JP2009139828A - Corona charger and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a scorotron corona charger that can reduce pollution of the environment and a charged body by reducing corona products generated by discharge. <P>SOLUTION: An application of a composition including zeolite, a conductive additive (such as conductive metal oxide particles of indium oxide, zinc oxide or tin oxide, or conductive activated carbon particles), a photocatalyst (such as titanium oxide (TiO<SB>2</SB>)) and a binder resin to the surface of a charging grid of the scorotron corona charger places the zeolite and photocatalyst on the grid electrode to thereby reduce the generation of NOx and remove corona products generated in the charger. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a corona charger, particularly a corona charger used in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method, and more particularly to a corona charger having a grid electrode and an image forming apparatus using the same.

  In general, an electrophotographic apparatus irradiates a uniformly charged photoconductor with writing light modulated by image data to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor, and this electrostatic latent image is formed. Toner is supplied to the photoreceptor by a developing unit, and a toner image is formed on the photoreceptor and developed. The image forming apparatus transfers the toner image on the photosensitive member to the transfer paper or the intermediate transfer member at the transfer unit, and then fixes the toner transferred on the transfer paper by the fixing unit by heating and pressurizing, and remains on the surface of the photosensitive member. The toner is collected by a method such as scraping with a cleaning blade at the cleaning unit. The image forming process as described above is taken.

It is known that a corona charger can be used as a means for charging the photoreceptor, which is the first stage of the image forming process.
Corona discharge is a sustained discharge caused by local air breakdown that occurs in a non-uniform electric field. In general, the structure is such that a small diameter wire is stretched in a shield case such as aluminum and a part of the shield case is deleted. Corona ions are released from the deleted region. As the voltage applied to the corona wire is increased, a strong local electric field is formed around the wire, causing partial breakdown of air and sustaining the discharge. This is corona discharge.

  The discharge mode of corona discharge greatly depends on the polarity of the applied voltage. In the case of normal corona discharge, a uniform discharge is formed on the corona wire surface. In the case of negative corona discharge, a discharge form in which streamer discharge is scattered is obtained. For this reason, the positive corona discharge has fairly good charging uniformity, but the negative corona causes discharge unevenness and is inferior to the positive corona. Further, it is known that the amount of ozone generated by discharge is about one order of magnitude higher in the negative corona than in the positive corona, and the burden on the environment is greater. The corona charger and its features are described below.

<Corona charger and its features>
(1) Corotron-type corona charger A configuration of a corotron-type corona charger and a charging method using the same is shown in FIG. The corotron-type corona charger has a structure in which a tungsten wire having a diameter of 50 to 100 μm is shielded with a metal about 1 cm apart. In a state where the opening surface is arranged opposite to the member to be charged (photosensitive member), a high voltage of 5 to 10 kV is applied to the corona wire, and positive or negative ions generated thereby are moved to the surface of the member to be charged. To do. As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the corotron type corona charger generates a certain amount of charges, so it is not necessarily good at uniformly charging a charged object surface having a film thickness deviation to a constant potential.

(2) Scorotron-type corona charger The scorotron-type corona charger has been devised in order to reduce the unevenness of the charged potential on the surface of the object to be charged. As shown in FIG. 1B, several wires or meshes are arranged as grid electrodes on the opening surface of the corotron. The opening surface of the scorotron charger is made to face the member to be charged, and a bias voltage is applied to the grid electrode.
FIG. 2B shows charging characteristics of the scorotron type corona charger. A feature of the scorotron type corona charger is that the charging potential is regulated by the voltage applied to the grid electrode even when the charging time is long, and the surface potential is saturated. This saturation value can be controlled by the grid applied voltage. The scorotron-type corona charger has a complicated structure and inferior charging efficiency as compared with the corotron-type, but is excellent in uniformity of charging potential and widely used.

Regardless of whether it is a corotron type or a scorotron type corona charger, the corona charger is a charger that utilizes a discharge at a high pressure of 5 to 10 KV in the atmosphere, and therefore, O ₃ from oxygen atoms, nitrogen atoms, etc. in the atmosphere. It is known to generate and release discharge products such as NOx, nitrate ions, and ammonium ions. These discharge products may adhere to and permeate the photoreceptor, which is a member to be charged, and may cause problems such as white spots, black belts, and image blur on the image. When a corona charger is used, a technique for preventing deterioration of the photoreceptor due to discharge products is sometimes required, and various studies have been conducted.

  In Patent Document 1, a SUS material charging grid of a corona charger is coated with a conductive paint containing graphite particles, nickel particles, aluminum compound particles and an organic resin binder, and corrosion caused by discharge products of the control electrode is prevented. The conductive film absorbs the generated discharge product and suppresses contamination of the object to be charged. The fine particles in the film use the action of absorbing the discharge product, but the amount that can be absorbed is determined by the number of adsorption sites of the particles, so the adsorption sites are quickly buried when used over time. The effect is expected to fade.

  In Patent Document 2, an opening is provided in a corona charger, and ozone diffusion is suppressed by forming an ozone adsorbing particle layer in a finely divided communication opening installed there. Zeolite and activated carbon are used for the ozone adsorption particles. According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the diffusion of ozone, but the charged object contamination by the ozone diffusing to the charged object side cannot be suppressed, so that the effect on the image cannot be expected to be effective.

Further, in Patent Document 3, in addition to the product removing means for adsorbing the discharge product attached to the surface of the member to be charged, the product adhesion preventing means for making it difficult for the discharge product to adhere to the surface of the member to be charged; At least one of a resistance reduction preventing means for preventing the discharge product adhering to the resistance from lowering and a product generation preventing means for reducing the amount of discharge product generated near the surface of the charged body. Although there is an example in which an adsorbent such as zeolite is arranged between the charged object and the corona charger, another discharge product adsorbing means may be brought into contact with the charged object. It is essential and a plurality of members are required. Further, when the adsorbent is disposed between the charged body and the corona charger, it is expected that charging of the charged body becomes unstable.

JP 2005-227470 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-089660 JP 2003-43894 A

  The present invention has been studied in view of the above circumstances, and by reducing the amount of discharge products generated by corona discharge using high pressure in the atmosphere, the environment and surface / internal contamination of the object to be charged are maintained. The main object of the present invention is to provide a corona charger that can be prevented.

As a result of intensive studies to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have found that (1) zeolite is effective for removing discharge products by corona discharge, and (2) among the members in the corona charger, the grid electrode It is most effective to remove the discharge products by holding the zeolite in the part. (3) When holding the zeolite in the grid, it is necessary to have a predetermined electrode resistance to ensure the function as the charge control electrode. In addition, the present inventors have found that (4) the photocatalyst is effective for the discharge product generated as needed during discharge, and (5) the photocatalyst is activated by the corona discharge light to generate a great effect.
Based on the above knowledge, by reducing the discharge products generated from the corona charger, air pollution is prevented and, when used in an electrophotographic electrophotographic apparatus, the photoconductor is prevented from being altered and charged. It has become possible to suppress the occurrence of density unevenness and image flow directly under the vessel, and has found that the reliability of the electrophotographic apparatus is remarkably improved.
That is, the present invention is a corona charger and an image forming apparatus as described below.

(1) In a corona charger having a corona discharge electrode and a charging grid, the charging grid has a layer containing zeolite, a conductive agent and a binder resin on the surface, and contains a photocatalyst in the layer. Corona charger.
(2) The photocatalyst is titanium oxide, the corona charger according to (1), (3) the photocatalyst is activated by discharge light generated at a corona wire of the corona charger, (1) or (2) The corona charger described.
(4) A process cartridge comprising a combination of the corona charger according to any one of (1) to (3) and at least an electrophotographic photosensitive member.
(5) An image forming apparatus using the corona charger according to any one of (1) to (3) or the process cartridge according to (4).

  In a scorotron type corona charger having a charging grid that allows easy control of the surface potential of the object to be charged, the amount of gas and discharge products generated from the corona charger can be reduced by holding the zeolite, conductive agent, and photocatalyst on the grid electrode. It is possible to maintain a stable image by efficiently and continuously reducing and suppressing contamination / degeneration of a charged body such as a photoconductor.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an electrophotographic apparatus. The image carrier 100 is charged with (±) 600 to 1400 V by the charging device 101. After the charge is applied (charged), the image exposure system 102 forms a latent image. In the case of an analog copying machine, the original image irradiated by the exposure lamp is projected onto the photosensitive member in the form of a reverse image by a mirror and formed into an image. In the case of a digital copying machine, it is read by a CCD (charge coupled device). The obtained original image is converted into a digital signal of an LD or LED having a wavelength of 400 to 780 nm, and formed on the photosensitive member. Therefore, the analog and digital wavelength ranges are different. By image formation, charge separation is performed in the photosensitive layer, and a latent image is formed on the photosensitive member. The image carrier 100 on which the latent image has been formed according to the document is developed with a developer by the developing device 103, and the document image is visualized (toner image).

  Next, the toner image on the photoreceptor is transferred to the copy sheet 109 by applying a voltage to the transfer device 104. The voltage applied in the transfer is controlled by constant current so that the current flowing through the photosensitive member is constant. On the other hand, after the image carrier 100 is transferred, the toner image is cleaned and cleaned by a cleaning device 105 (consisting of a cleaning brush 106 and an elastic rubber cleaning blade 107). Since the latent image (original image) after the toner image is formed is held on the photosensitive member after cleaning, the static eliminator (generally using red light) 108 for erasing and uniformizing. Then, the preparation for the next latent image formation is completed and a series of copying processes is completed.

The image forming means may be fixedly incorporated in a copying apparatus, facsimile, or printer, but may be incorporated in these apparatuses in the form of a process cartridge and detachable.
The process cartridge for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes at least an image carrier and a charging device, and if necessary, a developing device, a transfer unit, a cleaning unit, a discharging unit, etc. as an integrated unit in the image forming apparatus main body It is a device (part) that is detachable.

[Configuration of corona charger]
<Charging grid>
The scorotron charger according to the present invention has the configuration shown in FIG. 1B, and includes at least a shield case, a charging wire, and a grid electrode as essential components. FIG. 4 shows a charging method of the scorotron type corona charger. In FIG. 4, the charger and the photoconductor are installed facing each other, Vc: -5 to -8 KV is applied to the charging wire, Vg: -500 to -1500 volt is applied to the grid electrode, and the photoconductor is charged near Vg. It is intended for uniform charging. As described above, in the corona charging, discharge products such as O ₃ , NOx, ammonium ions, and nitrate ions are generated by high-pressure discharge and accumulate in the charger (in the shield case).

The main object of the present invention is to reduce the discharge products accumulated in the shield case and to reduce discharge products generated at the time of discharge as needed. We are trying to reduce things. As a result of various examinations, it has been found that the holding position of the zeolite can suppress deterioration of the surface of the photoreceptor due to the discharge product and abnormal images due to the holding of the grid electrode. As described above, since the grid electrode is a control electrode for making the charging potential of the photosensitive member uniform by corona discharge, it is necessary to discharge from the charging wire to the grid electrode, and the surface resistance of the grid electrode is 1. It is necessary to be × 10 ¹⁰ Ωcm or less. Therefore, the grid electrode according to the present invention has a configuration in which zeolite and a conductive agent are held on a conductive mesh-shaped or wire-shaped metal grid. Further, the present invention pays attention to the removal of harmful substances from the discharge product during the charging operation / discharge and the photosensitive member entering from the outside of the image forming apparatus during the discharge, in particular, NOx, SOx, ammonia, For the purpose of decomposing acetaldehyde, hydrogen sulfide, and methyl mercaptan, it is configured to have a photocatalyst on the metal grid in addition to zeolite and a conductive agent.

  As the base material of the charging grid which is the control electrode of the corona charger, those conventionally used can be used. As a material of the charging grid, a metal which is a conductor is used to function as an electrode. Most of metals such as aluminum, tungsten, nickel, iron, nichrome, copper, zinc, and silver can be used as the electrode function, but the charger is exposed to ozone, NOx, etc. generated by corona discharge. Therefore, a metal having high corrosion resistance is preferable, and stainless steel containing chromium or nickel is used. As the shape, it is necessary to move the charge generated by corona discharge onto the photoconductor and to have a function as a control electrode, so that a metal thin plate is provided with an opening by punching, etching or the like, or metal wires are arranged Is usually used. In particular, an etching grid obtained by etching a metal plate in a mesh shape at intervals of 0.5 to 3 mm is preferable.

In the embodiment, a SUS304 plate having a thickness of 0.1 mm, a length of 285 mm, and a width of 40 mm is used as the base material of the charging grid, and a 0.1 mm grid is formed at an angle of 45 degrees on a portion having an opening length of 250 mm and a width of 36 mm. Those arranged at intervals of 0.5 mm were used. A coating solution is applied to the substrate so that the film thickness after drying is 30 μm on each of the back and front sides, and dried at 100 ° C./30 minutes to form a conductive film, thereby producing a grid. Attached to the charger.
When the base material of the charging grid is a wire, a uniform coating film is formed around the wire.
In the above, a coating film is formed using a coating film-forming material containing a conductive agent, but after forming a coating film using a coating film-forming material composed of a binder resin, zeolite and a photocatalyst, a conductive agent is applied or driven in later. A coating film may be formed.
The external shape of the charging grid used in the examples is shown in FIG.

(photocatalyst)
The photocatalyst according to the present invention is a substance that exhibits a catalytic action when irradiated with light, and titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) is particularly preferable. Pure titanium oxide is a colorless and transparent substance, and the wavelength of light to be absorbed is limited to the ultraviolet region of 380 nm or less. Therefore, only a small portion of ordinary light such as incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps contributes to the catalytic reaction. This also applies to the discharge light that can use the grid holding the photocatalyst of the present invention, and contributes little to the photocatalytic reaction. Therefore, in the present invention, titanium oxide that has been made to respond to visible light so that visible light can be absorbed by doping a small amount of impurities into titanium oxide, which is a photocatalyst, can also be used. In the grid of the present invention, the main discharge products are decomposed and removed by zeolite, and NOx, SOx, or ammonia from the outside is decomposed by the photocatalyst. Therefore, the amount of the photocatalyst is the total amount of the coating layer held by the electrode grid. 2-20 wt% is suitable.

(Zeolite)
Next, the zeolite according to the present invention will be described. Zeolite is a general term for crystalline porous aluminosilicate, composition formula ^{_{(M n +) 2 / n}} O · Al 2 O 3 · xSiO 2 · yH 2 O
n: valence of cation M
x: Number of 2 or more
y: a substance represented by a number of 0 or more.
In the skeletal structure, aluminum (+3 valence) and silicon (+4 valence) share oxygen (-2 valence) with each other, so that silicon is electrically neutral and aluminum is −1. In order to compensate for this negative charge, a cation (eg, Na +) is required in the skeleton. This cation can be easily exchanged with other metal ions (for example, H ⁺ , K ⁺ , Ca ^2+, etc.), and the zeolite can have various functions depending on the kind of the cation. In addition, the framework of zeolite is formed by three-dimensionally combining the structures of Si—O—AL—O—Si, and there are various regular forms of frameworks by this three-dimensional combination. Further, the skeleton has uniform pores derived from a skeleton made of silicon, aluminum, and oxygen, and water, various gases, and organic molecules can be selectively taken into the skeleton.

Zeolite differs in the molecules that can be adsorbed because the pore size changes depending on the crystal form and the type of cation. Therefore, effective removal is possible by selecting the crystal form and cation species. Crystal types include A type, X type, Y type, L type, mordenite type, ferrierite type, ZSM-5 type, beta type, and cation species include potassium, sodium, calcium, ammonium, hydrogen, etc. is there. Further, the adsorption ability and catalytic ability change depending on the ratio of aluminum and silicon constituting the zeolite, and the target substance can be efficiently removed by setting the optimum ratio.
In addition to natural zeolite, there are artificial zeolites obtained by treating industrially produced wastes such as synthetic zeolite and coal ash.
The type of the zeolite used in the present invention is not particularly limited, but the crystal type is A type or X type, high valence ions such as iron, aluminum, calcium and magnesium in the cationic species, and potassium in the monovalent type. Ions with large atomization are suitable for the adsorption, ion exchange, and decomposition of the discharge product that is the object of the present invention.

(Binder resin)
A binder resin is used for the purpose of holding the zeolite on the charging grid. The binder resin can be used regardless of natural resin or synthetic resin. Examples of synthetic resins include polystyrene, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer, polyester, polyvinyl chloride. , Vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinylidene chloride, polyarylate resin, phenoxy resin, polycarbonate, cellulose acetate resin, ethyl cellulose resin, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl formal, polyvinyl toluene, poly-N-vinyl carbazole, Thermoplastic or thermosetting resins such as acrylic resin, silicone resin, epoxy resin, melamine resin, urethane resin, phenol resin, alkyd resin and the like can be mentioned. The coating film is required to have durability against electric discharge and adhesion with a binder resin, but a binder resin ratio in a range in which the discharge product removal effect is not hindered by covering the zeolite surface is desirable. Therefore, it is preferable because the adhesiveness is good at a binder resin ratio with less thermosetting resin that forms a network structure by a polymerization reaction by heat. In some cases, two types of binder resins can be used.
The binder ratio that the discharge product removal function does not deteriorate due to the binder resin covering the zeolite was normally about 10 wt%, but the evaluation was performed even when the binder resin ratio was around 30 wt%. It has been confirmed that the function is not lowered and compatibility with adhesion is possible.

(Conductive agent)
In order to hold the zeolite on the grid electrode, the zeolite can be held on the grid by dispersing the zeolite in a binder resin and applying it to the charged grid. Usually, the charging grid is conductive, but when covered with the binder resin and zeolite, the electric resistance increases, and the function of controlling the surface potential cannot be performed. Therefore, it is necessary to mix a conductive agent for the purpose of imparting conductivity to the resin film of the zeolite binder. As the conductive agent, conductive metal oxide fine particles such as indium oxide, zinc oxide, and tin oxide, conductive activated carbon particles, and the like can be used. In some cases, two kinds of conductive agents can be used.

<Coating method on the charging grid>
In order to form a charged grid according to the present invention, a coating film forming liquid composed of at least zeolite, a binder resin, a conductive agent, and a photocatalyst may be applied to and dried on a grid electrode that has been conventionally used. What is necessary is just to apply | coat the above-mentioned coating-film formation liquid with methods, such as spray coating, dip coating, and screen printing, with respect to the said SUS304 base-material grid electrode, and heat-drying as needed. Since zeolite, a photocatalyst, and a conductive agent are in the form of particles, various conventional dispersion methods such as a ball mill, a vibration mill, an ultrasonic wave, and a sand mill can be used for preparing the coating film forming liquid.
When the base material of the charging grid is a wire, a uniform coating film is formed around the wire.
In the above, a coating film was formed using a coating film-forming material containing a conductive agent, but after forming a coating film using a coating film-forming material consisting of a binder resin and zeolite, a conductive agent was applied or driven in later A coating film may be formed.

The blending ratio of zeolite / photocatalyst / conductive agent / binder resin is preferably 30-50 parts for zeolite, 1-10 parts for photocatalyst, 10-30 parts for conductive agent, and 10-30 parts for binder resin.
The thickness of the layer composed of zeolite, photocatalyst, conductive agent, and binder resin is preferably 10 to 200 μm. If the thickness is less than 10 μm, the sustainability of the ability to absorb and decompose the discharge product is insufficient, and if it is 200 μm or more, it functions as a grid. It becomes difficult to control the charging potential, and the photosensitive member cannot be charged to a constant charging potential.

The coating liquid was first prepared by adding a binder resin to a ratio of about 5 to 10 wt% with respect to the solvent, and adding zeolite particles and a conductive agent while stirring. In the case of spray coating, the solid concentration of the coating liquid was 30 wt% or less.
As a method for coating the prepared liquid on the charging grid, there are a dipping method, a roller coating method, an electrophoretic electrodeposition method, and the like, but this time, the spray method with the least coating unevenness was used. A charging grid is tensioned from both ends in the long axis direction and installed in the longitudinal direction of a cylindrical base having a diameter of 30 mm, and the cylinder is rotated at a speed of 170 rpm in the circumferential direction and sprayed in the horizontal direction at 10 mm / sec. Coating was carried out by scanning at a speed of. In order to coat both sides, a charging grid was installed about 3 mm above the base. After spray coating, the membrane was fixed by heating at 130 ° C. for 30 minutes and drying. The coating film thickness was 30 μm.

[Configuration of photoconductor]
In the present invention, a conventionally known photoreceptor can be used.
The electrophotographic photosensitive member will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the electrophotographic photosensitive member used in the present invention. On the conductive support (31), an intermediate layer (33), a charge generation layer (35) having a charge generation function, and charge transport. This is a photoreceptor having a laminated structure in which a charge transport layer (37) having a physical function is laminated.

<About conductive support>
As the conductive support (31), a material having a volume resistance of 10 ¹⁰ Ω · cm or less, for example, a metal such as aluminum, nickel, chromium, nichrome, copper, gold, silver, platinum, tin oxide, oxidation Metal oxide such as indium is deposited or sputtered to form film or cylindrical plastic, paper coated, or aluminum, aluminum alloy, nickel, stainless steel, etc. After conversion, a tube that has been subjected to surface treatment such as cutting, superfinishing, or polishing can be used. Further, an endless nickel belt and an endless stainless steel belt disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-86547 can also be used as the conductive support (31).
In addition, the conductive support dispersed in a suitable binder resin and coated on the support can also be used as the conductive support (31) used in the present invention.

  Examples of the conductive powder include carbon black, acetylene black, metal powder such as aluminum, nickel, iron, nichrome, copper, zinc and silver, or metal oxide powder such as conductive tin oxide and ITO. Can be mentioned. The binder resin used at the same time is polystyrene, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer. , Polyvinyl acetate, polyvinylidene chloride, polyarylate resin, phenoxy resin, polycarbonate, cellulose acetate resin, ethyl cellulose resin, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl formal, polyvinyl toluene, poly-N-vinylcarbazole, acrylic resin, silicone resin, epoxy resin, Examples thereof include thermoplastic, thermosetting resins, and photocurable resins such as melamine resin, urethane resin, phenol resin, and alkyd resin. Such a conductive layer can be provided by dispersing and coating these conductive powder and binder resin in a suitable solvent such as tetrahydrofuran, dichloromethane, methyl ethyl ketone, and toluene.

  Furthermore, it is electrically conductive by a heat-shrinkable tube in which the conductive powder is contained in a material such as polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyester, polystyrene, polyvinylidene chloride, polyethylene, chlorinated rubber, Teflon (registered trademark) on a suitable cylindrical substrate. Those provided with a conductive layer can also be used favorably as the conductive support (31) of the present invention.

<About the intermediate layer>
The structure of the intermediate layer (33) that can be provided for the purpose of preventing charge injection from the conductive support (31) to the photosensitive layer or for preventing interference fringes is that the binder resin or particles are contained in the binder resin. The binder resin may be a thermoplastic resin such as polyvinyl alcohol, nitrocellulose, polyamide, or polyvinyl chloride, or a thermosetting resin such as polyurethane or alkyd-melamine resin. As particles to be dispersed in the intermediate layer, titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, tin oxide, zinc oxide, zirconium oxide, magnesium oxide, silica and their surface treatment products are used, and titanium oxide is more preferable in terms of dispersibility and electrical characteristics. Both rutile and anatase types can be used.
In order to form the intermediate layer, for example, the above-described binder resin may be dissolved in an organic solvent, and the above-described particles may be dispersed in the solution by means of a ball mill, a sand mill, or the like, and applied to a support and dried. . The thickness of the intermediate layer is 10 μm or less, preferably 0.1 to 6 μm.

<About photosensitive layer>
(Charge generation layer)
The charge generation layer (35) is a layer mainly composed of a charge generation material having a charge generation function, and a binder resin can be used in combination as necessary. As the charge generation material, inorganic materials and organic materials can be used.

  Inorganic materials include crystalline selenium, amorphous selenium, selenium-tellurium, selenium-tellurium-halogen, selenium-arsenic compounds, and amorphous silicon. In amorphous silicon, dangling bonds that are terminated with hydrogen atoms or halogen atoms, or those that are doped with boron atoms, phosphorus atoms, or the like are preferably used.

  On the other hand, a known material can be used as the organic material. For example, phthalocyanine pigments such as metal phthalocyanine and metal-free phthalocyanine, azulenium salt pigments, squaric acid methine pigments, azo pigments having a carbazole skeleton, azo pigments having a triphenylamine skeleton, azo pigments having a diphenylamine skeleton, dibenzothiophene skeleton Azo pigments having fluorenone skeleton, azo pigments having oxadiazole skeleton, azo pigments having bis-stilbene skeleton, azo pigments having distyryl oxadiazole skeleton, azo pigments having distyrylcarbazole skeleton, perylene Pigments, anthraquinone or polycyclic quinone pigments, quinoneimine pigments, diphenylmethane and triphenylmethane pigments, benzoquinone and naphthoquinone pigments, cyanine and azomethine pigments, Goido based pigments, and bisbenzimidazole pigments. These charge generation materials can be used alone or as a mixture of two or more.

  Binder resins used as necessary for the charge generation layer (35) include polyamide, polyurethane, epoxy resin, polyketone, polycarbonate, silicone resin, acrylic resin, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl formal, polyvinyl ketone, polystyrene, poly-N-. Examples thereof include vinyl carbazole and polyacrylamide. These binder resins can be used alone or as a mixture of two or more. In addition to the binder resin described above as a binder resin for the charge generation layer, a polymer charge transport material having a charge transport function, such as an arylamine skeleton, a benzidine skeleton, a hydrazone skeleton, a carbazole skeleton, a stilbene skeleton, a pyrazoline skeleton, etc. Polymer materials such as polycarbonate, polyester, polyurethane, polyether, polysiloxane, and acrylic resin, polymer materials having a polysilane skeleton, and the like can be used.

The charge generation layer (35) may contain a low molecular charge transport material.
Low molecular charge transport materials that can be used in combination with the charge generation layer (35) include hole transport materials and electron transport materials.
Examples of the electron transporting material include chloroanil, bromanyl, tetracyanoethylene, tetracyanoquinodimethane, 2,4,7-trinitro-9-fluorenone, 2,4,5,7-tetranitro-9-fluorenone, 2,4 , 5,7-tetranitroxanthone, 2,4,8-trinitrothioxanthone, 2,6,8-trinitro-4H-indeno [1,2-b] thiophen-4-one, 1,3,7-tri Examples thereof include electron-accepting substances such as nitrodibenzothiophene-5,5-dioxide and diphenoquinone derivatives. These electron transport materials can be used alone or as a mixture of two or more.

  Examples of the hole transporting material include the electron donating materials shown below and are used favorably. As hole transport materials, oxazole derivatives, oxadiazole derivatives, imidazole derivatives, monoarylamine derivatives, diarylamine derivatives, triarylamine derivatives, stilbene derivatives, α-phenylstilbene derivatives, benzidine derivatives, diarylmethane derivatives, triaryls Other known materials such as methane derivatives, 9-styrylanthracene derivatives, pyrazoline derivatives, divinylbenzene derivatives, hydrazone derivatives, indene derivatives, butadiene derivatives, pyrene derivatives, bisstilbene derivatives, enamine derivatives, and the like can be given. These hole transport materials can be used alone or as a mixture of two or more.

As a method of forming the charge generation layer (35), a vacuum thin film preparation method and a casting method from a solution dispersion system are mainly exemplified.
As the former method, a vacuum deposition method, a glow discharge decomposition method, an ion plating method, a sputtering method, a reactive sputtering method, a CVD method, or the like is used, and the above-described inorganic materials and organic materials can be satisfactorily formed.
In addition, in order to provide a charge generation layer by the casting method described later, if necessary, the inorganic or organic charge generation material, together with a binder resin, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, dioxolane, toluene, dichloromethane, monochlorobenzene, dichloroethane, cyclohexanone, cyclohexane. Can be formed by dispersing with a ball mill, attritor, sand mill, bead mill, etc. using a solvent such as pentanone, anisole, xylene, methyl ethyl ketone, acetone, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, etc. . Moreover, leveling agents, such as a dimethyl silicone oil and a methylphenyl silicone oil, can be added as needed. The application can be performed by dip coating, spray coating, bead coating, ring coating, or the like.
The thickness of the charge generation layer provided as described above is suitably about 0.01 to 5 μm, preferably 0.05 to 2 μm.

(Charge transport layer)
The charge transport layer (37) is a layer having a charge transport function. A charge transport material having a charge transport function and a binder resin are dissolved or dispersed in an appropriate solvent, and this is coated on the charge generation layer (35) and dried. To form. As the charge transport material, the electron transport material, hole transport material and polymer charge transport material described in the charge generation layer (35) can be used.

  As the binder resin, polystyrene, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl acetate, Polyvinylidene chloride, polyarylate resin, phenoxy resin, polycarbonate, cellulose acetate resin, ethyl cellulose resin, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl formal, polyvinyl toluene, poly-N-vinyl carbazole, acrylic resin, silicone resin, epoxy resin, melamine resin, urethane resin And thermoplastic or thermosetting resins such as phenol resins and alkyd resins.

The amount of the charge transport material is appropriately 20 to 300 parts by weight, preferably 40 to 150 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the binder resin. However, when a polymer charge transport material is used, it can be used alone or in combination with a binder resin.
As the solvent used for coating the charge transport layer, the same solvent as that used for the charge generation layer can be used, but a solvent that dissolves the charge transport material and the binder resin well is suitable. These solvents may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The charge transport layer (37) can be formed by the same coating method as the charge generation layer (35).

If necessary, a plasticizer and a leveling agent can be added.
As a plasticizer that can be used in combination with the charge transport layer, those used as plasticizers for general resins such as dibutyl phthalate and dioctyl phthalate can be used as they are, and the amount used is 0 with respect to 100 parts by weight of the binder resin. About 30 parts by weight is appropriate.
Leveling agents that can be used in combination with the charge transport layer include silicone oils such as dimethyl silicone oil and methylphenyl silicone oil, and polymers or oligomers having a perfluoroalkyl group in the side chain. The amount used is a binder resin. About 0 to 1 part by weight is appropriate for 100 parts by weight.
The thickness of the charge transport layer is suitably about 5 to 40 μm, preferably about 10 to 30 μm.

(Protective layer)
Wear resistance can be improved by providing a protective layer on the charge transport layer. The protective layer includes those in which inorganic fine particles are dispersed in a binder resin and those in which a cured film is obtained by polymerizing a crosslinkable charge transport material and a resin. Examples of this resin are preferably phenol resin, urethane resin, melamine resin, curable acrylic resin, siloxane resin, and the like. Further, the protective layer preferably contains a charge transport material in order to improve its electrical characteristics. In addition, as a charge transport material, what was mentioned as a constituent material of the said charge transport layer can be used, for example.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example demonstrates this invention further in detail, this invention is not limited to a following example. The “parts” used in the photoconductor production examples all represent parts by weight.

<Example of photoconductor preparation>
By coating and drying an undercoat layer coating solution, a charge generation layer coating solution, and a charge transport layer coating solution in the following order on a φ100 mm aluminum cylinder in sequence, an undercoat layer of 3.5 μm Then, a 0.2 μm charge generation layer and a 32 μm charge transport layer were formed to obtain a photoreceptor 1.

[Coating liquid for undercoat layer]
Alkyd resin 6 parts (Beckosol 1307-60-EL, manufactured by Dainippon Ink & Chemicals, Inc.)
Melamine resin 4 parts (Super Becamine G-821-60, manufactured by Dainippon Ink & Chemicals, Inc.)
Titanium oxide 40 parts Methyl ethyl ketone 50 parts

[Coating liquid for charge generation layer]
Y-type titanyl phthalocyanine 6 parts Silicone resin solution 70 parts (KR5240, 15% xylene-butanol solution: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.)
2-butanone 200 parts

[Coating liquid for charge transport layer]
Charge transport material (Structural formula A below) 25 parts Bisphenol Z-type polycarbonate 30 parts (Iupilon Z300: manufactured by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company)
Tetrahydrofuran 200 parts

[Example 1]
A coating solution was prepared using the materials shown below. The weight ratio of zeolite / photocatalyst TiO ₂ / conductive agent / binder resin was 5/1/2/2. The solid content concentration of the liquid was adjusted to 30 wt%.
Zeolite ・ ・ ・ β-type zeolite (980HOA manufactured by Tosoh Corporation)
Photocatalyst ・ ・ ・ TiO ₂ (anatase type average particle size 0.6μm, made by Junsei Chemical)
Conductive agent: Activated carbon: (RP-20, made by Kuraray Chemical)
Binder resin ... Butyral resin: (BM-5 Sekisui Chemical)
Dispersion medium: Methanol Disperse the above mixed solution for 48 hours with a ball mill to obtain a coating solution. After coating the coating solution on a stainless steel etching grid by spraying, it is mounted on a corona charger, and the zeolite, photocatalyst, conductive A scorotron type corona charger having a grid coated with an agent / binder resin was obtained. The coating film thickness was 50 μm. Subsequently, the following evaluation was performed.

[Evaluation methods]
(1) Evaluation of charge controllability The corona charger obtained in Example 1 was attached to an imagio Neo 1050pro having a process cartridge placed in an environment of 10 ° C and 15% RH. Corona discharge was performed by applying a voltage so that a constant current would flow through the charging wire, and the surface potential of the photoreceptor to be charged when -900 V was applied to the charging grid was measured.

(2) Evaluation of discharge product removal function The corona charger obtained in Example 1 was attached to an imagio Neo 1050pro having a process cartridge placed in a 32 ° C. and 90% RH environment. By performing the image forming operation, the corona charger was discharged for 3 hours, and then the machine was turned off and left for 15 hours. The machine was then turned on, and the presence of white spots and image flow immediately below the corona charger was confirmed by outputting halftone images and full-text images. Further, as a durability evaluation, after discharging the corona charger for 500 hours, the presence or absence of density unevenness and image flow was confirmed.
◎ ・ ・ ・ No density unevenness directly under the corona charger
○ ・ ・ ・ Slightly uneven density just below the corona charger, but acceptable level × ・ ・ ・ Uneven density level just below the corona charger, unacceptable level

(3) Measurement of NOx generation amount The charged grid was attached to an imagio Neo 1050pro having a process cartridge placed in a 10 ° C. and 15% RH environment. A 6 mm hole is formed in the central portion in the longitudinal direction, and an aluminum element tube having the same size as the photoconductor with a tube attached thereto is prepared and arranged in the apparatus so that a hole is formed directly under the charging charger. The amount of NOx generated when the machine was turned off and left for 15 hours after discharging for 3 hours was measured with a NOx concentration measuring device (MODEL42C manufactured by Thermo Electron) connected to the tube.

[Example 2]
Except that the photocatalyst was changed to TiO ₂ (anatase type average particle size 0.39 μm, manufactured by Fuji Titanium Industry Co., Ltd.), a coating was applied to a stainless steel etching grid in the same manner as in Example 1 to form a grid electrode, and a scorotron type corona charger Got. Subsequently, the corona charger was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1.

[Example 3]
A coating solution was prepared using the materials shown below. The weight ratio of zeolite / photocatalyst TiO ₂ / conductive agent / binder resin was 5/1/2/2. The solid content concentration of the liquid was adjusted to 30 wt%.
Zeolite ・ ・ ・ β-type zeolite (HSZ900 Type940NHA powder type manufactured by Tosoh Corporation)
Photocatalyst ・ ・ ・ TiO ₂ (catalyst action in the visible light region where platinum-containing organometallic complex colloidal solution is sprayed and fired, and nanoscale metal ultrafine particles are supported on the surface of titanium oxide fine particles in a state close to lattice matching. Rutile-type titanium oxide fine particles having an average particle size of 3.0 μm)
Conductive agent ... SnO ₂ (S-1 made by Mitsubishi Metals)
Binder resin ・ ・ ・ Polyurethane resin (Nipporan 5033 made by Nippon Polyurethane)
Dispersion medium: Ethyl acetate / toluene The above mixed solution is dispersed with a ball mill for 48 hours to obtain a coating solution. After coating the coating solution on a stainless steel etching grid by spraying, it is attached to a corona charger. A scorotron type corona charger having a grid coated with a photocatalyst, a conductive agent and a binder resin was obtained. The coating film thickness was 50 μm. Subsequently, the corona charger was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1.

[Comparative Example 1]
A scorotron type corona charger was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the coating layer was not provided on the stainless steel etching grid. Subsequently, the corona charger was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1.
[Comparative Example 2]
A scorotron-type corona charger was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the photocatalyst was replaced with 1 part of zeolite (A-type zeolite A-3 powder type manufactured by Tosoh Corporation). Subsequently, the corona charger was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1.
[Comparative Example 3]
A scorotron type corona charger was obtained in the same manner as in Example 3 except that the photocatalyst was replaced with 1 part of zeolite (beta type zeolite HSZ900 Type 940 NHA powder type manufactured by Tosoh Corporation). Subsequently, the corona charger was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1.

  By using a charging grid coated with a forming liquid containing zeolite (Examples 1, 2, 3 and Comparative Examples 2 and 3), the amount of NOx generated is reduced, and there is an effect of removing discharge products in the charger. Can be confirmed. Moreover, the suppression effect can be confirmed also in the occurrence of image flow, which is a problem on the image. However, in Comparative Examples 2 and 3, the accumulated amount of the discharge product gradually increases from the time when the discharge time of the corona charger exceeds 200 hours, and slight density unevenness starts to appear on the image. This can be considered that the absorption / decomposition ability of the discharge product is starting to become insufficient from the 200-hour discharge or so by the absorption / decomposition effect of zeolite alone. On the other hand, the corona chargers of Examples 1, 2, and 3 having the photocatalyst according to the present invention do not cause any problem on the image at 200 hours of discharge, and have no problem in practical use up to about 500 hours. Furthermore, it was found that when a photocatalyst having a catalytic function with visible light is used, it can withstand a discharge history of 500 hours without any problem. This is considered to be due to the fact that in Example 3, the photocatalyst always acts actively during discharge due to the use of corona discharge light, and continues to decompose harmful gases such as NOx.

  Since the corona charger of the present invention can reduce the amount of discharge products, it can be used in an image forming apparatus or the like to suppress the deterioration of a charged body such as a photoconductor and maintain a stable image. be able to.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of a corotron type corona charger and a scorotron type corona charger. It is a figure which shows the charging characteristic of a corotron type corona charger and a scorotron type corona charger. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the charging method of a scorotron type corona charger. It is a schematic diagram which shows the cross section of an electrophotographic photoreceptor. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of a charging grid.

Explanation of symbols

1 Charger 2 Casing 3 End block (insulating)
4 End block (insulating)
6 Charging grid 8 Claw for stretching grid 9 Grid bias application electrode 9a Claw for stretching grid (bias application electrode and grid are connected)
31 conductive support 33 intermediate layer 35 charge generation layer 37 charge transport layer 100 photoconductor 101 charging device 102 image exposure system 103 developing device 104 transfer device 105 cleaning device 106 cleaning brush 107 elastic rubber cleaning blade 108 static elimination device 109 copy sheet

Claims (5)

  In a corona charger having a corona discharge electrode and a charging grid, the charging grid has a layer containing zeolite, a conductive agent and a binder resin on the surface, and a photocatalyst is contained in the layer. vessel.   The corona charger according to claim 1, wherein the photocatalyst is titanium oxide.   3. The corona charger according to claim 1, wherein the photocatalyst is activated by discharge light generated by a corona wire of the corona charger.   A process cartridge comprising a combination of the corona charger according to claim 1 and at least an electrophotographic photosensitive member.   An image forming apparatus using the corona charger according to claim 1 or the process cartridge according to claim 4.

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