazo pigment of the following structural formula (2) 12 parts Polyvinyl butyral 5 parts (Union Carbide XYHL)
2-butanone 200 parts cyclohexanone 400 parts

さらに、クリーニングブレードには、ステアリン酸亜鉛を３重量％添加して成形したウレタンゴムを使用し、これに対して１３０℃加熱及び徐冷の熱処理を施した。実施例１と同様に電子写真プロセスにおける耐久性について評価したところ、出力画像は、初期及び連続通紙２万枚後においてもほぼ良好であったが、２万枚後においてわずかなクリーニング不良が認められた。さらに顕微鏡にて感光体表面の観察を行なったところ２００倍の視野において筋状の異物付着がわずかに認められた。
なお、このときの画像露光は６５５ｎｍのレーザ露光とした。
連続通紙２万枚後の感光体の摩耗量は１．１μｍであった。

Further, urethane rubber formed by adding 3% by weight of zinc stearate was used for the cleaning blade, and this was subjected to heat treatment at 130 ° C. and slow cooling. When the durability in the electrophotographic process was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, the output image was almost good even at the initial stage and after 20,000 sheets of continuous paper, but a slight cleaning defect was recognized after 20,000 sheets. It was. Further, when the surface of the photosensitive member was observed with a microscope, a streak of foreign matter was slightly observed in a 200 × field of view.
The image exposure at this time was 655 nm laser exposure.
The wear amount of the photoreceptor after continuous feeding of 20,000 sheets was 1.1 μm.

Example 4
The durability in the electrophotographic process was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2 except that the method of impregnating the cleaning blade with the lubricant in Example 2 was performed as follows.
Cutting into the cleaning blade was the same as in Example 2. First, powdery zinc stearate was raised to the blade tip by about 0.5 mm, and heated to 130 ° C. in this state to be melt impregnated with zinc stearate. At this time, excess zinc stearate flowed out.
Similarly, when the image was mounted on the evaluation device and evaluated, the output image was good at the initial stage and after 20,000 sheets of continuous paper, and no halftone unevenness was observed even after 20,000 sheets. Further, when the surface of the photosensitive member was observed with a microscope, filming due to adhesion of the toner external additive material was not observed, and the wear state was almost uniform.
In addition, the wear amount of the photoconductor after 20,000 continuous sheets was 0.7 μm.

(Example 5)
An electrophotographic photosensitive member was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the inorganic fine particles of the protective layer coating solution used in Example 1 were alumina fine particles (AA-07, manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., central particle size: 0.7 μm). Produced.
The same cleaning blade as in Example 1 was used, and the durability in the electrophotographic process was evaluated.
As a result, the output image was good even at the initial stage and after 20,000 sheets of continuous paper. After 20,000 sheets, the surface of the photoreceptor was observed with a microscope. It was almost uniform.
Further, the wear amount of the photoconductor after continuous feeding of 20,000 sheets was 0.6 μm.

(Comparative Example 1)
In Example 1, the electrophotographic process was evaluated on the photoconductor in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a blade made of a urethane rubber blade that was not subjected to any treatment was used.
As a result, although the output image was good in the initial stage, the gloss of the entire surface of the photoreceptor disappeared after 20,000 continuous sheets passed, and when observed with a microscope, the width was about 2 μm and the length was about 10 μm. A large amount of oval foreign matter was observed, and clear halftone irregularities were observed in the output image.
Further, the wear amount of the photosensitive member after 20,000 continuous sheets was 1.5 μm.

(Comparative Example 2)
In Example 5, an electrophotographic process for a photoreceptor is performed in the same manner as in Example 5 except that a blade made of a urethane rubber blade not subjected to a cutting process is used and powdered zinc stearate is rubbed with a nonwoven fabric. The evaluation was conducted.
As a result, although the output image was good in the initial stage, black streaks due to poor cleaning occurred after 10,000 continuous sheets. At this time, when the surface of the photoreceptor was observed with a microscope, many scratch-like scratches having a width of about 1 μm were observed in the traveling direction of the photoreceptor. After 20,000 sheets, a large number of oblong foreign substances having a width of about 2 μm and a length of about 10 μm were observed, and the output image showed noticeable black stripes and halftone unevenness.
The wear amount of the photoreceptor after continuous feeding of 20,000 sheets was 1.0 μm.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multilayer electrophotographic photosensitive member used in the present invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the other laminated electrophotographic photosensitive member used for this invention. It is the schematic which shows an example of the cleaning blade used for this invention. 1 is a schematic view showing an image forming method and an image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a process cartridge for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conductive support body 2 Photosensitive layer 3 Charge generation layer 4 Charge transport layer 5 Protective layer 6 Photoconductor 7 Charger before transfer 8 Charger before cleaning 9 Charging member 10 Transfer belt 11 Image exposure part 12 Static elimination lamp 13 Developing unit 14 Transfer paper 15 Fur brush 16 Cleaning blade 17 Registration roller 18 Separation claw 101 Photosensitive drum 102 Contact charging device 103 Image exposure 104 Developing device 105 Transfer body 106 Contact transfer device 107 Cleaning blade 108 Static elimination lamp 109 Fixing device

Claims (15)

An image forming method in which at least charging, image exposure, development, transfer, fixing, and cleaning processes are performed on a photoconductor, wherein a cleaning unit that performs the cleaning process includes an elastic blade, and the elastic blade is a photoconductor A method of forming an image, comprising a lubricant in a portion in contact with the surface. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the elastic blade is impregnated with a lubricant in a portion in contact with the photosensitive member. The elastic blade is formed by forming a plurality of cuts so as to be non-parallel to the movement direction of the surface of the photosensitive member at a portion in contact with the photosensitive member, and impregnating the portion with a lubricant. Item 3. The image forming method according to Item 1 or 2. 4. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive member has a protective layer, and the protective layer contains inorganic fine particles made of alumina or titanium oxide. The image forming method according to claim 4, wherein the photoconductor protective layer contains a charge transport material. 6. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein charging means for the photosensitive member is disposed in contact with or in proximity to the photosensitive member. The image forming method according to claim 6, wherein the charging member is charged by applying a voltage in which an AC component is superimposed on a DC component to the charging member. An image forming apparatus having at least a charging unit, an image exposing unit, a developing unit, a transferring unit, a fixing unit, and a cleaning unit on a photosensitive member, wherein a cleaning unit for performing a cleaning process has an elastic blade, and the elastic blade Is an image forming apparatus characterized in that it contains a lubricant in a portion in contact with the photoreceptor. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the elastic blade is impregnated with a lubricant in a portion in contact with the photosensitive member. The elastic blade is formed by forming a plurality of cuts so as to be non-parallel to the movement direction of the surface of the photosensitive member at a portion in contact with the photosensitive member, and impregnating the portion with a lubricant. Item 10. The image forming apparatus according to Item 8 or 9. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the photosensitive member has a protective layer, and the protective layer contains inorganic fine particles made of alumina or titanium oxide. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the photoconductor protective layer contains a charge transport material. 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the charging means for the photosensitive member is disposed in contact with or close to the photosensitive member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the charging member is charged by applying a voltage in which an alternating current component is superimposed on a direct current component to the charging member. An elastic blade containing a lubricant in a portion in contact with the photosensitive member and alumina used in the image forming method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 14. Alternatively, a process cartridge for an image forming apparatus, comprising a photoreceptor having a protective layer containing inorganic fine particles made of titanium oxide.

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