JP2639060B2 - Electrophotographic photoreceptor - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an electrophotographic photosensitive member, and more particularly, to an electrophotographic photosensitive member using a silicon-containing polycarbonate resin as a binder resin.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, electrophotographic technology has the advantage that high-speed and high printing quality can be obtained, and thus has been remarkably applied in the fields of copiers, laser beam printers, and the like.

As an electrophotographic photoreceptor used in these electrophotographic techniques, those using inorganic photoconductive materials such as selenium, selenium-tellurium alloy, selenium-arsenic alloy, and cadmium sulfide have been widely known. On the other hand, research on electrophotographic photoreceptors using organic photoconductive materials, which are inexpensive and have excellent advantages in terms of manufacturability and disposability compared to electrophotographic photoreceptors using these inorganic photoconductive materials, has also been activated. ing. Above all, a function-separated type organic laminated photoreceptor in which a charge generation layer that generates charges by exposure and a charge transport layer that transports charges are laminated has sensitivity, chargeability, and repetition stability thereof, in terms of electrophotographic characteristics. It is excellent, and various proposals have been made and put to practical use.

In these organic laminated photoconductors, those exhibiting sufficient performance with respect to the above electrophotographic characteristics have been developed, but durability against mechanical external force, that is, toner, developer, paper, cleaning members, etc. Problems such as image defects due to abrasion or scratches on the photoreceptor surface due to direct burden, or low-resistance substances such as ozone and nitrogen oxides generated by corona discharge, paper dust generated by copy paper, and toner components There are image defects and the like caused by adhesion and accumulation on the surface of the photoconductor, which limits the life of the photoconductor.

In order to solve these problems, various measures have been studied. For example, a method using polymethyl methacrylate, polyester, polycarbonate resin, etc. as a binder resin for the surface area of the photoreceptor (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-4051) Etc.) or those in which a lubricant is contained in the binder resin of the photoreceptor surface layer (JP-A-63-2072 and JP-A-63-56658).

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in these cases proposed heretofore, an electrophotographic photosensitive member having relatively good durability can be obtained, but it is still not sufficiently satisfactory. That is, in the former case,
The formed coating film has a pencil hardness in the range of HB to H, and thus the surface hardness of the formed electrophotographic photoreceptor is not sufficiently satisfactory. However, there remains a problem that image quality defects occur due to wear and scratches on the photosensitive layer surface,
Further, in the latter case, there remains a problem that an image flow occurs due to the accumulation of deposits on the surface of the photoreceptor after a copying operation of about 40,000 to 50,000 sheets. Therefore, conventionally, there has been a demand for the development of a binder resin capable of forming a photosensitive layer having a high surface hardness.

The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and has as its object to solve the above-described problems in the related art.

That is, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a photosensitive layer having both high surface hardness and surface lubricity.

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of various studies on the binder resin of the photosensitive layer, the present inventors have found that a polycarbonate resin containing a repeating unit represented by the following general formula (I) as a component has an extremely excellent surface property. By having both hardness and surface lubricity and using it, the above problems, i.e., image quality defects due to wear and scratches on the photosensitive layer surface, and the occurrence of image deletion due to adhesion and accumulation of paper dust, etc. are simultaneously eliminated, The inventors have found that the life of the electrophotographic photosensitive member can be significantly improved, and have completed the present invention.

The present invention relates to an electrophotographic photoreceptor having a photosensitive layer provided on a conductive substrate, wherein the photosensitive layer comprises, as a binder resin, a polycarbonate resin having a repeating unit represented by the following general formula (I) as a component: It is characterized by containing at least one species.

(Wherein, R ₁ , R ₂ , R ₃ and R ₄ each represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, or a halogen atom, and R ₅ and R ₆ represent a hydrogen atom and a carbon atom, respectively. Numbers 1-4
Represents an alkyl group or an aryl group. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

As the conductive substrate in the electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention, aluminum, brass, copper, nickel, steel or other metal plate or metal sheet, plastic sheet, aluminum, nickel, chromium, titanium, palladium, indium oxide, oxide A conductive material such as tin, graphite, or the like, which is coated by vapor deposition, sputtering, coating, or the like, and subjected to a conductive treatment, or a material obtained by conducting a conductive treatment on glass, a plastic plate, cloth, paper, or the like can be used.

On the conductive substrate, a photosensitive layer of a dispersion type, a laminated type or the like is provided, and an undercoat layer having a barrier function or an adhesive function is provided between the photosensitive layer and the conductive substrate as necessary. You may. As a material constituting the undercoat layer, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl alcohol, casein,
Resins such as polyamide, cellulose, gelatin, polyurethane and polyester, and metal oxides such as aluminum oxide can be used.

The photosensitive layer formed on the conductive substrate may have a single-layer structure or a laminated structure in which a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer are functionally separated. In the case of a stacked structure, the charge generation layer and the charge transport layer may be stacked in any order.

These photosensitive layers are composed of a coating film containing a charge generating substance, a charge transporting substance, or both of them in a binder resin.

Examples of the charge generating material include amorphous selenium, crystalline selenium, selenium-tellurium alloy, selenium-arsenic alloy, other selenium compounds and alloys, inorganic photoconductors such as zinc oxide and titanium oxide, phthalocyanine, and squarium. And organic pigments and dyes such as anthracene, anthracene, perylene, azo, anthracene, pyrene, pyrylium salts, and thiapyrylium salts.

As the charge transport material, p-benzoquinone, chloranil, bromoanil, quinone compounds such as anthraquinone, tetracyanoquinodimethane compounds, 2,4,7-trinitrofluorenone, 2,4,5,7-tetranitrofluorenone Compounds such as fluorenone compounds, fluorenone-9-malononitrile compounds, xanthone compounds, benzophenone compounds, cyanovinyl compounds, and electron-withdrawing substances such as ethylene compounds, pyrazoline compounds, hydrazone compounds, oxazole compounds, and carbazole compounds. , Arylalkane-based compounds, triphenylamine-based compounds, aryl-substituted ethylene-based compounds, benzidine-based compounds, stilbene-based compounds, anthracene-based compounds, and polymers having a group consisting of these compounds in a main chain or a side chain. Electron donating substance It is used.

Among these, it is particularly preferable to use a triphenylamine-based compound represented by the following general formula (II).

(Wherein, R ₇ and R ₈ represent H or CH ₃ respectively, R ₉
Represents H, CH ₃ , C ₂ H ₅ or Cl) In the present invention, the above-mentioned polycarbonate resin is used as the binder resin. In the case where the photosensitive layer has a laminate structure in which a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer are functionally separated, the polycarbonate resin can be used as a binder resin for both the charge generation layer and the charge transport layer. It is desirable to use at least a layer forming a surface. And it is particularly preferable to use it as a binder resin when the surface is made of a charge transport layer.

The polycarbonate resin comprising the repeating unit represented by the general formula (I) used in the present invention has an average molecular weight of 10,000 to 300,000, preferably 20,000 to 200,000.

Specific examples of the polycarbonate resin that can be suitably used in the present invention include those having the following repeating unit as a component.

The polycarbonate resin in the present invention is a phenolic compound represented by the following general formula (III),
It can be easily synthesized according to a conventional method.

(Wherein R _{1 to} R ₆ have the same meaning as described above) Specifically, phosgene is introduced into the phenolic compound using an aqueous pyridine or alkali solution as an acid binder in the presence of a methylene chloride solvent. It can be produced by performing the reaction while performing. As an acid binder,
When using an alkaline aqueous solution such as sodium hydroxide, the phenolic compound, sodium hydroxide, water,
After mixing appropriate amounts of methylene chloride and the like and introducing phosgene, a tertiary amine compound such as trimethylamine and triethylamine as a catalyst, sodium hydroxide and water are added in appropriate amounts to carry out polymerization, and as a molecular weight regulator, , Phenol, p-tertiary butyl phenol, or other monofunctional compound can be added before, during, or after phosgenation. Next, a typical production example will be described.

Synthesis Example 1 A phenolic compound represented by the following structural formula (III-1) 0.2 mol sodium hydroxide 18 g water 250 ml methylene chloride 150 ml p-tertiary butyl phenol 0.4 g While stirring, 40 g of phosgene was blown into the mixture for 2 hours, and 0.05 g of triethylamine, 5 g of sodium hydroxide and 30 ml of water were further added, and polymerization was carried out at 25 ° C. for 4 hours. After completion of the polymerization, 400 ml of methylene chloride was added for dilution, washed with hydrochloric acid, washed with water, and then methylene chloride was evaporated to give the following structural formula (I-
About 55 g (average molecular weight: about 30,000) of a polycarbonate resin represented by 1) and comprising a repeating unit was obtained.

Synthesis Example 2 A phenolic compound represented by the following structural formula (III-2) 0.2 mol sodium hydroxide 18 g water 250 ml methylene chloride 150 ml p-tertiary butyl phenol 0.4 g or more substances were charged into the second reaction vessel. A polymerization reaction was carried out in the same manner as in Synthesis Example 1 to obtain about 50% of a polycarbonate resin comprising a repeating unit represented by the following structural formula (I-2).
g (average molecular weight about 30,000) was obtained.

Synthesis Example 3 A phenolic compound represented by the following structural formula (III-3) 0.2 mol sodium hydroxide 18 g water 250 ml methylene chloride 150 ml p-tertiary butyl phenol 0.4 g or more substances were charged into the second reaction vessel. A polymerization reaction was carried out in the same manner as in Synthesis Example 1 to obtain a polycarbonate resin having a repeating unit represented by the following structural formula (I-3) of about 60%.
g (average molecular weight about 30,000) was obtained.

Synthesis Example 4 A phenolic compound represented by the following structural formula (III-4) 0.2 mol sodium hydroxide 18 g water 250 ml methylene chloride 150 ml p-tertiary butyl phenol 0.4 g or more substances were charged into the second reaction vessel. A polymerization reaction was carried out in the same manner as in Synthesis Example 1 to obtain about 63% of a polycarbonate resin comprising a repeating unit represented by the following structural formula (I-4).
g (average molecular weight about 30,000) was obtained.

In the present invention, when the photosensitive layer has a laminated structure, the charge generation layer is formed by applying and drying a coating solution obtained by dispersing or dissolving the charge generation material and the binder resin in an appropriate solvent. be able to. As the binder resin, in addition to the above polycarbonate resins, those known as binder resins, for example, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride,
Polyvinyl acetate, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl acetal, alkyd resin, acrylic resin,
Conventionally known materials such as thermoplastic resins such as polyacrylonitrile, polycarbonate, polyamide, polyketone, polyacrylamide, butyral resin and polyester, and thermosetting resins such as polyurethane, epoxy resin and phenol resin can be used.

The thickness of the charge generation layer is usually 0.05 to 40 μm, preferably
It is set to 0.05 to 25 μm.

In addition, the charge transport layer can be formed by applying a solution in which the above-described charge transport material and the above-mentioned copolymerized polycarbonate resin are dissolved in an appropriate solvent, followed by drying. As the solvent used for forming the charge transport layer, many useful organic solvents can be used. Representative examples include aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, xylene and chlorobenzene, ketones such as acetone and 2-butanone, and halogenated aliphatic carbons such as methylene chloride, chloroform and ethylene chloride. Hydrogens, cyclic or linear ethers such as tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, ethylene glycol, diethyl ether and the like, and mixed solvents thereof can be mentioned.

The thickness of the charge transport layer is 2 to 100 μm, preferably 10 to 4 μm.
It is set to 0 μm.

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to Examples.

Example 1 An aluminum pipe was used as a conductive substrate, and 10 parts by weight of an alcohol-soluble polyamide resin, methanol
A coating solution consisting of 150 parts by weight and 40 parts by weight of water was applied by dip coating and dried to form an undercoat layer having a thickness of 1 μm. 90 parts by weight of trigonal selenium (produced by Xerox Co., USA), 10 parts by weight of a modified polyvinyl butyral resin, n-butanol
A mixture consisting of 300 parts by weight was dispersed, 2 parts by weight of n-butanol was added to 1 part by weight of the obtained dispersion, and a diluted solution was applied by dip coating on the undercoat layer described below and dried. Thus, a charge generation layer having a thickness of 0.3 μm was formed.

Next, N, N'-diphenyl-N, N'-bis (3-methylphenyl)-[1,1'-biphenyl] -4,4'-diamine 3
Parts by weight and the structural formula (I) obtained in Synthesis Example 1 above.
-1) 10 parts by weight of a polycarbonate resin composed of a repeating unit is added to a solvent to which methylene chloride is added in an amount of 40 parts by weight, and dissolved. The resulting solution is dip-coated on the charge generation layer, After drying, a charge transporting layer having a thickness of 20 μm was formed, thereby producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member having three layers.

When the electrophotographic photosensitive member manufactured as described above is mounted on a copying machine having a blade cleaning member and 100,000 copies are run, whether or not image defects occur due to wear and scratches on the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member The amount of surface abrasion and the occurrence of image deletion in a high-temperature, high-humidity environment were investigated, and the surface pencil hardness was further investigated. The results are shown in Table 1.

Example 2 The same as Example 1 except that a polycarbonate resin having a repeating unit represented by the structural formula (I-2) obtained in Synthesis Example 2 was used as a binder resin of the charge transport layer. To produce an electrophotographic photoreceptor, which was similarly evaluated. Table 1 shows the results.

Example 3 The same as Example 1 except that a polycarbonate resin having a repeating unit represented by the structural formula (I-3) obtained in Synthesis Example 2 was used as a binder resin of the charge transport layer. To produce an electrophotographic photoreceptor, which was similarly evaluated. Table 1 shows the results.

Example 4 The same as Example 1 except that a polycarbonate resin comprising a repeating unit represented by the structural formula (I-4) obtained in Synthesis Example 2 was used as a binder resin of the charge transport layer. To produce an electrophotographic photoreceptor, which was similarly evaluated. Table 1 shows the results.

Comparative Example As a binder resin for the charge transport layer, only a commercially available polycarbonate resin (manufactured by Teijin Limited, Panlite K-1300) was used.
Except for using parts by weight, an electrophotographic photosensitive member was prepared and processed in the same manner as in Example 1 and evaluated in the same manner. The results are shown in Table 1.

Effects of the Invention In the present invention, since a polycarbonate resin having a repeating unit represented by the above general formula (I) as a constituent component is used as a binder resin of the photosensitive layer, the formed coating film has extremely excellent surface hardness and Has surface lubricity,
Therefore, the electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention has excellent durability,
The occurrence of image defects due to abrasion and scratches on the surface of the photosensitive layer is suppressed, and at the same time, the occurrence of image flow due to the accumulation of paper dust and the like is eliminated, and the life is dramatically improved.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising a photosensitive layer provided on a conductive substrate, wherein the photosensitive layer comprises, as a binder resin, a polycarbonate resin comprising a repeating unit represented by the following general formula (I) as a component: An electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising one or more of the following. (Wherein, R ₁ , R ₂ , R ₃ and R ₄ each represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, or a halogen atom, and R ₅ and R ₆ represent a hydrogen atom and a carbon atom, respectively. Numbers 1-4
Represents an alkyl group or an aryl group. )