JP3260510B2 - Developing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developing device for an electrostatic latent image, and more particularly to a developing device characterized by a developing roller or a toner layer thickness regulating member.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method of developing an electrostatic latent image using a non-magnetic one-component toner, toner is supplied onto a toner carrier (for example, a developing roller) by a toner supplying member (for example, a replenishing roller). The toner on the toner carrier is thinned by a blade-shaped or roll-shaped toner layer regulating member, and is applied to an electrostatic latent image holding member (for example, a photoconductor) for holding the electrostatic latent image. There is known a method of developing in contact. In this method, the toner carrier is
(1) toner replenishment, (2) toner charging, (3) toner thin layer formation, (4) toner transport, (5) development,
(6) Cycles such as static charge removal of residual charges are repeated. When the toner carrier is cycled one cycle and enters the next cycle, a counter charge is generated on the toner carrier due to frictional charging with the toner, or the photoconductor is not charged. As a result, the charge characteristics and development characteristics of the toner are deteriorated by repeated use, and the so-called afterimage phenomenon occurs.

[0003] For this reason, various methods of removing the charge of the toner carrier have been conventionally studied. For example, a method of contacting the surface of the toner carrier with a low resistance material such as a metal brush or a conductive sponge has been proposed. However, when a metal brush is used, streaks may appear on an image due to non-uniform contact with the surface of the toner carrier, and when a conductive sponge is used, the afterimage elimination effect may be reduced. It was not enough. Furthermore, these methods have a drawback that the static elimination efficiency is extremely poor because they are methods of contacting the toner carrier via the thin toner layer. In order to improve these disadvantages, studies have been made on the material and density of the brush, the number of sponge rollers, and the like, but the afterimage has not been completely eliminated.

On the other hand, with improvements from the development system side,
A toner carrier that is very easy to initialize, in other words, has no charge remaining, has also been developed. As the simplest idea, a method has been studied in which carbon black is contained on at least the surface of the toner carrier to lower the volume resistance of the surface of the toner carrier to make it easier to leak the generated counter charge. As such a developing roller, for example, 10 ⁵ -1 is used as a conductive substrate of the first coating layer.
Development using an elastic material having a volume resistance of 0 ¹¹ Ω · cm (hereinafter referred to as medium resistance), and a second coating layer coated with a semiconductive material made of a flexible synthetic resin and conductive particles. There are rollers. However, it is difficult to produce a uniform and stable material because the material used is acrylonitrile butadiene, chloroprene rubber, urethane rubber, and the like, and the environmental resistance of electrical characteristics is particularly poor. There is a disadvantage that the development characteristics change depending on the conditions.

On the other hand, a developing roller comprising a conductive elastic material having a volume resistance of 10 ⁶ Ω · cm or less, a resin or rubber layer in a medium resistance-high resistance region, and an electrode layer sequentially laminated thereon is used. Proposed. This has the advantage that environmental resistance can be significantly improved by using a silicone-based or fluorine-based resin or rubber having excellent environmental resistance. However, in this case, since the medium- and high-resistance resin is used as the coating layer, the charge generated by the frictional charging process with the toner remains and accumulates. Has the disadvantage of producing Attempts have also been made to promote charge leakage by dispersing conductive particles in the electrode layer of the developing roller and lowering the resistance. However, the conductivity enough to leak charges has a volume resistance of 10 ¹⁰ Ω.・ Cm
The following resistance values are required. When such a volume resistance value is applied to the surface of the toner carrier, the toner charge amount and toner transportability are reduced, and the electrostatic latent image associated with the lower resistance of the surface layer is formed. Problems such as excessive concentration due to an increase in the electric field strength with the holder, a reduction in resolution, and the addition of a large amount of conductive particles to the toner, such as a decrease in releasability of the surface layer from the toner, generation of toner filming, and a decrease in abrasion resistance. At present, development rollers that are satisfactory in all aspects have not been developed. Therefore, the present inventors have proposed a developing roller having a configuration as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-129368. That is, the conventional problem described above was solved by providing a resin layer containing a surfactant on the developing roller. After further study,
As shown in JP-A-3-166569, it has been shown that the resin layer should be at least on a conductive substrate.

Here, a fluorine-based surfactant is preferred from the viewpoint of environmental resistance. However, in order to sufficiently exert the effect of the surfactant, dispersibility in the resin is a major problem.If the dispersibility is poor, a large amount of the content is required to obtain a sufficient effect. In some cases, other characteristics such as chargeability with toner and abrasion may be deteriorated. Therefore, it is necessary to select a resin having good dispersibility, and the range of material selection is narrow. In addition, when a large amount of a surfactant is contained, the adhesiveness decreases, and problems such as peeling of the film also occur.

On the other hand, conventionally, the toner layer formed on the developing roller has been controlled to have a charge amount of about 5 to 30 μc / g and an adhesion amount of about 0.3 to 0.5 mg / cm ² . In order to obtain a sufficient image density, about 0.8 to 1.4 mg / cm ² of toner is required on the transfer paper. For this reason, generally, the developing roller is a photosensitive member which is an electrostatic latent image holding member. Is rotated at 2 to 4 times speed. However, if such a speed difference is provided, a so-called toner rear end shift occurs in which the toner is concentrated at the rear end of the image. In order to prevent this, constant speed development in which the photosensitive member and the developing roller are rotated at a constant speed is required. For this purpose, it is necessary to have the required amount of toner already adhered to the developing roller, and it is necessary to increase the chargeability of the material of the developing roller. However, it is difficult to make the chargeability extremely high with a limited material system capable of improving the afterimage.

On the other hand, in this method, the toner is
When a thin layer is formed by the toner regulating member, the toner is charged by friction between the toner regulating member and the developing roller. As the blade-shaped or roll-shaped toner regulating member, for example, a metal regulating member is used. However, with a metal, a sufficient charge amount cannot be given to the toner by frictional charging. Therefore, there is a charge injection method in which a bias is applied to the metal member to impart a charge to the toner.
This makes it possible to control the charge applied to the toner. However, since the metal toner regulating member has poor releasability from the toner, the toner adheres to the surface of the member, and it becomes impossible to provide stable charge for a long period of time and to make the layer thinner. In order to solve this problem, it has been proposed to use a resin, a fluororesin, or the like having excellent releasability for the toner regulating member. This prevents the toner from sticking, and at the same time can provide a sufficient charge amount.

However, since these resins are insulative, the triboelectric charge generated in the toner regulating member during charging with the toner tends to remain, and the residual charge has the following effects. (1) The time required for the toner to reach the saturation charge amount (the rising property of the toner charge) is delayed. (2) When a long-term continuous operation is performed, the saturation charge amount of the toner gradually decreases.

Therefore, it is not possible to obtain a long-term stable high-quality image. In order to solve this problem, attempts have been made to mix low-resistance particles such as carbon into the resin to make it easier to leak the residual charge that has reduced the volume resistance. Inconveniences, such as occurrence, occurred, and other measures were required. Accordingly, the present inventors have disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-168664 that the chargeability and releasability of the toner can be significantly improved by providing a resin layer containing a surfactant on at least the conductive substrate of the toner regulating member. Proposed. Here, a fluorine-based surfactant was preferred in terms of environmental resistance. However, in order to sufficiently exert the effect of the surfactant, dispersibility in the resin is a major problem.If the dispersibility is poor, a large amount of the content is required to obtain a sufficient effect. In some cases, other characteristics such as chargeability with toner and abrasion may be deteriorated. Therefore, it is necessary to select a resin having good dispersibility, and the range of material selection is narrow. In addition, there is also a problem that a large amount of the compound decreases adhesiveness to a substrate and peels off.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to improve the situation of the above-mentioned prior art, and does not cause an afterimage even after repeated use for a long time, and maintains a sufficient amount of toner charge and conveyance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a developing device using a developing roller which can be used. On the other hand, it is an object of the present invention to provide a developing device provided with a toner regulating member which is excellent in chargeability to toner, does not cause toner fusion, and can maintain these characteristics stably for a long period of time. Aim.

[0012]

Means for Solving the Problems The present inventors have conducted studies to solve the above-mentioned problems, and have found that the use of an aminosilane coupling agent is very effective. That is, it has been found that a resin layer containing at least a surfactant and an aminosilane coupling agent should be provided on the developing roller or the toner regulating member. As a result, the present invention has the configuration described in the claims. The developing device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, 1 is a container, 2 is a toner, 3 is an agitator, 4 is a replenishing roller, 5 is a toner carrier (developing roller), 6 is a toner thin layer blade, and 7 is an electrostatic latent image holding member (photosensitive member). ).

In FIG. 1, a toner container 1 contains a non-magnetic one-component toner 2. The toner 2 is conveyed by the agitator 3 to a toner storage section formed by the supply roller 4 and the toner carrier 5, and the toner carrier 5
Carried on the surface of Further, the toner thin layer blade 6 forms a uniform thin layer and is triboelectrically charged to a predetermined polarity. The thin toner layer is conveyed to a developing area where the photoconductor 7 holding the electrostatic latent image and the toner carrier 5 are in contact with each other, where the toner is electrostatically transferred from the toner carrier 5 to the photoconductor 7, and The image is visualized. In the above-described process, the toner 2 and the toner carrier 5 are electrostatically coupled by frictional charging. After the toner 2 moves to the photoconductor 7, a counter charge remains in the toner carrier 5. ,
This causes so-called afterimage development.

The present invention has the above-described configuration to quickly eliminate the influence of the counter charge and to provide a toner carrier having excellent toner chargeability and transportability. In the above process, the thin toner layer is made uniform by the toner regulating member and is charged to a predetermined charging polarity. However, in order to form a uniform thin layer, a large contact pressure is applied to the toner by the regulating member. ing. Therefore, as described above, if the toner is used for a long time, the toner is fused to these regulating members, and the thin layer is disturbed and the charge amount is reduced.

In the present invention, in order to prevent the toner from being fused and to control the chargeability of the toner, it is possible to obtain a desired polarity and charge amount, and to obtain a long-term stability of the chargeability of the toner. , The specific configuration described above. That is, at least the toner carrier or the toner regulating member
A resin layer containing a surfactant and an aminosilane coupling agent is provided on the grounded conductive layer.

By using the aminosilane coupling agent together, the dispersibility of the surfactant in the resin and the adhesion to the substrate are improved, and the effect can be exhibited with a smaller amount. In addition, even for a resin for which a sufficient effect has not been obtained with only a surfactant, the effect can be sufficiently obtained. Therefore, the range of choice of the resin to be used is widened, and it is easy to cope with other characteristics. In the present invention, not only non-magnetic one-component development but also magnetic one-component development can be applied as described above. The shape is not limited to a roller shape, but may be a belt shape. FIG. 2 shows a representative example of the toner carrier used in the present invention. In the figure, 21 is a conductive layer (core metal), and 22 is a resin layer.

The conductive layer 21 is formed of a conventionally known material, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel, aluminum and iron. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a conductive layer 32 made of resin or rubber may be provided on these metal cores 31, and a resin layer 33 may be provided thereon. Further, an elastic body can be used for the conductive layer 32, so that it can be used for an elastic belt photosensitive body or a rigid drum photosensitive body. In addition, it is possible to control to a desired elastic modulus. Generally, when rubber or the like is made conductive, it is often made conductive by carbon black or the like, but if a large amount of carbon black is added, it becomes hard. Also,
If a sponge or the like is used, it is difficult to apply it on the surface because of poor surface properties. Therefore, when a sufficiently low hardness is required, a conductive layer 40 provided with a metal thin cylinder or a conductive thin resin 43 is formed on an elastic body 42 as shown in FIG. 4, and the resin layer 44 is formed thereon. It can also be formed (JP-A-63-100482). In this case, the thin layer 43 is grounded.

The resin layer 22 can be made of a general resin or rubber, for example, alkyd resin, chlorinated polyether, epoxy resin, fluorine resin, phenol resin, polyamide, polycarbonate, polyethylene, methacryl resin, polypropylene, polystyrene, or the like. Polyurethane,
Formed from resins such as polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride and silicone, butadiene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, chloroprene rubber, chlorinated polyethylene, epichlorohydrin rubber, nitrile rubber, acrylic rubber, silicone rubber, fluorine rubber, etc. However, from the viewpoint of heat resistance and moisture resistance, silicone resins and fluororesins are preferred. The present invention can be achieved by including a surfactant and an aminosilane coupling agent in this layer, and the surfactant may be any of nonionic, cationic, anionic and amphoteric. Specifically, examples of nonionic compounds include ester compounds such as fatty acids, ether ester compounds, ether compounds, and amide condensates. Examples of the cationic compounds include aliphatic amine salts and quaternary ammonium salts thereof. Salts, aromatic quaternary ammonium salts, anionic ones such as heterocyclic quaternary ammonium salts include alkyl carboxysan salts, N-acyl amino acid salts, alkyl ether carboxylates, acylated peptides, alkyl sulfonates,
Alkyl benzene and alkyl naphthalene sulfonate, sulfosuccinate, α-olefin sulfonate,
N-acyl sulfonates, alkyl sulfates, alkyl ether sulfates, alkyl allyl ether sulfates, alkyl amide sulfates, alkyl phosphates, alkyl ether phosphates, alkyl allyl ether phosphates, etc. Is carboxybetaine, sulfobetaine,
Amino carboxylate and the like.

In the present invention, as the above-mentioned surfactant,
In particular, when a fluorine-based surfactant is contained, environmental resistance is excellent, which is preferable. Examples of the fluorine-based surfactant include the following. As nonionic,
Examples of cationic compounds such as perfluoroalkyl group-containing lipophilic group-containing oligomers, perfluoroalkyl group-hydrophilic group-containing oligomers, and perfluoroalkylethylene oxide adducts include anionic compounds such as perfluoroalkyl-containing quaternary ammonium salts. Examples thereof include perfluoroalkyl-containing sulfonic acids and carboxylic acid monovalent metal salts and phosphoric acid esters. Examples of amphoteric compounds include perfluoroalkyl-containing betaines. It can be appropriately selected from these. Further, they can be used in combination.

As the aminosilane coupling agent, general-purpose ones can be used. For example, (1) H ₂ NCH ₂ CH ₂ CH ₂ Si (OCH ₃ ) ₃ (2) H ₂ NCH ₂ CH ₂ CH ₂ Si (OC ₂ H ₅ ) ₃ (3) H ₂ NCH ₂ CH ₂ CH ₂ Si (CH ₃ ) (OC
H ₃ ) ₂ (4) H ₂ NCH ₂ CH ₂ NHCH ₂ CH ₂ CH ₂ Si (C
H ₃ ) (OCH ₃ ) ₂ (5) H ₂ NCONHCH ₂ CH ₂ CH ₂ Si (OC
_{2 H 5) 3 (6)} H 2 NCH 2 CH 2 NHCH 2 CH 2 CH 2 Si (O
CH ₃ ) ₃ (7) H ₂ NCH ₂ CH ₂ NHCH ₂ CH ₂ NHCH ₂ CH
₂ CH ₂ Si (OCH ₃ ) ₃ (8) H ₅ C ₂ OCOCH ₂ CH ₂ NHCH ₂ CH ₂ CH ₂
Si (OCH ₃ ) ₃ (9) H ₅ C ₂ OCOCH ₂ CH ₂ NHCH ₂ CH ₂ NHCH ₂
CH ₂ Si (OCH ₃ ) ₃ (10) H ₅ C ₂ OCOCH ₂ CH ₂ NHCH ₂ CH ₂ NH
CH ₂ CH ₂ NHCH ₂ CH ₂ NHCH ₂ CH ₂ CH ₂ Si
(OCH ₃ ) ₃ (11) H ₃ COCOCH ₂ CH ₂ NHCH ₂ CH ₂ NH
CH ₂ CH ₂ CH ₂ Si (OCH ₃ ) ₃ (12) (H ₅ C ₂ ) ₂ NCH ₂ CH ₂ CH ₂ Si (OCH
_{3) 3 (13) H 2} N-Ph-Si (OCH 3) 3 (14) Ph-NHCH 2 CH 2 CH 2 Si (OCH 3) 3 (15) H 2 NCH 2 CH 2 NHCH 2 -Ph-CH ₂ C
H ₂ Si (OCH ₃ ) ₃ (16) (H ₉ C ₄ ) ₂ NCH ₂ CH ₂ CH ₂ Si (OCH
₃ ) ₃ etc.

These aminosilane coupling agents are particularly effective when negatively chargeable toner is used because they tend to exhibit positive chargeability. The contents of these surfactants and aminosilane coupling agents have different degrees of effect depending on their types, and need to be appropriately adjusted. In order to obtain a sufficient effect, characteristics such as abrasion resistance, environmental resistance, and toner chargeability may be deteriorated. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, improvement can be achieved by providing an overcoat layer 53 thereon. The general resin or rubber described in the above resin layer can be used for the overcoat layer.

In this case, the thickness of the overcoat layer is preferably 100 μm or less. If it is more than this, the influence of the residual charge of the overcoat layer cannot be suppressed and an afterimage occurs. Further, an inorganic filler, a crosslinking agent, a processing aid, a heat stabilizer, a charge control agent, and the like can be added to the resin layer and the overcoat layer as needed. FIG. 6 shows a representative example of the toner regulating member used in the present invention. In the figure, 61 is a conductive layer, and 62 is a resin layer.

The conductive layer 61 is formed of a conventionally known material, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel, aluminum, and iron. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a conductive layer 72 made of resin or rubber may be provided on these thin metal plates 71. In addition, an elastic body can be used for the conductive layer. By providing elasticity, the pressing force against the toner can be reduced, and the effect of preventing fusion can be further improved. It is also possible to control the elastic modulus to a desired value. Generally, when rubber or the like is made conductive, it is often made conductive by carbon black or the like, but if a large amount of carbon black is added, it becomes hard. In addition, when a material such as a sponge is used, the surface property is poor, and it is difficult to apply the material on the material. Therefore, when a sufficiently low hardness is required, a conductive layer 80 provided with a metal thin film or a conductive thin film resin 83 is formed on an elastic body 82 as shown in FIG. 8, and the resin layer 84 is formed thereon. It is also possible. In this case, the thin film layer 83 is grounded.

The resin layer 84 may be the same as the developing roller described above. Further, this layer contains a surfactant and an aminosilane coupling agent, and the above general materials can also be used. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 9, the overcoat layer 9 is formed on the resin layer 92.
3 may be provided. The regulating member is not limited to the blade shape as described above, and the toner thin layer roller 6 of the developing device shown in FIG.
-2 may be used.

[0025]

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the following examples and comparative examples. The amounts (parts) of the components described in the examples are parts by weight. Example 1 A resin layer forming component having the following formulation was spray-coated on an Al core metal, and cured at 200 ° C. for 30 minutes to form a resin layer of about 30 μm.

{Component for forming resin layer} Alkyd-modified silicone resin (solid content 50%) (SA4; manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) 100 parts Nonionic surfactant (Surflon S-381: manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.) 5 parts Aminosilane coupling Agent [Structural formula (6)] (KBM 603; manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) 10 parts The following evaluation was performed using the developing device prepared as described above in the developing device shown in FIG. The other members of the developing device are as follows. Photoconductor 7 OPC Toner thin layer blade 6 Urethane blade Toner supply roller 5 Conductive urethane sponge Toner 2 Negatively chargeable toner (the following configuration) ｛Negative charge Water-soluble toner｝ Styrene acrylic copolymer resin 100 parts Chromium-containing monoazo dye 2 parts Carbon black 10 parts Example 2 Instead of the surfactant in Example 1, a fluorinated cationic surfactant (C ₈ F ₁₇ SO ₂ NH ( _{C 3 H 6) N + (} C
H ₃ ) ₃ I ⁻ ) was the same except that it was used. Example 3 The procedure was the same as in Example 1, except that a fluorine-based anionic surfactant (C ₈ F ₁₇ SO ₃ Na) was used instead of the surfactant. Example 4 Instead of the surfactant in Example 1, a fluorinated amphoteric surfactant (C ₈ F ₁₇ SO ₂ NH (C ₃ H ₆ ) N + (CH ₃ )) was used.
₂ · C ₂ H ₄ COO ⁻ ) was the same except that it was used.

Example 5 Instead of the surfactant in Example 1, a hydrocarbon-based cationic surfactant (C ₁₂ H ₂₅ SO ₂ NH (C ₃ H ₆ ) N +) was used.
(CH _{3) 3} I ^- it was another same with. Example 6 The procedure was the same except that a hydrocarbon-based cationic surfactant (C ₈ H ₁₇ SO ₃ Na was used instead of the surfactant in Example 1. Example 7 In place of the surfactant in Example 1 To hydrocarbon amphoteric surfactants

[0028]

Embedded image

The procedure was the same except that was used. Example 8 Instead of the aminosilane coupling agent in Example 1, KBM903 (manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co .; structural formula (1) above)
Were the same except for using.

Comparative Example 1 Example 1 was the same as Example 1 except that no aminosilane coupling agent was contained. Comparative Example 2 Example 1 was the same as Example 1 except that no surfactant was contained. Comparative Example 3 The procedure was the same as in Example 1, except that the surfactant and the aminosilane coupling agent were not contained.

Example 9 The procedure was the same as in Example 1 except that the toner was changed to the following positively chargeable toner. << Positively Charging Toner >> Styrene acrylic copolymer resin 100 parts Nigrosine dye 2 parts Carbon black 10 parts Example 10 The resin layer in Example 8 was 10 μm, and the following overcoat layer forming components were spray-coated on the resin layer at 30 μm. A developing roller was used. << Components for forming overcoat layer >> Alkyd-modified silicone resin (solid content: 50%) (SA4; Shin-Etsu Chemical) 100 parts Chromium-containing monoazo dye 3 parts Examples 11 to 14 The thickness of the overcoat layer in Example 9 was set to 1
Except that they were 50 μm, 100 μm, 80 μm and 40 μm, they were the same. Example 15 Example 15 was the same as Example 1 except that a conductive elastic layer was formed between the resin layer and the core metal using the following conductive layer forming components. The fabrication was as follows. Conductive primer (DY-39 in advance)
-011; Toray Dow Corning Silicone Co., Ltd.) was applied onto a core metal, and the following conductive layer forming components were subjected to primary vulcanization:
170 ° C./10 minutes, 120 kg / cm ² , secondary vulcanization: 2
A conductive elastic layer (volume resistance: 1.5 × 10 ⁵ Ω · cm, rubber hardness JISA: 28 degrees) having a thickness of 6 mm was formed by press molding under the conditions of 00 ° C./4 hours.

{Conductive Layer Forming Component} Methylvinylpolysiloxane 100 parts Carbon black (Ketjen Black EC) 5 parts Quartz 20 parts After kneading the above mixture with a two-roll mill, 100 parts of the mixture is mixed with a crosslinking agent (2, 4-dimethyl-2,4-di-tert-butylperoxyhexane: 1.5 parts of RC-4) manufactured by Toray Dow Corning Silicone Co., Ltd. The developing rollers of Examples and Comparative Examples obtained as described above were used as the developing rollers in FIG. 1, and the charge amount of the toner, the toner adhesion amount, and the afterimage were each 10 ° C.
/ 15%, 22 ° C / 50%, 30 ° C / 90%. The evaluation method is as follows.

(1. Measurement of Toner Charge Amount) The toner charge amount on the developing roller when ten test charts were output was measured by a blow-off method. (2. Amount of toner adhesion) The amount of toner adhesion on the developing roller at the same time as above was measured by tape transfer. (3. Evaluation of image persistence) The test chart image was observed and an abnormal image was checked. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, a pattern image is output, that is, after black solid development, the halftone dot is developed, and the image density (ID _L ) of the halftone dot corresponding to the black solid color position and the image density other than the black solid color corresponding portion are developed. Halftone dot image density (ID _H )
(ID _L / ID _H ) was measured with a Macbeth densitometer. This value was taken as the persistence.

Example 16 The procedure was the same as in Example 10 except that the developing roller manufactured in Example 10 was replaced with the developing device shown in FIG. Each evaluation result was as follows.

[0035]

[Table 1]

Next, the toner regulating member will be described in detail with reference to an embodiment. Example 17 A resin layer forming component having the following formulation was spray-coated on a SUS plate and cured at 200 ° C./30 minutes to form a resin layer of about 30 μm. << Resin layer forming component >> Alkyd-modified silicone resin (solid content 50%) (SA4; manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) 100 parts Nonionic surfactant (Surflon S-381; manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.) 5 parts Aminosilane coupling agent [above Structural formula (6)] (KBM 603; manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) 10 parts The following evaluation was performed using the toner regulating member manufactured in the above manner in the developing device of FIG. The other members of the developing device are as follows. Photoconductor 7 OPC Developing roller Conductive silicone resin coated roller Toner supply roller 5 Conductive urethane sponge Toner 2 Negatively chargeable toner (described below) Constitution) {Negatively Chargeable Toner} Styrene acrylic copolymer resin 100 parts Chromium-containing monoazo dye 2 parts Carbon black 10 parts Example 18 Instead of the surfactant in Example 17, a fluorinated cationic surfactant (C ₈ F ₁₇ SO ₂ NH (C ₃ H ₆ ) N
^{_{+ (CH 3) 3 I -}} ) was the other same used. Example 19 The procedure was the same as in Example 17 , except that the fluorine-based cationic surfactant C ₈ F ₁₇ SO ₃ Na was used instead of the surfactant. Example 20 Instead of the surfactant in Example 17 , a fluorinated amphoteric surfactant (C ₈ F ₁₇ SO ₂ NH (C ₃ H ₆ ) N ⁺ (C
H ₃ ) ₂ C ₂ H ₄ COO ⁻ ) was the same except for using H ₂ . Example 21 Instead of the surfactant in Example 17 , a hydrocarbon-based cationic surfactant (C ₁₂ H ₂₅ SO ₂ NH (C ₃ H ₆ )) was used.
^{_{N + (CH 3) 3 I}} -) was the other same used. Example 22 The procedure was the same as that of Example 17 except that a hydrocarbon-based anionic surfactant C ₈ H ₁₇ SO ₃ Na was used instead of the surfactant. Example 23 Instead of the surfactant in Example 17 , a hydrocarbon amphoteric surfactant was used.

[0037]

Embedded image

The procedure was the same except that was used. Example 24 The procedure was the same as in Example 17 except that KBM903 [manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd .; structural formula (1) above] was used instead of the aminosilane coupling agent.

Comparative Example 4 Example 17 was the same as Example 17 except that no aminosilane coupling agent was contained. Comparative Example 5 Example 17 was the same as Example 17 except that no surfactant was contained. Comparative Example 6 The procedure was the same as in Example 17 , except that the surfactant and the aminosilane coupling agent were not contained.

Example 25 The procedure was the same as in Example 17 except that the following positively chargeable toner was used as the toner. << Positively Charging Toner >> Styrene acrylic copolymer resin 100 parts Nigrosine dye 2 parts Carbon black 10 parts Example 26 The resin layer in Example 24 was 10 μm, and the following overcoat layer forming components were spray-coated on the resin layer at 30 μm. A developing roller was used. << Components for forming overcoat layer >> Alkyd-modified silicone resin (solid content 50%) (SA4; Shin-Etsu Chemical) 100 parts Chromium-containing monoazo dye 3 parts Examples 27 to 30 The thickness of the overcoat layer in Example 26 was 150 μm, Except that they were 100 μm, 80 μm and 40 μm, they were the same. Example 31 Example 31 was the same as Example 17 except that a conductive elastic layer was formed between the resin layer and the core metal using the following conductive layer forming components.
The fabrication was as follows. Conductive primer (DY-3
9-011; Toray Dow Corning Silicone Co., Ltd.), the following conductive layer forming components were subjected to primary vulcanization: 170 ° C./10 minutes, 120 kg / cm ² , and secondary vulcanization: 200 ° C. Press molding under the condition of / 4 hour, thickness 1m
m conductive elastic layer (volume resistance: 1.5 × 10 5 Ω · c
m, rubber hardness JISA: 28 degrees).

{Conductive layer forming component} Methyl vinyl polysiloxane 100 parts Carbon black (Ketjen black EC) 5 parts Quartz 20 parts After kneading the above mixture with two rolls, 100 parts of the mixture is mixed with a crosslinking agent (2, 4-dimethyl-2,4-ditert-butylperoxyhexane: 1.5 parts by weight of RC-4) manufactured by Toray Dow Corning Silicone Co., Ltd. The toner regulating members of Examples and Comparative Examples obtained as described above are used in the developing device in FIG. 1 to measure the toner charge amount, toner fixation, and toner charging startability at 10 ° C./15% and 22 ° C., respectively. / 50%, 30 ° C /
The evaluation was made in each environment of 90%. The evaluation method is as follows.

(1. Measurement of toner charge amount) The toner charge amount () on the developing roller at the time of outputting ten test charts and 1
The amount of charge () on the developing roller after running for 10,000 sheets was measured by a blow-off method. (2. Fixing Toner) After running 10,000 sheets, the toner regulating member (blade) was removed, and the toner was ranked according to the following evaluation. Rank A: The toner on the blade surface can be easily wiped off with a cloth or the like. Rank B: Slight toner remains after wiping. Rank C: The toner cannot be completely wiped off, and a thin film of the toner remains. Rank D: The melted toner is firmly fixed to the blade surface.

(3. Rising Property of Toner Charging) After 10,000 sheets of test chart images were run, the charge amount of the toner supplied to the developing roller after outputting a solid black image was measured by a blow-off method. The charge amount at this time indicates the charge amount of the toner in one rotation of the developing roller, and is compared with the previously measured (). Each evaluation result was as follows.

[0044]

[Table 2]

[0045]

[Table 3]

[0046]

As described above, by providing a resin layer containing a surfactant and an aminosilane coupling agent on at least the conductive layer of the developing roller, the electric charge generated by the triboelectric charging with the toner is improved. The influence can be quickly removed, and a high-quality image free from afterimages can be provided. Further, by using a fluorine-based surfactant, an afterimage can be prevented from occurring even in various environmental properties. Further, in this configuration, when a negatively chargeable toner is used as the toner, higher chargeability can be realized and is effective. On the other hand, when a positively chargeable toner is used, it is effective to provide a chargeable overcoat layer on the resin layer. Further, by using an elastic body as the conductive layer, it can be used not only for an elastic belt photosensitive body but also for a rigid drum photosensitive body.

Further, by providing a resin layer containing a surfactant and an aminosilane coupling agent on at least the conductive layer of the toner regulating member, the influence of the charge generated by the triboelectric charging with the toner is quickly removed. Therefore, the toner does not fuse to the toner regulating member even during long-term continuous use, and the toner charge amount is appropriately stable for a long period of time, so that a stable high-quality image can be provided.
Further, by using a fluorine-based surfactant, it is possible to stabilize even in various environmental properties. Further, in this configuration, when a negatively chargeable toner is used as the toner, higher chargeability can be realized and is effective. On the other hand, when a positively chargeable toner is used, it is effective to provide a chargeable overcoat layer on the resin layer. It is more effective to use an elastic body as the conductive layer.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a developing device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a representative example of a toner carrier in a developing device of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of another specific example of the toner carrier in the developing device of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of another specific example of the toner carrier in the developing device of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of another specific example of the toner carrier in the developing device of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a representative example of a toner regulating member in the developing device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of another specific example of the toner regulating member in the developing device of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of another specific example of the toner regulating member in the developing device of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of another specific example of the toner regulating member in the developing device of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of another specific example of the developing device of the present invention;

FIG. 11 shows an example of a pattern image output for evaluation of afterimage quality;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of another specific example of the developing device of the present invention;

[Description of Signs] 1 container 2 toner 3 agitator 4 supply roller 5 developing roller 6 toner thin layer blade 6-2 toner thin layer roller 7 photoconductor (belt) 7-2 photoconductor (drum) 21 conductive layer (core metal) REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 22 resin layer 31 cored bar 32 conductive layer 33 resin layer 40 conductive layer 41 cored bar 42 elastic layer 43 conductive thin layer 44 resin layer 51 cored bar 52 resin layer 53 overcoat layer 61 conductive layer (substrate) 62 resin layer 71 conductive Substrate 72 Conductive layer 73 Resin layer 80 Conductive layer 81 Conductive substrate 82 Elastic layer 83 Conductive thin film 84 Resin layer 91 Conductive substrate 92 Resin layer 93 Overcoat layer

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-3-129368 (JP, A) JP-A-3-168664 (JP, A) JP-A-2-140772 (JP, A) JP-A-3- 243970 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 15/08

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] An electrostatic latent image holding member (photoreceptor) that supplies a toner to a toner carrier that carries toner on its surface by a toner supply member, forms a uniform thin layer by a regulating member, and holds an electrostatic latent image The developing device according to (1), wherein the toner carrier or the regulating member has a resin layer containing a surfactant and an aminosilane coupling agent on the grounded conductive layer. 2. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the surfactant is an ionic surfactant. 3. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the surfactant is a fluorine-based ionic surfactant. 4. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the toner is a negatively chargeable toner. 5. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein an overcoat layer is further provided on the resin layer. 6. The overcoat layer has a thickness of 100 μm.
The developing device according to claim 5, wherein: 7. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is an elastic body.