JP2005338808A - Image forming method, image forming apparatus, and toner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming method with which good transfer efficiency is achieved, faulty images such as blank areas caused by poor transfer or coarse images due to transfer, can be prevented, and good cleaning performance for the intermediate transfer member can be well achieved. <P>SOLUTION: In the image forming method for cleaning the remaining toner by bringing a cleaning means into contact with the intermediate transfer member after secondary transfer, the intermediate transfer member is 0.10 to 1.00 μm in the maximum displacement quantity with respect to a load 9.8x10<SP>-5</SP>N, and is ≥50% in elastic deformation percentage Eb and the toner is 0.920 to 0.960 in average circularity, is 0.06 to 0.24 μm in the maximum displacement quantity with respect to a load 9.8x10<SP>-5</SP>N, and is 25 to 60% in elastic deformation percentage Et, and the elastic deformation percentage of the intermediate transfer member and the elastic deformation percentage of the toner satisfy 75≤Eb+Et≤135. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrophotographic apparatus having an intermediate transfer member and an image forming method applied to the apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer belt outputs a color image or a multicolor image by sequentially laminating and transferring a plurality of component color images of color image information and multicolor image information, and outputting a color image or multicolor image. It is effective as an apparatus, a multicolor image forming apparatus, or an image forming apparatus having a color image forming function and a multicolor image forming function.

An image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer belt transfers an image from a first image carrier onto a second image carrier attached or adsorbed on the transfer belt (for example, a patent) Compared with the reference 1), the transfer material that is the second image carrier does not require any processing or control (for example, grasping by the gripper, adsorbing and giving a curvature, etc.). label paper or the like, thin to the paper (40 g / m ² paper) from thick paper (200 g / m ² paper), regardless of the length of the wide and narrow and the length of the width, selecting a wide variety of second image bearing member Has the advantage of being able to

  In addition, the intermediate transfer belt shape increases the degree of freedom in arranging inside the image forming apparatus as compared with the case where a rigid cylinder such as an intermediate transfer drum is used. There is also an advantage that downsizing and cost reduction can be performed.

  Further, a method using an intermediate transfer belt having elasticity has been proposed. This is a sufficient transfer area, a so-called transfer nip, in a primary transfer portion between a first image carrier such as a photosensitive member and an intermediate transfer belt, and a secondary transfer portion that transfers an image to a second image carrier. Can be secured.

  In particular, in the case of a full-color image in which a large amount of toner is placed on the entire surface of the image portion, a conventional transfer belt that does not have elasticity is liable to cause partial transfer failure, and an image or character that changes in color tone or falls out white. It is possible to solve the problem of occurrence of “transfer dropout” in which only the edge portion is transferred without transferring the center portion of the line of the image.

  Also, an intermediate transfer belt having elasticity has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3). However, although transferability and voids were improved in both primary transfer and secondary transfer, the image roughness caused by transfer was not improved.

  Incidentally, blade cleaning and fur brushing are generally used for cleaning toner. The blade method is a method in which a cleaning blade such as a rubber blade is pressed against a toner holding member and mechanically scraped off. On the other hand, in the fur brush method, a cylindrical substrate with a bristle brush attached to the surface is brought into contact with the other party while rotating, and at the same time, a potential difference is drawn between the brush and the member to be cleaned so that toner is attracted to the brush side. It is provided to mechanically and electrostatically clean the toner.

  When the blade method is used for cleaning the elastic intermediate transfer belt, the contact load of the cleaning blade on the elastic intermediate transfer belt is large, and the cleaning blade comes into contact with a strong rubbing force and bites into the elastic intermediate transfer belt. For this reason, torque increase at start-up, blade entrainment, streaks due to frictional flaws, belt slippage due to frictional unevenness, and the like are likely to occur, which is one of the causes of reducing the belt life. Since the intermediate transfer belt is not limited to the elastic intermediate transfer belt and is a relatively expensive part, if the life of the intermediate transfer belt is shortened, the replacement interval is shortened and the image forming cost is greatly affected. The intermediate transfer belt is a part that is replaced at regular intervals, but the cost of the intermediate transfer belt is added to the image forming cost. In recent years, with respect to color image formation, since the demand for reduction in image formation cost is high, the life of the intermediate transfer belt is required to be extended. Therefore, in order to clean the elastic intermediate transfer belt, a cleaning method with a small contact load is suitable. When the above two methods are compared, the fur brush method is more suitable than the blade method.

A fur brush type belt cleaning method has also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 4 to 6). In either case, the contact load was small and the life of the elastic intermediate transfer belt was not reduced. However, the cleaning of the elastic intermediate transfer belt in a high-speed electrophotographic apparatus was not satisfactory.
JP-A-63-301960 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-231683 JP-A-11-024429 JP-A-10-254251 JP-A-8-292623 JP 2002-229344 A

  An object of the present invention is an image forming method applied to an intermediate transfer body, in particular, an image forming apparatus having an elastic intermediate transfer belt, which has good transfer efficiency, image defects such as transfer omission and transfer-induced roughness. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming method capable of preventing and preventing the intermediate transfer member from being satisfactorily cleaned without shortening the lifetime.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus to which the above image forming method is applied.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a toner used in the image forming method.

  The object of the present invention is achieved by the following.

That is,
(1) The toner image formed on the photoreceptor is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer member, the toner image on the intermediate transfer member is secondarily transferred onto the transfer material, and after the secondary transfer, the cleaning unit is subjected to intermediate transfer. An image forming method for cleaning toner remaining on an intermediate transfer body by contacting the body,
The cleaning means is a fur brush or a charging roller;
The intermediate transfer member has a maximum displacement (Sb) with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N in the range of 0.10 to 1.00 μm, and the following formula Eb = (Sb−Ib) × 100 / Sb
(In the formula, Ib represents the amount of plastic displacement (μm) of the intermediate transfer member with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N.)
The elastic deformation rate (Eb) (%) represented by:
The toner that forms the toner image has an average circularity of 0.920 to 0.960 in particles having an equivalent circle diameter of 2 μm or more, and a maximum displacement (St) with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N is 0.00. The range is from 06 to 0.24 μm, and the following formula Et = (St−It) × 100 / St
(In the formula, It represents the amount of plastic displacement (μm) of the toner with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N.)
The elastic deformation rate (Et) (%) represented by is 25-60,
The elastic deformation rate of the intermediate transfer member and the elastic deformation rate of the toner satisfy the following conditional expression: 75 ≦ Eb + Et ≦ 135
The present invention relates to an image forming method.
(2) The toner contains at least toner particles and fine particles having a primary average particle diameter of 70 to 150 nm, and the content of the fine particles is 0.5 parts by mass or more with respect to 100 parts by mass of the toner (1 ) Image forming method.
(3) The toner image formed on the photosensitive member is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer member, the toner image on the intermediate transfer member is secondarily transferred onto the transfer material, and after the secondary transfer, the cleaning means is transferred to the intermediate transfer member. An image forming apparatus for use in an image forming method for cleaning toner remaining on an intermediate transfer member in contact with a body,
The cleaning means is a fur brush or a charging roller;
The intermediate transfer member has a maximum displacement (Sb) with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N in the range of 0.10 to 1.00 μm, and the following formula Eb = (Sb−Ib) × 100 / Sb
(In the formula, Ib represents the amount of plastic displacement (μm) of the intermediate transfer member with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N.)
The elastic deformation rate (Eb) (%) represented by:
The toner that forms the toner image has an average circularity of 0.920 to 0.960 in particles having an equivalent circle diameter of 2 μm or more, and a maximum displacement (St) with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N is 0.00. The range is from 06 to 0.24 μm, and the following formula Et = (St−It) × 100 / St
(In the formula, It represents the amount of plastic displacement (μm) of the toner with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N.)
The elastic deformation rate (Et) (%) represented by is 25-60,
The elastic deformation rate of the intermediate transfer member and the elastic deformation rate of the toner satisfy the following conditional expression: 75 ≦ Eb + Et ≦ 135
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.
(4) The toner image formed on the photoreceptor is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer member, the toner image on the intermediate transfer member is secondarily transferred onto the transfer material, and after the secondary transfer, the cleaning unit is subjected to intermediate transfer. A toner used in an image forming method for cleaning toner remaining on an intermediate transfer member by contacting the body,
The cleaning means is a fur brush or a charging roller;
The intermediate transfer member has a maximum displacement (Sb) with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N in the range of 0.10 to 1.00 μm, and the following formula Eb = (Sb−Ib) × 100 / Sb
(In the formula, Ib represents the amount of plastic displacement (μm) of the intermediate transfer member with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N.)
The elastic deformation rate (Eb) (%) represented by:
The toner that forms the toner image has an average circularity of 0.920 to 0.960 in particles having an equivalent circle diameter of 2 μm or more, and a maximum displacement (St) with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N is 0.00. The range is from 06 to 0.24 μm, and the following formula Et = (St−It) × 100 / St
(In the formula, It represents the amount of plastic displacement (μm) of the toner with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N.)
The elastic deformation rate (Et) (%) represented by is 25-60,
The elastic deformation rate of the intermediate transfer member and the elastic deformation rate of the toner satisfy the following conditional expression: 75 ≦ Eb + Et ≦ 135
The present invention relates to a toner characterized by satisfying

  In the present invention, in an intermediate transfer member used for high-speed electrophotographic equipment, particularly in an image forming apparatus having an elastic intermediate transfer belt, transfer efficiency and transfer loss are good, without shortening the life of the intermediate transfer member, Further, it is possible to achieve good cleaning of the intermediate transfer member without occurrence of fusion onto the intermediate transfer member.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

  An object of the present invention is to improve the cleaning performance of an intermediate transfer member (elastic intermediate transfer member) having an elastic surface with excellent transfer efficiency and transfer dropout. In particular, the present invention is effective when using an elastic intermediate transfer belt that does not have a metal core and is difficult to contact the cleaning member with a high pressure. Cleaning of the intermediate transfer member includes cleaning devices such as blade cleaning, fur brush cleaning, electrostatic cleaning using a charging roller, or a combination thereof.

  In the method of cleaning the elastic intermediate transfer member by applying a load to the intermediate transfer member such as blade cleaning, if the contact load of the cleaning blade on the elastic intermediate transfer member is increased, the cleaning blade comes into contact with a strong rubbing force and elastic intermediate The life is shortened because it bites into the transfer body. Therefore, for cleaning the elastic intermediate transfer member, fur brush cleaning, electrostatic cleaning (charging roller), or a combination thereof with a relatively small load on the intermediate transfer member is effective.

  However, these methods are certainly very effective in electrophotographic equipment having a low image output speed, but cleaning performance is poor particularly in electrophotographic equipment that outputs images at high speed, resulting in poor cleaning. There was a thing.

  First, the present inventors tried to increase the hardness of the fur brush, increase the hair, etc. in order to improve the cleaning property. In addition, the contact area between the charging roller and the elastic intermediate transfer belt was expanded to improve the friction between the elastic intermediate transfer belt and the charging roller. However, these methods have resulted in shortening the life of the elastic intermediate transfer belt.

  Therefore, the present inventors studied a method that can effectively clean the toner by making the physical properties of the toner themselves physically easy to clean.

  The inventors measured how much the toner and the elastic intermediate transfer member are physically deformed with a small load applied to the toner and the elastic intermediate transfer member by a cleaning mechanism such as a fur brush and a charging roller during cleaning. did. From the above measurement, it has been found that the above problem can be achieved when the relationship between the physical properties of the toner and the intermediate transfer member satisfies a specific condition.

In the present invention, the maximum displacement amount (St) of toner is an amount indicating how much the toner is deformed at maximum with respect to a specific load, and the plastic displacement amount (It) is a specific load applied. This is a value indicating the amount of deformation of the deformed toner that is not restored at the moment when the load is removed. The elastic deformation rate (Et) calculated from St and It is given by the following formula: Et = (St−It) × 100 / St
It is represented by

Similarly, the elastic deformation rate (Eb) (%) calculated from the maximum displacement (Sb) and the plastic displacement (Ib) of the intermediate transfer member is expressed by the following equation: Eb (%) = (Sb−Ib) × 100 / Sb
When the sum of the elastic deformation rates of the toner and the intermediate transfer member, that is, Et + Eb is 75 to 135%, good cleaning properties are exhibited when a cleaning mechanism such as a fur brush cleaning or a charging roller is used. I was able to. In particular, when used in high-speed electrophotographic equipment, fur brush cleaning was effective.

  Et + Eb represents how much the toner on the intermediate transfer body has elasticity between the intermediate transfer body and the whole toner against a weak load such as fur brush cleaning. When Et + Eb is less than 75%, the toner and the intermediate transfer member are difficult to be deformed by a weak load such as a fur brush, so that the transfer residual toner is not easily scraped off. The upper transfer residual toner increases and a high-quality image cannot be obtained. In addition, the intermediate transfer member is likely to be damaged.

  If Et + Eb is larger than 135%, the elasticity of the toner and the intermediate transfer member becomes too high, so that the intermediate transfer member and the toner are greatly deformed, and the load of the brush transmitted to the toner and the intermediate transfer member is uneven. turn into. For this reason, a part of the toner is easily fused on the intermediate transfer member or remains on the intermediate transfer member without being scraped off.

  In the present invention, the maximum displacement amount and elastic deformation rate of the toner and the intermediate transfer member also have specific values.

In the present invention, the maximum displacement (St) with respect to a toner load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N is 0.06 to 0.24 μm, and more preferably 0.07 to 0.22 μm. When St is smaller than 0.06 μm, the toner image formed on the photosensitive member passes through the contact portion with the intermediate transfer member and is transferred to cause toner scattering and line collapse. There is a feeling of roughness in the image on the material. Conversely, if it exceeds 0.24 μm, fusion to the intermediate transfer member occurs.

The elastic deformation rate of the toner with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N is 25 to 60%, preferably 27% to 55%. If the elastic deformation rate of the toner is less than 25%, the toner is crushed when passing through the contact nip portion between the photosensitive member and the intermediate transfer member, and toner that is not transferred remains on the photosensitive member. Efficiency will be reduced. Further, when the elastic deformation rate of the toner exceeds 60%, for example, when recycled paper having a large unevenness on the surface is used as the transfer material, the toner is deformed before the toner enters the unevenness, and the transfer material becomes It becomes difficult for the toner to bite in. Therefore, the transfer from the intermediate transfer member to the transfer material, that is, the secondary transfer efficiency is deteriorated.

The amount of plastic displacement with respect to the toner load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N is not particularly limited as long as it satisfies the above relationship, but a preferable range is 0.05 to 0.20 μm.

  Since the maximum amount of toner displacement is affected by the molecular weight and crosslinking density of the binder resin in the toner, the resin composition, the addition of a crosslinking agent, the addition of resin components that adjust the hardness, and the melt-kneading process during production The kneading temperature and the shearing method can be adjusted. For example, the maximum displacement is reduced by adding a crosslinking agent to the toner. Further, by increasing the kneading share at a low temperature, the molecular chain of the binder resin component of the toner can be cut and the maximum displacement can be increased.

  The amount of plastic displacement can be adjusted with an additive in the toner. For example, the amount of plastic displacement can be increased by adding a release agent. Further, by selecting and adding a charge control agent that works as a filler, the amount of plastic displacement can be reduced.

  Since the elastic deformation rate is a value calculated from the maximum displacement amount and the plastic displacement amount, it can be within the above range by adjusting these.

  Conventional toner tends to have a large maximum displacement amount and a large plastic displacement amount. Therefore, in a high-speed electrophotographic apparatus using an intermediate transfer member, the fusion to the intermediate transfer member and the secondary transfer efficiency are poor. Had.

The maximum amount of displacement of the intermediate transfer member with respect to the load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N is 0.10 to 1.00 μm, preferably 0.15 to 0.90 μm. If it is smaller than 0.10 μm, the toner is crushed when passing through the contact portion, so that a part of the toner remains on the photosensitive member without being transferred, and the transfer is easily lost. When the thickness exceeds 1.00 μm, a very soft elastic layer must be used for the intermediate transfer member, so that the life of the intermediate transfer member is significantly reduced.

The elastic deformation rate of the intermediate transfer member with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N is 50% or more, preferably 55 to 90%. If it is less than 50%, the intermediate transfer member is deformed when it passes through the contact portion, and it is difficult to return to the original state, so that the contact time with the photosensitive member or transfer material is shortened. Therefore, both the primary transfer efficiency and the secondary transfer efficiency are deteriorated.

The amount of plastic displacement of the intermediate transfer member with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N is not particularly limited in the present invention, but a preferable range is 0.05 to 0.50 μm. The amount of plastic displacement discussed here is the amount that the intermediate transfer body deformed by applying a specific load is deformed without returning to its original state at the moment when the load is removed. It does not mean that the deformation continues forever after removal.

  The maximum amount of displacement of the intermediate transfer member can be adjusted by the physical properties of the resin or rubber used for the elastic layer of the intermediate transfer member, or the thickness of the surface layer. The amount of plastic displacement can be adjusted by the thickness of the elastic layer and the amount of additive. Further, since the elastic deformation rate is a value calculated from the maximum displacement amount and the plastic displacement amount, it can be within the above range by adjusting these. Specific physical properties and manufacturing methods will be described later.

  In the toner of the present invention, among the particles contained in the toner, the average circularity of particles having an equivalent circle diameter of 2 μm or more is 0.920 to 0.960. The average circularity substantially represents the average circularity of the toner particles, and more preferably 0.925 to 0.955. The maximum displacement amount and elastic deformation rate of the toner and the intermediate transfer member as in the present invention are in the above range, and further, the primary transfer efficiency is obtained without impairing developability by toner particles being spherical in a specific range. Both secondary transfer efficiency was improved. In addition, the effect of imparting fluidity by the external additive was increased.

  When the average circularity of the toner is less than 0.920, the effect of imparting fluidity due to the external additive is reduced, so that the fluidity of the toner is reduced, the toner charge amount varies, and the transfer efficiency is reduced. Deterioration of the roughness is likely to occur. Further, when the average circularity is larger than 0.960, the cleaning property of the intermediate transfer member and the fusing property to the intermediate transfer member are also deteriorated. The average circularity can be adjusted by spheroidizing the toner particles.

  Next, the binder resin used in the present invention will be described.

  As the binder resin that can be used in the present invention, known materials can be used as the binder resin for the toner. Preferred is (a) a polyester resin, and (b) a hybrid having a polyester unit and a vinyl polymer unit. Resin, (c) mixture of hybrid resin and vinyl polymer, (d) mixture of polyester resin and vinyl polymer, (e) mixture of hybrid resin and polyester resin, and (f) polyester resin and hybrid. It is a resin selected from a mixture of a resin and a vinyl polymer.

  When a polyester resin is used as the binder resin, a polyhydric alcohol and a polyvalent carboxylic acid, a polyvalent carboxylic acid anhydride, a polyvalent carboxylic acid ester, or the like can be used as a raw material monomer.

  Specifically, for example, as the dihydric alcohol component, polyoxypropylene (2.2) -2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, polyoxypropylene (3.3) -2,2-bis ( 4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, polyoxyethylene (2.0) -2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, polyoxypropylene (2.0) -polyoxyethylene (2.0) -2,2 -Alkylene oxide adducts of bisphenol A such as bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, polyoxypropylene (6) -2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1, 2-propylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, Opentyl glycol, 1,4-butenediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, dipropylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, polytetramethylene glycol, bisphenol A And hydrogenated bisphenol A.

  Examples of the trivalent or higher alcohol component include sorbitol, 1,2,3,6-hexanetetrol, 1,4-sorbitan, pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol, tripentaerythritol, 1,2,4-butanetriol, 1,2,5-pentanetriol, glycerol, 2-methylpropanetriol, 2-methyl-1,2,4-butanetriol, trimethylolethane, trimethylolpropane, 1,3,5-trihydroxymethylbenzene, etc. Can be mentioned.

  Divalent acid components include aromatic dicarboxylic acids such as phthalic acid, isophthalic acid and terephthalic acid or anhydrides; alkyl dicarboxylic acids such as succinic acid, adipic acid, sebacic acid and azelaic acid or anhydrides; And succinic acid substituted with 6 to 12 alkyl groups or anhydrides thereof; unsaturated dicarboxylic acids such as fumaric acid, maleic acid and citraconic acid or anhydrides thereof;

  Examples of the trivalent or higher polyvalent carboxylic acid component for forming a polyester resin having a crosslinking site include 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic acid, 1,2,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid, 1,2 , 4-Naphthalenetricarboxylic acid, 2,5,7-naphthalenetricarboxylic acid, 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic acid, and anhydrides and ester compounds thereof.

  Among them, in particular, a bisphenol derivative represented by the following general formula (I) is used as a diol component, and a carboxylic acid component (for example, fumaric acid) composed of a divalent or higher carboxylic acid or an acid anhydride thereof, or a lower alkyl ester thereof. A polyester resin obtained by polycondensation using acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, phthalic acid, terephthalic acid, trimellitic acid, pyromellitic acid, etc.) as an acid component is preferable because it has good charging characteristics as a color toner. .

  In the binder resin contained in the toner of the present invention, “hybrid resin” means a resin in which a vinyl polymer unit and a polyester unit are chemically bonded. Specifically, it is a resin formed by a transesterification reaction between a polyester unit and a vinyl polymer unit obtained by polymerizing a monomer having a carboxylic acid ester group such as (meth) acrylic acid ester, preferably a vinyl polymer unit. Is a graft copolymer (or block copolymer) having a trunk polymer and a polyester unit as a branch polymer. In the present invention, “polyester unit” refers to a portion derived from polyester, and “vinyl polymer unit” refers to a portion derived from a vinyl polymer. As the polyester monomer constituting the polyester unit, a polyvalent carboxylic acid component and a polyhydric alcohol component are used, and as the vinyl monomer constituting the vinyl polymer unit, a monomer component having a vinyl group is used.

  Vinyl monomers for producing vinyl polymer units include styrene; o-methylstyrene, m-methylstyrene, p-methylstyrene, α-methylstyrene, p-phenylstyrene, p-ethylstyrene, 2, 4-dimethylstyrene, pn-butylstyrene, p-tert-butylstyrene, pn-hexylstyrene, pn-octylstyrene, pn-nonylstyrene, pn-decylstyrene, pn -Styrene such as dodecylstyrene, p-methoxystyrene, p-chlorostyrene, 3,4-dichlorostyrene, m-nitrostyrene, o-nitrostyrene, p-nitrostyrene and derivatives thereof; ethylene, propylene, butylene, isobutylene Styrene unsaturated monoolefins such as butadiene, isoprene, etc. Unsaturated polyenes; vinyl halides such as vinyl chloride, vinyl chloride, vinyl bromide and vinyl fluoride; vinyl esters such as vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate and vinyl benzoate; methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, methacryl Of propyl acid, n-butyl methacrylate, isobutyl methacrylate, n-octyl methacrylate, dodecyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, stearyl methacrylate, phenyl methacrylate, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, diethylaminoethyl methacrylate Α-methylene aliphatic monocarboxylic acid esters such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, propyl acrylate, acrylic acid-n-butyl, acrylic acid isobutyl, acrylic acid-n-octyl, acrylic acid dode Acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, stearyl acrylate, 2-chloroethyl acrylate, acrylic esters such as phenyl acrylate; vinyl ethers such as vinyl methyl ether, vinyl ethyl ether, vinyl isobutyl ether; vinyl methyl ketone, Vinyl ketones such as vinyl hexyl ketone and methyl isopropenyl ketone; N-vinyl compounds such as N-vinyl pyrrole, N-vinyl carbazole, N-vinyl indole and N-vinyl pyrrolidone; Vinyl naphthalenes; Acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, acrylamide And acrylic acid or methacrylic acid derivatives.

  In addition, unsaturated dibasic acids such as maleic acid, citraconic acid, itaconic acid, alkenyl succinic acid, fumaric acid, mesaconic acid; maleic anhydride, citraconic anhydride, itaconic anhydride, alkenyl succinic anhydride Unsaturated dibasic acid anhydride; maleic acid methyl half ester, maleic acid ethyl half ester, maleic acid butyl half ester, citraconic acid methyl half ester, citraconic acid ethyl half ester, citraconic acid butyl half ester, itaconic acid methyl half ester, Alkenyl succinic acid half ester, fumaric acid methyl half ester, mesaconic acid methyl half ester unsaturated dibasic acid half ester; dimethylmaleic acid, dimethyl fumaric acid unsaturated dibasic acid ester; acrylic acid, meta Α, β-unsaturated acids such as rillic acid, crotonic acid and cinnamic acid; α, β-unsaturated acid anhydrides such as crotonic acid anhydride and cinnamic anhydride, the α, β-unsaturated acid and lower fatty acids And monomers having a carboxyl group such as alkenylmalonic acid, alkenylglutaric acid, alkenyladipic acid, acid anhydrides and monoesters thereof.

  Further, acrylic acid or methacrylic acid esters such as 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate; 4- (1-hydroxy-1-methylbutyl) styrene, 4- (1-hydroxy-1) -Methylhexyl) Monomers having a hydroxy group such as styrene.

  In the toner of the present invention, the vinyl polymer unit of the binder resin may have a crosslinked structure crosslinked with a crosslinking agent having two or more vinyl groups. Examples of the crosslinking agent used in this case include aromatic divinyl compounds such as divinylbenzene and divinylnaphthalene; examples of diacrylate compounds linked by an alkyl chain include ethylene glycol diacrylate and 1,3-butylene glycol. Examples include diacrylate, 1,4-butanediol diacrylate, 1,5-pentanediol diacrylate, 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate, neopentyl glycol diacrylate, and those obtained by replacing acrylates of the above compounds with methacrylate. The diacrylate compounds linked by an alkyl chain containing an ether bond include, for example, diethylene glycol diacrylate, triethylene glycol diacrylate, tetraethylene glycol diacrylate, poly Examples include tylene glycol # 400 diacrylate, polyethylene glycol # 600 diacrylate, dipropylene glycol diacrylate, and those obtained by replacing acrylates of the above compounds with methacrylates; diacrylates linked by a chain containing an aromatic group and an ether bond. Examples of the compounds include polyoxyethylene (2) -2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane diacrylate, polyoxyethylene (4) -2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane diacrylate and the like The thing which replaced the acrylate of the compound of this with the methacrylate is mentioned.

  Polyfunctional cross-linking agents include pentaerythritol triacrylate, trimethylol ethane triacrylate, trimethylol propane triacrylate, tetramethylol methane tetraacrylate, oligoester acrylate, and acrylates of the above compounds replaced with methacrylate; triallylcia Examples include nurate and triallyl trimellitate.

  In this invention, it is preferable that the monomer component which can react with the component of both resin units is included in any one or both of a vinyl-type polymer unit and a polyester unit. Examples of monomers that can react with the components of the vinyl polymer unit among the monomers constituting the polyester resin unit include unsaturated dicarboxylic acids such as phthalic acid, maleic acid, citraconic acid, and itaconic acid, or anhydrides thereof. It is done. Among the monomers constituting the vinyl polymer unit, those capable of reacting with the components of the polyester unit include those having a carboxyl group or a hydroxy group, and acrylic acid or methacrylic acid esters.

  As a method of obtaining a reaction product of a vinyl polymer unit and a polyester unit, there is a polymer containing a monomer component capable of reacting with each of the vinyl polymer unit and the polyester unit listed above. A method obtained by carrying out the polymerization reaction of one or both resins is preferred.

  Examples of the polymerization initiator used in producing the vinyl polymer unit used in the present invention include 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile, 2,2′-azobis (4-methoxy-2, 4-dimethylvaleronitrile), 2,2′-azobis (-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), 2,2′-azobis (-2methylbutyronitrile), dimethyl-2,2′-azobisisobuty 1,1′-azobis (1-cyclohexanecarbonitrile), 2- (carbamoylazo) -isobutyronitrile, 2,2′-azobis (2,4,4-trimethylpentane), 2-phenylazo-2, 4-dimethyl-4-methoxyvaleronitrile, 2,2′-azobis (2-methyl-propane), methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, acetylacetone Ketones, ketone peroxides such as cyclohexanone peroxide, 2,2-bis (t-butylperoxy) butane, t-butyl hydroperoxide, cumene hydroperoxide, 1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl hydro Peroxide, di-t-butyl peroxide, t-butylcumyl peroxide, di-cumyl peroxide, α, α'-bis (t-butylperoxyisopropyl) benzene, isobutyl peroxide, octanoyl peroxide, deca Noyl peroxide, lauroyl peroxide, 3,5,5-trimethylhexanoyl peroxide, benzoyl peroxide, m-trioyl peroxide, di-isopropyl peroxydicarbonate, di-2-ethylhexyl peroxide Sidicarbonate, di-n-propyl peroxydicarbonate, di-2-ethoxyethyl peroxycarbonate, di-methoxyisopropyl peroxydicarbonate, di (3-methyl-3-methoxybutyl) peroxycarbonate, acetylcyclohexylsulfonyl Peroxide, t-butyl peroxyacetate, t-butyl peroxyisobutyrate, t-butyl peroxyneodecanoate, t-butyl peroxy 2-ethylhexanoate, t-butyl peroxylaurate, t -Butyl peroxybenzoate, t-butyl peroxyisopropyl carbonate, di-t-butyl peroxyisophthalate, t-butyl peroxyallyl carbonate, t-amyl peroxy 2-ethylhexanoate, di-t-butyl Peroxy hexahydro terephthalate, di -t- butyl peroxy azelate and the like.

  Examples of the production method capable of preparing the hybrid resin used in the toner of the present invention include the following production methods (1) to (5).

  (1) A vinyl polymer and a polyester resin are produced separately, then dissolved and swollen in a small amount of an organic solvent, an esterification catalyst and an alcohol are added, and the ester exchange reaction is performed by heating to synthesize a hybrid resin. how to.

  (2) A method for producing a polyester unit and a hybrid resin component in the presence of a vinyl polymer after the production thereof. The hybrid resin component is added as necessary to the reaction of a vinyl polymer unit (a vinyl monomer can be added if necessary) and a polyester monomer (polyhydric alcohol, polycarboxylic acid), and the unit and monomer as necessary. Produced by reaction with polyester. Also in this case, an organic solvent can be appropriately used.

  (3) A method for producing a vinyl polymer unit and a hybrid resin component in the presence of a polyester resin after the production. The hybrid resin component is produced by a reaction between a polyester unit (a polyester monomer can be added if necessary) and a vinyl monomer, and a reaction between the unit and the monomer and a vinyl polymer unit added as necessary. . Also in this case, an organic solvent can be appropriately used.

  (4) After the vinyl polymer and the polyester resin are produced, either or both of a vinyl monomer and a polyester monomer (polyhydric alcohol, polycarboxylic acid) are added in the presence of these polymer units, and the added monomer. The hybrid resin component can be produced by carrying out a polymerization reaction under conditions according to the conditions. Also in this case, an organic solvent can be appropriately used.

  (5) By mixing a vinyl monomer and a polyester monomer (polyhydric alcohol, polycarboxylic acid, etc.) and continuously performing addition polymerization and condensation polymerization reaction, a vinyl polymer unit, a polyester unit, and a hybrid resin component are obtained. Manufactured. Furthermore, an organic solvent can be used as appropriate.

  In the production methods (1) to (5), a plurality of polymer units having different molecular weights and different degrees of crosslinking can be used for the vinyl polymer unit and the polyester unit. The vinyl polymer or vinyl polymer unit in the present invention means a vinyl homopolymer or vinyl copolymer, a vinyl monopolymer unit or a vinyl copolymer unit.

  Although a detailed manufacturing method is not mentioned, in the present invention, since the maximum displacement amount (St) of the toner is related to the composition and molecular weight of the binder resin, it is important to select a monomer composition, a catalyst, and reaction conditions.

  As a colorant used in the present invention, carbon black or a magnetic material may be used as a black colorant, and a black colorant using a yellow colorant, a magenta colorant, and a cyan colorant is used. You may do it.

  As the colorant when the toner of the present invention is used as a color toner, known dyes and pigments can be used.

  As a coloring pigment for magenta toner, C.I. I. Pigment Red 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 30, 31, 32, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 57, 58, 60, 63, 64, 68, 81, 83, 87, 88, 89, 90, 112, 114, 122, 123, 163, 202, 206, 207, 209, 238, C.I. I. Pigment violet 19 and the like.

  As the colorant, a pigment may be used alone, but it is more preferable from the viewpoint of the image quality of a full-color image to improve the sharpness by using a dye and a pigment together.

  Examples of the magenta toner dye include C.I. I solvent red 1, 3, 8, 23, 24, 25, 27, 30, 49, 81, 82, 83, 84, 100, 109, 121; I. Disper thread 9; I. Solvent violet 8, 13, 14, 21, 27; C.I. I. Oil-soluble dyes such as Disper Violet 1, C.I. I. B. Basic Red 1, 2, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 27, 29, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40; I. Basic dyes such as basic violet 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 27, and 28 may be mentioned.

  Examples of the color pigment for cyan toner include C.I. I. Pigment blue 2, 3, 15: 3, 15: 4, 16, 17; I. Bat Blue 6; C.I. I. Acid Blue 45, and a copper phthalocyanine pigment in which 1 to 5 phthalimidomethyl groups are substituted on a phthalocyanine skeleton having a structure represented by the following formula.

〔式中、ｎは１〜５の整数を示す。〕

[In formula, n shows the integer of 1-5. ]

  Examples of the color pigment for yellow include C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 23, 62, 65, 73, 74, 83, 93, 94, 95, 97, 109, 110, 111, 120, 127, 128, 129, 147, 151, 154, 155, 168, 174, 175, 176, 180, 181, 185 and the like.

  Examples of the coloring dye for yellow include C.I. I. Solvent Yellow 162 and the like, and it is also preferable to use a pigment and a dye together.

  The amount of the colorant to be used is preferably 0.1 to 15 parts by mass, more preferably 0.5 to 12 parts by mass, and most preferably 0.6 to 10 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin. Part.

  In the present invention, a release agent can be added. The release agent is generally added to provide a toner that exhibits excellent fixability even in an electrophotographic apparatus having an oilless fixing mechanism. In the present invention, the amount of plastic deformation and elastic deformation of the toner is adjusted. Therefore, it can be preferably used as a material for this purpose.

  As the release agent, a commercially available product can be used, and examples thereof include the following. Low molecular weight polyethylene, low molecular weight polypropylene, low molecular weight alkylene copolymer, aliphatic hydrocarbon wax such as microcrystalline wax, paraffin wax, Fischer-Tropsch wax, and oxide of aliphatic hydrocarbon wax such as oxidized polyethylene wax, Or block copolymers thereof; waxes based on fatty acid esters such as ester waxes such as behenyl behenate and stearyl stearate, carnauba wax and montanic acid ester wax, and fatty acid esters such as deoxidized carnauba wax. And those obtained by deoxidizing some or all of them. In addition, saturated linear fatty acids such as palmitic acid, stearic acid, and montanic acid; unsaturated fatty acids such as brassic acid, eleostearic acid, and valinalic acid; stearyl alcohol, aralkyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, carnauvir alcohol, and seryl alcohol , Saturated alcohols such as melyl alcohol; polyhydric alcohols such as sorbitol; fatty acid amides such as linoleic acid amide, oleic acid amide, lauric acid amide; methylene bis stearic acid amide, ethylene biscapric acid amide, ethylene bis laurin Saturated fatty acid bisamides such as acid amides and hexamethylene bis stearic acid amides; ethylene bis oleic acid amides, hexamethylene bis oleic acid amides, N, N ′ dioleyl adipic acid amides, N, N ′ diacids Unsaturated fatty acid amides such as rail sebacic acid amide; Aromatic bisamides such as m-xylene bis-stearic acid amide and N, N ′ distearyl isophthalic acid amide; Calcium stearate, calcium laurate, zinc stearate, magnesium stearate Aliphatic metal salts such as those commonly referred to as metal soaps; waxes grafted with aliphatic hydrocarbon waxes using vinyl monomers such as styrene and acrylic acid; fatty acids such as behenic acid monoglycerides and the like Examples include partially esterified products of polyhydric alcohols; methyl ester compounds having hydroxyl groups obtained by hydrogenation of vegetable oils and the like.

  Examples of the release agent particularly preferably used in the present invention include aliphatic hydrocarbon waxes. For example, low molecular weight polyalkylene wax obtained by radical polymerization of alkylene under high pressure or Ziegler catalyst or metallocene catalyst under low pressure, paraffin wax, Fischer-Tropsch wax synthesized from coal or natural gas, or high molecular weight alkylene polymer. Preference is given to alkylene hydrocarbons obtained by decomposition, synthetic hydrocarbon waxes obtained from the distillation residue of hydrocarbons obtained by the age method from synthesis gas containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen or by hydrogenation of these. Further, those obtained by fractionating hydrocarbon wax by press sweating, solvent method, vacuum distillation or fractional crystallization are more preferably used. The hydrocarbon as a base is synthesized by the reaction of carbon monoxide and hydrogen using a metal oxide catalyst (mostly two or more multi-component systems) [for example, the Jintol method, the Hydrocol method (the fluidized catalyst bed Hydrocarbon compounds synthesized by use); hydrocarbons with up to several hundred carbon atoms obtained by the age method (using the identified catalyst bed) from which a large amount of wax-like hydrocarbons can be obtained; alkylene such as ethylene by Ziegler catalyst Polymerized hydrocarbons; paraffin waxes are preferred because they are linear hydrocarbons with little branching, small and long saturation. In particular, a wax synthesized by a method that does not rely on polymerization of alkylene is also preferred from its molecular weight distribution.

  In the present invention, the charge amount can be adjusted by using a charge control agent in the toner. As the charge control agent, known ones can be used. In particular, a metal compound of an aromatic carboxylic acid that is colorless, has a high toner charging speed, and can stably maintain a constant charge amount is preferable. Furthermore, the aromatic carboxylic acid metal compound has an effect of improving the crosslinking of the toner and acting as a filler, and is very effective in adjusting the amount of plastic displacement and elastic deformation of the toner as in the present invention. Among these, an aluminum complex of aromatic oxycarboxylic acid is particularly preferable as a charge control agent and a crosslinkability improver.

  Negative charge control agents include salicylic acid metal compounds, naphthoic acid metal compounds, dicarboxylic acid metal compounds, polymer compounds having sulfonic acid or carboxylic acid in the side chain, boron compounds, urea compounds, silicon compounds, calixarene, etc. Is available. As the positive charge control agent, a quaternary ammonium salt, a polymer compound having the quaternary ammonium salt in the side chain, a guanidine compound, an imidazole compound, or the like can be used. The charge control agent may be added internally or externally to the toner particles. The addition amount of the charge control agent is preferably 0.2 to 10 parts by mass in total with respect to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin.

  Next, fine particles having a primary average particle diameter of 70 to 150 nm that can be used by adding to toner particles will be described. The content of the fine particles is preferably 0.5 to 4.0 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the toner particles. More preferably, the primary average particle diameter of the fine particles is 90 to 140 nm and the content is 0.8 to 2.0 parts by mass. Fine particles having a primary average particle size of 70 to 150 nm are usually added as a transfer aid to improve transfer efficiency. However, in the present invention, the cleaning property is further improved in a configuration in which the elastic intermediate transfer belt is cleaned with a fur brush. I also found that there was work. If the primary average particle size is less than 70 nm, not only will the contribution to improving transferability be reduced, but it will be difficult to sufficiently improve the cleaning performance of the intermediate transfer belt. On the other hand, when the primary average particle size is larger than 150 nm, the fusion to the intermediate transfer member and the occurrence of scratches tend to be slightly worse. On the other hand, if the addition amount is less than 0.5 parts by mass, the effect of improving transferability and cleaning performance of the elastic intermediate transfer belt cannot be obtained.

  Moreover, it is preferable to use spherical silica as the fine particles. This has the function of adsorbing toner that is hard to be cleaned with 70-150 nm silica and facilitating recovery with a fur brush, and as an abrasive for toner adhering to the elastic intermediate transfer belt in a state close to fusing. Because it works. In particular, by a so-called sol-gel method in which the solvent is removed from the silica sol suspension obtained by hydrolyzing and condensing the alkoxysilane with a catalyst in an organic solvent in which water is present, and dried to form particles. The produced spherical silica having a primary average particle size of 70 to 150 nm is preferable.

  In addition, when 70-150 nm fine particles were used when Et + Eb was less than 75%, it was difficult for 70-150 nm silica itself to be collected in a fur brush. On the other hand, when it is larger than 135%, fine particles of 70 to 150 nm become nuclei and toner fusion products are easily generated on the elastic intermediate transfer belt.

  In addition, the toner of the present invention is preferably externally added with a fluidity improver, in addition to the fine particles having a primary average particle diameter of 70 to 150 nm, from the viewpoint of improving the image quality.

  As the fluidity improver, inorganic fine powder such as silica fine powder, titanium oxide, and aluminum oxide is preferable, and it is further hydrophobized with a hydrophobizing agent such as a silane coupling agent, silicone oil, or a mixture thereof. Is more preferable.

  The fluidity improver is usually used in an amount of 0.5 to 5 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the toner particles.

  The fluidity improver in the present invention preferably uses a combination of titanium oxide and silica. Particularly preferred titanium oxide and silica are shown below.

  Titanium oxide is an oval spherical rutile hydrophobic titanium oxide fine particle surface-treated with a silane compound or a coupling agent and / or silicone oil or silicone varnish, and has a primary average particle size of 8 to 100 nm on the toner surface. More preferably, the ratio of major axis diameter / minor axis diameter is 1.1 to 5.0.

  Silica as a fluidity improver has a primary average particle diameter of 5 to 60 nm and is preferably surface-treated with a silane compound or a coupling agent and / or silicone oil or silicone varnish, but is particularly treated with silicone oil. It is preferable.

  The toner of the present invention has a higher elastic deformation rate than the conventional toner. For this reason, there is a concern that the fluidity improver is likely to be embedded in the toner, but the elliptical-shaped rutile type has an advantageous effect on the embedding and is more durable than the conventional toner with an appropriate degree of embedding. There is work to improve. In addition, silica and titanium oxide treated with silicone oil not only prevent the transfer from falling out, but also acts to adsorb toner that is difficult to clean, like the fine particles having the primary average particle diameter of 70 to 150 nm, and the adsorbed toner is elastic. It also has the function of facilitating peeling from the intermediate transfer belt.

  Next, the magnetic carrier used in the present invention will be described.

  When the toner of the present invention is used for a two-component developer, the toner is used by mixing with a magnetic carrier. As the magnetic carrier, for example, surface-oxidized or unoxidized iron, nickel, copper, zinc, cobalt, manganese, chromium, rare earth metal particles, alloy particles thereof, oxide particles, ferrite and the like can be used.

  The coated carrier obtained by coating the surface of the magnetic carrier particles with a resin is particularly preferable in a developing method in which an AC bias is applied to the developing sleeve. Coating methods include a method in which a coating solution prepared by dissolving or suspending a coating material such as a resin in a solvent is adhered to the surface of the magnetic carrier particles, and a method in which the magnetic carrier particles and the coating material are mixed in a powder state. A conventionally known method can be applied.

  Examples of the coating material on the surface of the magnetic carrier particles include silicone resin, polyester resin, styrene resin, acrylic resin, polyamide, polyvinyl butyral, and aminoacrylate resin. These may be used alone or in plurality.

  The treatment amount of the coating material is preferably 0.1 to 30% by mass (preferably 0.5 to 20% by mass) with respect to the magnetic carrier particles. The number average particle diameter of the magnetic carrier is preferably 10 to 100 μm, and more preferably 20 to 70 μm.

  When a two-component developer is prepared by mixing the toner of the present invention and a magnetic carrier, good results are usually obtained when the mixing ratio is 2 to 15% by mass as the toner concentration in the developer. Is 4 to 13% by mass.

  The toner of the present invention can adjust the circularity by using a specific processing device that brings the shape of toner particles close to a sphere. High transferability can be obtained by processing the shape of the toner particles.

  Examples of the apparatus for spheroidizing toner particles include heat treatment apparatuses such as surffusion (manufactured by Nippon Pneumatic Co., Ltd.) for hot-melting the particle surface and spheroidizing, and hot-air spheronizing apparatus (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Co., Ltd.). . Alternatively, a hybridizer (manufactured by Nara Machinery Co., Ltd.), a turbo mill (manufactured by Turbo Industry Co., Ltd.), a kryptron (manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.), a mechano-fusion system (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Co., Ltd.) or the like can be mentioned. .

  Further, it is preferable to perform the spheronization treatment in consideration of the seepage of the release agent to the surface of the toner particles. Examples of apparatuses capable of such a treatment include the following apparatuses.

  FIG. 1 is an example of a surface modifying apparatus that can be suitably used.

  In the surface modification apparatus shown in FIG. 1, a classification means for separating a casing 15, a jacket (not shown) through which cooling water or antifreeze liquid can be passed, and particles larger than a predetermined particle size and fine particles having a predetermined particle size or less. A classifying rotor 1, a dispersion rotor 6 which is a surface treatment means for applying a mechanical impact to the particles to treat the surface of the particles, and a predetermined interval with respect to the outer periphery of the dispersion rotor 6. Of the particles divided by the classification rotor 1, the guide ring 9 that is a guide means for guiding particles larger than a predetermined particle size among the particles divided by the classification rotor 1, and the particles divided by the classification rotor 1 A fine powder collecting discharge port 2 that is a discharging unit that discharges fine particles having a predetermined particle size or less to the outside of the apparatus, and cold air that is a particle circulating unit that sends the particles whose surface is processed by the dispersion rotor 6 to the classification rotor 1. Introduce into the system A wind inlet 5, a raw material supply port 3 for introducing the particles to be treated into the casing 15, an openable and closable powder discharge port 7 and a discharge valve for discharging the surface-treated particles from the casing 15. 8.

  The classification rotor 1 is a cylindrical rotor and is provided on one end face side in the casing 15. The fine powder collection outlet 2 is provided at one end of the casing 15 so as to discharge particles inside the classification rotor 1. The raw material supply port 3 is provided at the center of the peripheral surface of the casing 15. The cold air introduction port 5 is provided on the other end surface side of the peripheral surface of the casing 15. The powder discharge port 7 is provided at a position facing the raw material supply port 3 on the peripheral surface of the casing 15. The discharge valve 8 is a valve that freely opens and closes the powder discharge port 7.

  A dispersion rotor 6 and a liner 4 are provided between the cold air introduction port 5 and the raw material supply port 3 and the powder discharge port 7. The liner 4 is provided along the inner peripheral surface of the casing 15. As shown in FIG. 2, the dispersion rotor 6 includes a disk and a plurality of rectangular disks 10 arranged along the normal line of the disk at the periphery of the disk. The dispersion rotor 6 is provided on the other end surface side of the casing 15 and is provided at a position where a predetermined interval is formed between the liner 4 and the square disk 10. A guide ring 9 is provided at the center of the casing 15. The guide ring 9 is a cylindrical body and is provided so as to extend from a position covering a part of the outer peripheral surface of the classification rotor 1 to the vicinity of the classification rotor 6. The guide ring 9 includes a first space 11 that is a space between the outer peripheral surface of the guide ring 9 and the inner peripheral surface of the casing 15 in the casing 15, and a second space that is a space inside the guide ring 9. A space 12 is formed.

  The dispersion rotor 6 may have a cylindrical pin instead of the square disk 10. In the present embodiment, the liner 4 is provided with a large number of grooves on the surface facing the square disk 10, but may have no grooves on the surface. Moreover, the installation direction of the classification rotor 1 may be vertical as shown in FIG. 1 or horizontal. Further, the number of classification rotors 1 may be single or multiple as shown in FIG.

  In the surface reforming apparatus configured as described above, when a certain amount of finely pulverized product is introduced from the raw material supply port 3 with the discharge valve 8 closed, the charged finely pulverized product is first blower (not shown). ) And classified by the classification rotor 1. At that time, the classified fine powder having a predetermined particle size or less passes through the peripheral surface of the classification rotor 1, is guided to the inside of the classification rotor 1, and is continuously discharged and removed out of the apparatus. Coarse powder having a predetermined particle diameter or more is applied to a circulating flow generated by the dispersion rotor 6 along the inner periphery (second space 12) of the guide ring 9 due to centrifugal force, and the gap between the square disk 10 and the liner 4 ( Hereinafter, it is also referred to as “surface modification zone”. The powder guided to the surface modification zone is subjected to a surface modification treatment by receiving a mechanical impact force between the dispersion rotor 6 and the liner 4. The surface-modified particles having undergone surface modification are transported to the classification rotor 1 along the outer periphery (first space 11) of the guide ring 9 on the cold air passing through the machine. Is discharged to the outside of the machine, and the coarse powder is circulated into the second space 12 again and repeatedly subjected to the surface modification action in the surface modification zone. As described above, in the surface modification apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the classification of particles by the classification rotor 1 and the treatment of the surface of particles by the dispersion rotor 6 are repeated. After a certain period of time, the discharge valve 8 is opened and the surface modified particles are recovered from the discharge port 7.

  In such an apparatus, there is almost no exudation of the release agent due to heat, and the exudation of the release agent to the surface of the toner particles due to the emergence of a new surface as compared with the above-described system that gives a mechanical impact force. This is very preferable because it makes it easy to adjust the spheroidization of toner particles and the exudation of the release agent.

  An example of an apparatus that satisfies the configuration of the image forming apparatus of the present invention is shown in FIG.

  In this image forming apparatus, a plurality of image forming units including an image carrier and each means for charging, exposing and developing for forming a toner image on the image carrier are juxtaposed, and an intermediate as a second image carrier. A toner image of each color formed on a plurality of image carriers on a transfer member is multiplex-transferred, and then the toner images multiplex-transferred on an intermediate transfer member as a second image carrier are collectively placed on a recording material. A tandem electrophotographic image forming apparatus of a multiple transfer system on an intermediate transfer member for transferring.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus of this embodiment includes image forming units Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd that form images of colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. Then, using the primary charging units 2a to 2d, the exposure unit 6, and the developing devices 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3Bk for each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, each color is placed on each photosensitive drum 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d. The toner image is formed.

  Further, in this apparatus, a belt-like intermediate transfer member that is a second image carrier, that is, an intermediate transfer belt 8c, carries a toner image formed by multiple transfer from each of the photosensitive drums 1a to 1d. Then, the toner image is conveyed to a secondary transfer portion where the toner image is collectively transferred onto the recording material P. The intermediate transfer belt 8c is wound around an intermediate transfer belt driving roller 43, a tension roller 41, and a secondary transfer counter roller 42 as a secondary transfer counter member, and rotates in the direction of arrow W in FIG.

  Each of the photosensitive drums 1a to 1d is opposed to primary transfer charging rollers 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d serving as transfer charging units via the intermediate transfer belt 8c.

  When the image forming operation starts, the intermediate transfer belt 8c rotates in the arrow W direction, and the toner images of the respective colors formed on the respective photosensitive drums 1a to 1d are transferred to the primary transfer charging rollers 40a to 40a at the transfer unit N2. The toner images are electrostatically transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8c in the order of 40d. Thereafter, the toner remaining on the photoconductor without being transferred is removed by the cleaning means 4a to 4d.

  According to this embodiment, each of the transfer charging rollers 40a to 40d supplies electric charges over a wider range than the image forming area on the intermediate transfer belt 8c, and the intermediate transfer from each of the photosensitive drums 1a to 1d. A toner image is transferred onto the belt 8c.

  On the other hand, the recording material P stored in the recording material storage cassette 21 is fed into the image forming apparatus by the recording material supply roller 22 and is sandwiched between the registration rollers 7. Thereafter, the tip of the toner image that has been multiplex-transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8c is opposed to the secondary transfer charging roller 45 as the secondary transfer charging means and the secondary transfer counter roller 42 as the secondary transfer counter member, The toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 8c are collectively fed onto the recording material P by the action of the secondary transfer charging roller 45, which is sent out to the secondary transfer portion in synchronization with entering the abutting secondary transfer portion. Transcribed.

  Thereafter, the recording material P carrying the unfixed toner image is conveyed to a fixing device 5 having a fixing roller 51 and a pressure roller 52, and is heated and pressed, whereby the unfixed toner image is transferred onto the recording material P. To form an image. The toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 8c after the toner image is secondarily transferred onto the recording material P is neutralized by the static eliminators 17 and 18 to remove the electrostatic adsorption force, and then has a cleaning means. It is removed by the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 46.

  Next, the intermediate transfer belt used in the present invention will be described.

  The materials used for the intermediate transfer belt have conventionally been made of fluorine resin, polycarbonate resin, polyimide resin, etc., but in recent years, all layers of the belt or part of the belt is used as an elastic member. Elastic belts have been used.

  The transfer of a color image using a belt having low elasticity as an intermediate transfer member has the following problems. A color image is usually formed with four colored toners. Since one to four toner layers are formed on a single color image, the toner layer becomes thicker, and primary transfer (transfer from the photoreceptor to the intermediate transfer belt) or secondary transfer (intermediate transfer) When passing through the transfer belt (transfer from the transfer belt), it is easy to receive high pressure, and the cohesive force between the toners tends to increase. For example, when a character such as that shown in FIG. 5A is to be output in color, the cohesive force between the toners increases, and the toner near the end of the character or near the end of the line as shown in FIG. The phenomenon of so-called hollowing out, which is output without being transferred, and the phenomenon of edge missing in a solid image are likely to occur. Since the belt with low elasticity does not deform in accordance with the toner layer, the toner layer is easily compressed, and the adhesive force with the photosensitive member is increased, so that the character dropout phenomenon is likely to occur. Recently, there is an increasing demand for forming full-color images on various papers, for example, Japanese paper, intentionally irregularities, and papers. However, a paper with poor smoothness is liable to generate toner and voids at the time of transfer, and transfer loss is likely to occur. When the transfer pressure at the secondary transfer portion is increased to improve the adhesion, the condensing power of the toner layer is increased, and the above-described character void is generated.

  Therefore, in recent years, an intermediate transfer belt having an elastic layer has attracted attention as an intermediate transfer belt. The elastic intermediate transfer belt is used for the following purposes. Since the elastic intermediate transfer belt has low hardness, the elastic intermediate transfer belt is deformed at the transfer portion corresponding to the toner layer and the paper having poor smoothness. In other words, the elastic intermediate transfer belt deforms following local irregularities, so that it can obtain good adhesion without excessively increasing the transfer pressure on the toner layer, and has flatness without character voids. A transfer image with excellent uniformity can be obtained even on paper with poor quality.

  The elastic intermediate transfer belt used in the present invention is composed of a material in which all or some of the layers have elasticity. Examples of such an elastic material include an elastic resin, an elastic material rubber, an elastomer, and the like. A surface layer (coat layer) may be provided on an elastic layer made of an elastic material, or a base material layer may be provided below the elastic layer.

  Examples of resins that can be used for the elastic layer of the elastic belt include polycarbonate, fluororesin (ETFE, PVDF), polystyrene, chloropolystyrene, poly-α-methylstyrene, styrene-butadiene copolymer, styrene-vinyl chloride copolymer, Styrene-vinyl acetate copolymer, styrene-maleic acid copolymer, styrene-acrylic acid ester copolymer (styrene-methyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-butyl acrylate copolymer) Styrene-octyl acrylate copolymer and styrene-phenyl acrylate copolymer), styrene-methacrylic acid ester copolymer (styrene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-ethyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene) -Phenyl methacrylate copolymer), Styrene resins (monopolymer or copolymer containing styrene or styrene-substituted product), methyl methacrylate resin, methacrylic acid such as tylene-α-chloroacrylic acid methyl copolymer, styrene-acrylonitrile-acrylic acid ester copolymer Acid butyl resin, ethyl acrylate resin, butyl acrylate resin, modified acrylic resin (silicone modified acrylic resin, vinyl chloride resin modified acrylic resin, acrylic-urethane resin, etc.), vinyl chloride resin, styrene-vinyl acetate copolymer, chloride Vinyl-vinyl acetate copolymer, rosin-modified maleic acid resin, phenol resin, epoxy resin, polyester resin, polyester polyurethane resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutadiene, polyvinylidene chloride, ionomer resin, polyurethane resin, silicone Fat, ketone resins, ethylene - can be used ethyl acrylate copolymer, xylene resin and polyvinyl butyral resin, polyamide resin, one kind or two kinds or more selected from the group consisting of modified polyphenylene oxide resin. However, it is a matter of course that the material is not limited to the above materials.

  Elastic rubbers and elastomers include butyl rubber, fluorine rubber, acrylic rubber, EPDM, NBR, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene rubber natural rubber, isoprene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, butadiene rubber, ethylene-propylene rubber, ethylene-propylene ter Polymer, chloroprene rubber, chlorosulfonated polyethylene, chlorinated polyethylene, urethane rubber, syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene, epichlorohydrin rubber, ricone rubber, fluorine rubber, polysulfide rubber, polynorbornene rubber, hydrogenated nitrile rubber , Selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic elastomers (eg, polystyrene, polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, polyamide, polyurea, polyester, fluororesin) It is possible to use one kind or two or more kinds. However, it is a matter of course that the material is not limited to the above materials.

  The elastic intermediate transfer belt may contain a resistance value adjusting conductive agent. There are no particular restrictions on the conductive agent for adjusting the resistance value. For example, carbon black, graphite, metal powder such as aluminum and nickel, tin oxide, titanium oxide, antimony oxide, indium oxide, potassium titanate, antimony oxide-tin oxide composite Conductive metal oxides such as oxide (ATO) and indium oxide-tin oxide composite oxide (ITO) can be used. The conductive metal oxide may be coated with insulating fine particles such as barium sulfate, magnesium silicate, and calcium carbonate.

  The elastic intermediate transfer belt can be provided with a surface layer (coat layer) to improve releasability. The surface layer material is not limited, but it is preferable to improve the secondary transfer property by reducing the adhesion force of the toner to the surface of the transfer intermediate transfer belt. For example, materials that use one or more of polyurethane, polyester, epoxy resin, etc., and reduce surface energy and improve lubricity, such as fluororesin, fluorine compound, fluorocarbon, titanium dioxide, silicon carbide, etc. These powders and particles in which one type or two or more types are dispersed can be used. In addition, these powders and particles with different particle sizes can be dispersed and used. Also, heat treatment like a fluorine-based rubber material forms a fluorine-rich layer on the surface, reducing the surface energy. Can also be used.

  The manufacturing method of the elastic intermediate transfer belt is not limited. Centrifugal molding method in which material is poured into a rotating cylindrical mold to form a belt, spray coating method to form a thin film on the surface layer, and cylindrical mold material There are a dipping method in which it is dipped in the above solution, a casting method in which it is poured into an inner mold and an outer mold, and a method in which a compound is wound around a cylindrical mold and vulcanization polishing is performed. Naturally, an elastic belt can be manufactured by combining a plurality of manufacturing methods.

  As a method for preventing the elastic belt from stretching, there are a method of forming a rubber layer in a core resin layer with little elongation, a method of putting a material for preventing elongation into the core layer, etc. Absent.

  Next, a method for cleaning the intermediate transfer belt that can be used in the present invention will be described.

  As an example, a fur brush cleaning method that can be used in a tandem electrophotographic image forming apparatus of a multiple transfer system on an intermediate transfer member as shown in FIG. 3 will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in addition to the fur brush as described above, a charging roller can be used.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 46 in FIG. In FIG. 4, the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 46 includes a conductive fur brush 101 that faces the tension roller 41 and contacts the intermediate transfer belt 8 c while rotating. The rotating direction of the conductive fur brush 101 is the same as that of the intermediate transfer belt 8c. That is, the surface moves in opposite directions at the nip position. The conductive fur brush 101 is in contact with a metal roller 102 to which a voltage having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner is applied from a power source 103.

  The potential difference between the metal roller 102 and the conductive fur brush 101 is caused by the resistance of the conductive fur brush 101, and the toner removed from the intermediate transfer belt 8 c is transferred from the conductive fur brush 101 to each metal roller 102. The toner transferred to the metal roller 102 is scraped off by the blade 104 and collected. Similarly, a potential difference is generated between the intermediate transfer belt 8c and the conductive fur brush 101, and the conductive fur brush 101 collects the toner by the electrostatic force due to the electric field and the scraping force due to the contact. For example, when +700 V is applied to the metal roller 102, the conductive fur brush 101 becomes +400 V, and the negative toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8c can be cleaned.

<Measurement of maximum displacement and plastic displacement of toner and intermediate transfer member>
In the present invention, the maximum displacement amount and the plastic displacement amount of the toner and the intermediate transfer member were measured with an ultrafine hardness meter ENT1100 manufactured by Elionix Corporation. The working indenter was a 100 μm × 100 μm square flat indenter, and the measurement environment was 27 ° C. and humidity 60%. The speed at which the load is applied is 0.98 × 10 ⁻⁵ N / sec. After reaching the maximum load (9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N), leave it at that load for 0.1 sec. The amount displaced at this time was defined as the maximum displacement amount. Thereafter, unloading was performed at a speed of 0.98 × 10 ⁻⁵ N / sec, and the displacement when the load became zero was defined as the plastic displacement.

1. Measurement of Maximum Displacement and Plastic Displacement of Toner To measure toner, the toner is applied on a ceramic cell and weak air is blown so that the toner is dispersed on the cell. The cell is set in the apparatus and measured.

  For the measurement, while looking through the microscope attached to the apparatus, a toner having one toner particle on the measurement screen (horizontal width: 160 μm, vertical width: 120 μm) is selected. In order to eliminate the difference in toner displacement due to the particle size factor, particles having a particle size of about ± 1.0 μm of the average particle size of the toner (if the average particle size of the toner is 6 μm, 5 to 7 μm) are used. Select and measure. The confirmation of the particle diameter was performed on the measurement screen using the software attached to the microhardness meter ENT1100 as a measuring means. The measurement of each displacement amount is performed by selecting 100 particles from an arbitrary place and excluding particles that give 10 data on the upper limit side and the lower limit side of the measurement result of the maximum displacement amount, respectively. Each piece was used as calculation data, and the maximum displacement amount and the plastic displacement amount were obtained from the average of the 80 pieces.

  Until now, in the method of measuring the hardness of one toner particle, since an indenter with a sharp tip is used, the toner slips from the indenter and it is extremely difficult to obtain a reproducible result. It was. In the present invention, since a 100 μm × 100 μm square flat indenter that is several tens of times larger than the toner particle size is used, the toner does not slide from the indenter, and measurement with good reproducibility is possible.

2. Measurement of Maximum Displacement and Plastic Displacement of Intermediate Transfer Member In measuring an intermediate transfer member, a measurement sample is adhered to a cell with a curable bond. Be careful not to let air or dust enter the bonding surface. This is to prevent the displacement of the sample from changing due to the influence of air or dust. Leave for at least one day until the bond dries. When the bond is dry, the cell is set in the apparatus and 100 points are measured from an arbitrary place. The remaining 80 points are used as calculation data except for samples that give 10 points of data on the upper limit side and lower limit side of the maximum displacement measurement result. Maximum displacement and plastic displacement were determined.

<Measurement of average circularity>
The average circularity of the toner was measured using a flow type particle image measuring device “FPIA-2100 type” (manufactured by Sysmex Corporation). The circularity will be described below.

  The circularity is defined by the above formula. Here, the “particle projected area” is the area of the binarized toner particle image, and the “peripheral length of the particle projected image” is the length of the contour line obtained by connecting the edge points of the toner particle image. Define. The measurement uses the perimeter of the particle image when image processing is performed at an image processing resolution of 512 × 512 (pixels of 0.3 μm × 0.3 μm).

  In the present invention, the circularity is an index indicating the degree of unevenness of the toner particles, and is 1.000 when the toner particles are completely spherical. The more complicated the surface shape, the smaller the circularity.

  The average circularity C, which means the average value of the circularity frequency distribution, is calculated from the following equation, where ci is the circularity (center value) at the dividing point i of the particle size distribution and m is the number of measured particles.

  In addition, “FPIA-2100”, which is a measuring apparatus used in the present invention, calculates the circularity of each particle, and then calculates the average circularity and the circularity standard deviation. The degree of roundness of 0.4 to 1.0 is divided into equally divided classes of 0.01, and the average circularity is calculated using the center value of the dividing points and the number of measured particles.

  As a specific measuring method, 10 ml of ion-exchanged water from which impure solids have been removed in advance is prepared in a container, and a surfactant, preferably an alkylbenzene sulfonate, is added as a dispersant therein, followed by further measurement. Add 0.02 g of sample and disperse uniformly. As a means for dispersion, an ultrasonic disperser “Tetora 150 type” (manufactured by Nikka Ki Bios Co., Ltd.) is used, and dispersion treatment is performed for 2 minutes to obtain a dispersion for measurement. In that case, it cools suitably so that the temperature of this dispersion may not be 40 degreeC or more. In addition, in order to suppress measurement variations, the installation environment of the apparatus is controlled at 23 ° C. ± 0.5 ° C. so that the in-machine temperature of the flow type particle image analyzer FPIA-2100 is 26 to 27 ° C. Preferably, automatic focusing is performed every 2 hours using 2 μm latex particles.

  To measure the circularity of the toner particles, the flow type particle image measuring device is used, and the concentration of the dispersion is readjusted so that the toner particle concentration at the time of measurement is 3000 to 10,000 particles / μl. Measure more than one. After the measurement, using this data, data having an equivalent circle diameter of less than 2 μm is cut to determine the average circularity of the toner particles.

  Furthermore, “FPIA-2100”, which is a measuring apparatus used in the present invention, improves the magnification of the processed particle image as compared with “FPIA-1000” conventionally used for calculating the shape of the toner. Furthermore, the accuracy of toner shape measurement is improved by improving the processing resolution of the captured image (256 × 256 → 512 × 512), thereby achieving more reliable capture of fine particles. Therefore, when it is necessary to measure the shape more accurately as in the present invention, the FPIA-2100 that can obtain information on the shape more accurately is more useful.

<Measurement of toner particle size distribution>
In the present invention, the average particle size and particle size distribution of the toner can be measured using a Coulter Counter TA-II type (manufactured by Coulter). It is also possible to use a Coulter Multisizer (manufactured by Coulter). In the measurement, an electrolytic solution is used, and a 1% NaCl aqueous solution is used for this electrolytic solution. The 1% NaCl aqueous solution may be prepared using primary sodium chloride, or a commercially available product such as ISOTON R-II (manufactured by Coulter Scientific Japan) may be used.

  As a measuring method, 0.1 to 5 ml of a surfactant, preferably alkylbenzene sulfonate, is added as a dispersant to 100 to 150 ml of the electrolytic aqueous solution, and 2 to 20 mg of a measurement sample is further added. The electrolytic solution in which the sample is suspended is dispersed for about 1 to 3 minutes with an ultrasonic disperser, and the volume and the number of toner particles of 2.00 μm or more are measured and measured by the measuring device using a 100 μm aperture as the aperture. The distribution and the number distribution are calculated, and the weight average particle diameter (D4) (the median value of each channel is used as the representative value for each channel) is obtained.

  As channels, 2.00 to 2.52 μm; 2.52 to 3.17 μm; 3.17 to 4.00 μm; 4.00 to 5.04 μm; 5.04 to 6.35 μm; 6.35 to 8. 00μm; 8.00 to 10.08 μm; 10.08 to 12.70 μm; 12.70 to 16.00 μm; 16.00 to 20.20 μm; 20.20 to 25.40 μm; 25.40 to 32.00 μm; 13 channels of 32.00-40.30 μm are used.

<Molecular weight measurement by GPC>
The molecular weight of the chromatogram by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) is measured under the following conditions.

The column was stabilized in a heat chamber at 40 ° C., and tetrahydrofuran (THF) as a solvent was passed through the column at this temperature at a flow rate of 1 ml / min, and the sample concentration was adjusted to 0.05 to 0.6% by mass. About 50 to 200 μl of THF sample solution is injected and measured. In measuring the molecular weight of a sample, the molecular weight distribution of the sample is calculated from the relationship between the logarithmic value of a calibration curve prepared from several types of monodisperse polystyrene standard samples and the number of counts (retention time). Examples of standard polystyrene samples for preparing a calibration curve include those manufactured by Tosoh Corporation or Pressure Chemical Co. The molecular weights manufactured are 6 × 10 ² , 2.1 × 10 ³ , 4 × 10 ³ , 1.75 × 10 ⁴ , 5.1 × 10 ⁴ , 1.1 × 10 ⁵ , 3.9 × 10 ⁵ , 8 It is suitable to use a standard polystyrene sample of at least about 10 points, using .6 × 10 ⁵ , 2 × 10 ⁶ , 4.48 × 10 ⁶ . An RI (refractive index) detector is used as the detector.

As a column, in order to accurately measure a molecular weight region of 10 ^{3 to} 2 × 10 ⁶ , it is preferable to combine a plurality of commercially available polystyrene gel columns. For example, shodex GPC KF-801, 802, 803 manufactured by Showa Denko KK , 804, 805, 806, and 807, and the combination of μ-styragel 500, 10 ³ , 10 ⁴ , and 10 ⁵ manufactured by Waters.

<Measurement of maximum temperature of maximum endothermic peak of wax>
Temperature curve: Temperature increase I (30 ° C. to 200 ° C., temperature increase rate 10 ° C./min)
Temperature drop I (200 ° C-30 ° C, temperature drop rate 10 ° C / min)
Temperature increase II (30 ° C. to 200 ° C., temperature increase rate 10 ° C./min)
The maximum endothermic peak of the toner and wax is measured according to ASTM D3418-82 using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC measuring apparatus) DSC2920 (manufactured by TA Instruments Japan).

  The measurement sample is precisely weighed in an amount of 3 to 7 mg, preferably 4 to 5 mg. The sample is put in an aluminum pan, and an empty aluminum pan is used as a reference, and measurement is performed at a temperature rise rate of 10 ° C./min at room temperature and humidity in a measurement range of 30 to 200 ° C. For the peak temperature of the wax, the temperature at which the peak is reached in the process of temperature increase II is measured.

<Method for measuring primary average particle diameter of silica and titanium oxide fine particles>
A photograph of the toner surface in which the fine particles are magnified 100,000 times with a scanning electron microscope FE-SEM (S-4700, manufactured by Hitachi, Ltd.) is used, and using the enlarged photo, the particle size of 300 fine particles in the field of view ( For elliptical titanium, the minor axis diameter) is measured to determine the number average particle diameter (D1).

Specific examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.
-Production example of polyester resin 1 In an autoclave equipped with a thermometer and a stirrer,
Polyoxypropylene (2.2) -2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane 10 parts by mass Polyoxyethylene (2.2) -2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane 40 parts by mass Terephthalic acid 20 parts by mass trimellitic anhydride 4 parts by mass fumaric acid 26 parts by mass 2-ethylhexanoic acid 0.05 parts by mass were reacted in a nitrogen atmosphere at 200 to 210 ° C. for about 5 hours to obtain a polyester resin 1. . The results of molecular weight measurement by GPC of the obtained polyester resin are shown in Table 1.

-Production example of polyester resin 2 In an autoclave equipped with a thermometer and a stirrer,
Polyoxypropylene (2.2) -2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane 40 parts by mass Polyoxyethylene (2.2) -2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane 10 parts by mass Terephthalic acid 10 parts by weight trimellitic anhydride 1 part by weight fumaric acid 39 parts by weight 2-ethylhexanoic acid 0.05 parts by weight were reacted in a nitrogen atmosphere at 210-220 ° C. for about 4 hours to obtain polyester resin 2. . The results of molecular weight measurement by GPC of the obtained polyester resin are shown in Table 1.

-Production example of polyester resin 3 In an autoclave equipped with a thermometer and a stirrer,
Terephthalic acid 81 parts by mass 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid 83 parts by mass Propylene glycol 67 parts by mass Antimony trioxide 0.09 part by mass was charged and heated at 170 to 220 ° C. for 180 minutes for esterification reaction. Next, the temperature of the reaction system was raised to 250 ° C., and the reaction was continued for 3 hours at a system pressure of 1 to 10 mmHg to obtain a polyester resin 3.

Preparation of toner additive In an autoclave equipped with a stirring blade, a mixture of α-methylstyrene, styrene and dehydrated and purified toluene and boron trifluoride phenolate complex (phenol 1. 7 times equivalent) was continuously fed, and the polymerization reaction was carried out at a reaction temperature of 5 ° C. The molar ratio of α-methylstyrene to styrene was 60/40, the supply amount of the monomer and toluene mixture was 1.0 liter / hour, and the supply amount of the diluted catalyst was 90 ml / hour. After the reaction mixture was transferred to the second stage autoclave and the polymerization reaction was continued at 5 ° C., the total residence time in the first and second stage autoclaves was 2 hours. The reaction mixture was discharged, and 1 liter of the reaction mixture was collected when the residence time was three times the residence time to complete the polymerization reaction. After completion of the polymerization, a 1 mol / liter NaOH aqueous solution was added to the collected reaction mixture to deash the catalyst residue. Further, the obtained reaction mixture was washed 5 times with a large amount of water, and then the solvent and the unreacted monomer were distilled off under reduced pressure with an evaporator to obtain a toner additive. The obtained toner additive had a softening point Tm = 123 ° C., a number average molecular weight Mn = 1500, and a weight average molecular weight Mw = 2590.

<Example of toner production>
-Polyester resin 1 80 parts by mass-Polyester resin 3 20 parts by mass-C.I. I. Pigment Blue 15: 3 3 parts by weight Wax A (normal paraffin, DSC peak temperature: 76 ° C., Mn: 580) 5 parts by weight Additive for toner 5 parts by weight 3,5 tert-butylsalicylic acid aluminum compound 1 part by weight Part

Preliminarily mixed with a Henschel mixer with the above formulation, melt kneaded at a material temperature of 140 ° C. with a twin-screw extruder kneader, cooled and coarsely crushed to about 1 to 2 mm using a hammer mill, then air jet The powder was finely pulverized to a particle size of 15 μm or less with a fine pulverizer. Further, the finely pulverized product obtained was processed using a processing apparatus as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and while removing fine particles at a classification rotor rotational speed of 120 s ⁻¹ , a dispersion rotor rotational speed of 100 s ⁻¹ (rotational peripheral speed was reduced). The surface treatment was performed at 130 m / sec) for 45 seconds (after the finely pulverized material was charged from the raw material supply port 3, after 45 seconds, the discharge valve 8 was opened and the processed product was taken out). At that time, ten square disks were installed on the top of the dispersion rotor 6, the distance between the guide ring 9 and the upper square disk on the dispersion rotor 6 was 30 mm, and the distance between the dispersion rotor 6 and the liner 4 was 5 mm. The blower air volume was 14 m ³ / min, the temperature of the refrigerant passed through the jacket and the cold air temperature T1 were −20 ° C., and toner particles 1 having a weight average particle diameter (D4) of 6.0 μm were obtained.

1.0 part by mass of spherical silica (primary average particle size: 120 nm) produced by a sol-gel method and hydrophobized with hexamethyldisilazane, and 100 parts by mass of the toner particles, nC ₄ H ₉ Si ( Henschel mixer containing 0.7 parts by mass of elliptical titanium oxide (primary average particle size: 15 nm) treated with OCH ₃ ) ₃ and 0.7 parts by mass of spherical silica (number average particle size: 18 nm) treated with dimethyl silicone oil To add toner 1. Toner materials and physical properties are shown in Tables 2 and 3.

  Toners 2 to 18 were prepared depending on the materials in Tables 2 and 3, kneading temperature, and processing time of the processing apparatus. Toner materials and physical properties are shown in Tables 2 and 3. In Table 2, the wax B is normal paraffin (DSC peak temperature: 70 ° C., Mn: 470).

  Further, toners 1 to 18 and magnetic manganese magnesium ferrite carrier particles (number average particle size 50 μm) coated with a silicone resin are mixed so that the toner concentration becomes 7% by mass, and two-component developers 1 to 18 are mixed. It was.

Production Example of Intermediate Transfer Belt Raw material pellets mainly composed of the resin and rubber shown in Table 4 were prepared. Each of these pellets is fed from an extruder to a multilayer annular die, laminated in the die and extruded. Cooling with a cooling mandrel inserted into the extruded multilayer cylindrical body to regulate the dimensions, obtain a semiconductive cylindrical body, cut this in a direction crossing the axial direction, and the multilayer structure An intermediate transfer belt was obtained. Table 4 shows the thickness of each layer, the maximum displacement amount, the plastic displacement amount, and the elastic deformation rate of the intermediate transfer belt.

<Examples 1 to 10, Comparative Examples 1 to 9>
The cyan developer 1 is supplied to the station Pa on the left end of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 3 and the printer is used under normal environment (23 ° C./humidity 60%) using plain paper (color laser copier paper TKCLA4; manufactured by Canon). Toner image was output in mode. The process speed was 300 mm / sec. As an original image, an endurance printout test of 20,000 sheets was continuously performed using an image with an area ratio of 25%.

As the intermediate transfer belt cleaning device, a device having the structure shown in FIG. 4 was used. The fur brush is made of conductive rayon fiber in which carbon black is dispersed, with a thickness of 8 denier / filament and a hair planting density of 200,000 / inch ² , and the peripheral speed is intermediate transfer It was set to 125% with respect to the body and rotated in the opposite direction at the contact portion. Further, +1000 V was applied to the metal roller, and the potential difference between the fur brush and the intermediate transfer member was 900 V.

(1) Transferability After the endurance test is completed, an image of a belt-shaped solid image with an image area ratio of 5% is formed. At that time, the toner amount (per unit area) in the toner image before transfer and the toner amount after transfer (unit) Per area), and the transfer efficiency was calculated from the measured value as follows. Note that image formation was performed one by one for primary transfer evaluation and for secondary transfer evaluation.
Primary transfer efficiency (%)
= {(Toner amount on intermediate transfer member) / (toner amount before transfer on photosensitive member)} × 100
Secondary transfer efficiency (%)
= {(Toner amount on transfer material) / (toner amount on intermediate transfer member)} × 100
The evaluation method was judged based on the transfer efficiency after durability based on the following criteria.
A: Very good (over 92%)
B: Good (88% to less than 92%)
C: Normal (84% to less than 88%)
D: Bad (less than 84%)
(2) Evaluation of transfer dropout After the endurance test, the transfer dropout was caused when the “surprise” character pattern shown in FIG. 5A was printed on thick paper (128 g / m ² ) (FIG. 5). The state (b) was evaluated visually based on the following criteria.
A: Almost no occurrence B: Minor voids are observed C: Hollow voids are observed D: Remarkable voids are observed (3) Degree of image roughness during transfer / 1 mm) was transferred onto the transfer material, and an unfixed image was output, and an image was obtained by fixing it in an oven at 100 ° C. without pressure. The resolution was observed with a magnifying glass, and the toner was scattered and the degree of resolution reduction was confirmed and evaluated. That is, the number of distinguishable lines was evaluated according to the following criteria. At this time, the number of lines that can be discriminated was an average value of 10 vertical lines and 10 horizontal lines.
A: 7 lines B: 5-6 lines C: 3-4 lines D: 2 lines or less (4) Evaluation of cleaning performance The evaluation of cleaning performance is a solid image with an image density of 0.6 mg / cm ² after the end of the durability test. The intermediate transfer member (A) immediately after the toner transfer (A) and the intermediate transfer member (B) after cleaning after the toner transfer are respectively intermediated with transparent tape (Supertech, manufactured by Lintec Corporation). The residual toner is collected by sticking on the surface of the transfer material. A transparent tape from which residual toner is collected is affixed to plain paper (color laser copier paper TKCLA4; manufactured by Canon), image density is measured with a color difference meter X-Rite 500Series Spectrodensitometer (manufactured by X-Rite), and cleaning is performed according to the following formula. Efficiency was calculated.
Cleaning efficiency (%)
= [1-((B) Image density of sample / (A) Image density of sample)] × 100
The evaluation method was judged according to the following criteria.
A: Very good (cleaning efficiency 98% or more)
B: Good (cleaning efficiency 96% to less than 98%)
C: Normal (cleaning efficiency 94% to less than 96%)
D: Poor (cleaning efficiency less than 94%)
(5) Evaluation of fusing property and scratch of intermediate transfer member After the endurance test, the photoconductor is replaced with a new one, and it is confirmed that there is no fusing or scratching on the photoconductor, and the image density is 0.6 mg / cm. ^Two solid images were printed.
The fusion of the intermediate transfer member was evaluated by counting the number of white spots caused by toner fusion on the intermediate transfer member. The evaluation criteria for fusion on the intermediate transfer member were as follows.
A: 2 or less white spots on the solid image B: 3 to 5 white spots on the solid image C: 6 to 8 white spots on the solid image D: White spots on the solid image In addition, the number of white streaks due to scratches on the intermediate transfer member was counted to evaluate the scratches on the intermediate transfer member. The evaluation criteria for scratches on the intermediate transfer member were as follows.
A: 0 to 1 white streaks on solid image B: 2 to 4 white streaks on solid image C: 4 to 6 white streaks on solid image D: White streaks on solid image However, 7 or more In Example 1, the transferability and cleaning performance were excellent even after a durability test of 20,000 continuous copies. In addition, image defects such as hollow defects were not generated. In addition, there was no fusing or scratching on the intermediate transfer member, and excellent durability was shown in a durability test of 20,000 continuous copies.

  In Examples 2 to 10 as well, the evaluation result was sufficiently satisfactory as a usable level.

  Table 5 shows combinations of toner and intermediate transfer member, and Table 6 shows evaluation results.

<Example 11>
In Example 1, an endurance test was performed in the same manner except that the intermediate transfer belt cleaning device was changed to an electrostatic cleaning device using a charging roller. Table 6 shows the evaluation results.

  As the charging roller, a 20 mm diameter roller in which a conductive elastic layer having a layer thickness of 8 mm and a surface layer having a layer thickness of 20 μm are provided on a SUS cored bar. Further, +1500 V was applied to the charging roller, the peripheral speed was set to 125% with respect to the intermediate transfer member, and the charging roller was set to rotate in the reverse direction.

<Example 12>
Using the two-component developers 1, 10, 11, and 12, the endurance test for 20,000 sheets was performed in the full color mode in the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. As a result of the durability test, the primary transfer efficiency, the secondary transfer efficiency, and the cleaning property were good, there was no transfer dropout and roughness, and no fusing or scratching occurred on the intermediate transfer member.

<Comparative Examples 1-11>
In Comparative Examples 1 to 11, the durability test of 20,000 continuous copies was conducted in the same manner as in Example 1.

  Table 5 shows combinations of toner and intermediate transfer member, and Table 6 shows evaluation results.

It is a schematic sectional drawing of an example of the processing apparatus used for the spheroidization of the toner of this invention. It is the schematic which shows an example of the top view of the dispersion | distribution rotor shown in FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 3 is an enlarged view of an intermediate transfer belt cleaning device 46. FIG. It is a figure which shows the character pattern (a) used for evaluation of a transfer omission, and an omission state (b).

Claims (5)

The toner image formed on the photosensitive member is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer member, and the toner image primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer member is secondarily transferred onto the transfer material. An image forming method for cleaning toner remaining on an intermediate transfer member by contacting the transfer member,
The cleaning means is a fur brush or a charging roller;
The intermediate transfer member has a maximum displacement (Sb) with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N in the range of 0.10 to 1.00 μm, and the following formula Eb = (Sb−Ib) × 100 / Sb
(In the formula, Ib represents the amount of plastic displacement (μm) of the intermediate transfer member with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N.)
The elastic deformation rate (Eb) (%) represented by:
The toner that forms the toner image has an average circularity of 0.920 to 0.960 in particles having an equivalent circle diameter of 2 μm or more, and a maximum displacement (St) with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N is 0.00. The range is from 06 to 0.24 μm, and the following formula Et = (St−It) × 100 / St
(In the formula, It represents the amount of plastic displacement (μm) of the toner with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N.)
The elastic deformation rate (Et) (%) represented by is 25-60,
The elastic deformation rate of the intermediate transfer member and the elastic deformation rate of the toner satisfy the following conditional expression: 75 ≦ Eb + Et ≦ 135
An image forming method characterized by satisfying the above.   The toner contains at least toner particles and fine particles having a primary average particle size of 70 to 150 nm, and the content of the fine particles is 0.5 to 4.0 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the toner particles. The image forming method according to claim 1. The toner image formed on the photoreceptor is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer member, the toner image on the intermediate transfer member is secondarily transferred onto the transfer material, and after the secondary transfer, the cleaning unit is applied to the intermediate transfer member. An image forming apparatus used in an image forming method for cleaning toner remaining on an intermediate transfer member in contact therewith,
The cleaning means is a fur brush or a charging roller;
The intermediate transfer member has a maximum displacement (Sb) with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N in the range of 0.10 to 1.00 μm, and the following formula Eb = (Sb−Ib) × 100 / Sb
(In the formula, Ib represents the amount of plastic displacement (μm) of the intermediate transfer member with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N.)
The elastic deformation rate (Eb) (%) represented by:
The toner that forms the toner image has an average circularity of 0.920 to 0.960 in particles having an equivalent circle diameter of 2 μm or more, and a maximum displacement (St) with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N is 0.00. The range is from 06 to 0.24 μm, and the following formula Et = (St−It) × 100 / St
(In the formula, It represents the amount of plastic displacement (μm) of the toner with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N.)
The elastic deformation rate (Et) (%) represented by is 25-60,
The elastic deformation rate of the intermediate transfer member and the elastic deformation rate of the toner satisfy the following conditional expression: 75 ≦ Eb + Et ≦ 135
An image forming apparatus characterized by satisfying the above.   The toner contains at least toner particles and fine particles having a primary average particle size of 70 to 150 nm, and the content of the fine particles is 0.5 to 4.0 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the toner. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3. The toner image formed on the photoreceptor is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer member, the toner image on the intermediate transfer member is secondarily transferred onto the transfer material, and after the secondary transfer, the cleaning unit is applied to the intermediate transfer member. A toner used in an image forming method for cleaning the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer member in contact with the toner,
The cleaning means is a fur brush or a charging roller;
The intermediate transfer member has a maximum displacement (Sb) with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N in the range of 0.10 to 1.00 μm, and the following formula Eb = (Sb−Ib) × 100 / Sb
(In the formula, Ib represents the amount of plastic displacement (μm) of the intermediate transfer member with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N.)
The elastic deformation rate (Eb) (%) represented by:
The toner that forms the toner image has an average circularity of 0.920 to 0.960 in particles having an equivalent circle diameter of 2 μm or more, and a maximum displacement (St) with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N is 0.00. The range is from 06 to 0.24 μm, and the following formula Et = (St−It) × 100 / St
(In the formula, It represents the amount of plastic displacement (μm) of the toner with respect to a load of 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ N.)
The elastic deformation rate (Et) (%) represented by is 25-60,
The elastic deformation rate of the intermediate transfer member and the elastic deformation rate of the toner satisfy the following conditional expression: 75 ≦ Eb + Et ≦ 135
A toner characterized by satisfying

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