JP5018589B2 - Blade for image forming apparatus, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus blade, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus.

In recent years, copiers and printers using an electrophotographic system have been widely used.
In an image forming apparatus using such an electrophotographic system, the toner, paper dust, and dust remaining on the member to be cleaned usually come into contact with the member to be cleaned such as a photoreceptor, an intermediate transfer member, and a fixing member. A cleaning means for removing the above is provided.
One of the cleaning means is intended to clean the surface of the photoreceptor, for example. A blade material made of a plate-like rubber-like elastic body is widely used for the cleaning means for the photosensitive member in order to remove a part of the toner or paper dust remaining on the photosensitive member after the toner transfer. .

However, when cleaning is performed with a blade material made of a rubber-like elastic material such as polyurethane, the cleaning property is improved, image flow due to discharge products generated from charging means in a high humidity environment is suppressed, and the blade material It has been difficult to achieve a long life and a reduced amount of photoconductor wear at the same time.
That is, in order to improve the cleaning property or remove the discharge products, it is necessary to increase the hardness of the rubber-like elastic body or increase the pressing load. Therefore, the blade material is easily deformed, and the blade material itself This is because the life of the photosensitive member is shortened and the wear amount of the photosensitive member is also increased.

The following proposals have been made for the above problems from various viewpoints.
For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a blade material in which a surface layer made of a carbon film is provided on the surface of a polyurethane rubber molded body. Thus, it is shown that a certain effect can be obtained with respect to the reduction of the wear amount by reducing the friction with the photosensitive member.
In Patent Document 2, the portion of the cleaning blade that contacts the photosensitive drum is coated with amorphous carbon, amorphous silicon, or titanium nitride, thereby removing the toner by polishing the surface of the photosensitive member intermittently. A method is disclosed.
Patent Document 3 discloses a method for reducing frictional resistance by applying an aqueous emulsion to a pressing portion of a blade material.
Patent Document 4 discloses a method of controlling the amount of friction by a cleaning blade by providing a carbon film on the surface of a photoreceptor.
Patent Document 5 discloses a method for controlling the dynamic friction coefficient of a cleaning blade.
JP-A-9-160457 JP-A-6-282206 JP-A-5-165386 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-184341 JP 2000-162939 A

As described above, various proposals have been made, but at the same time, it has not been possible to improve the cleaning performance, increase the life of the blade material, and reduce the amount of wear of the photosensitive member at the same time. It is treated as a product.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a blade for an image forming apparatus that has good cleaning properties, can reduce the amount of wear of a member to be cleaned, and can achieve a long life, a process cartridge having the blade for an image forming apparatus, and It is an object to provide an image forming apparatus.

The above-mentioned subject is achieved by the following embodiment.
That is,
The invention according to claim 1 has a surface layer composed of oxygen and a gallium element on at least a part of the surface of a plate-like substrate made of a rubber-like elastic body, and the oxygen of the surface layer A blade for an image forming apparatus, wherein the content is 15 atomic% or more.

The invention according to claim 2 is the blade for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the surface layer is not less than 0.1 μm and not more than 1.0 μm.
The invention according to claim 3 is the blade for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plate-like base material has a rubber hardness of A60 or more and A80 or less.
The invention according to a fourth aspect is the blade for an image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, which is used for cleaning the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photosensitive member, a charging unit that charges the surface of the photosensitive member, an exposure unit that exposes the surface of the photosensitive member charged by the charging unit to form an electrostatic latent image, and the toner. And a developing unit that forms a toner image by developing with a developer, and at least one selected from the group consisting of a cleaning unit, and is detachable from an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body,
The cleaning means has a surface layer containing oxygen and a gallium element on at least a part of the surface of a plate-like substrate made of a rubber-like elastic body, and the oxygen content of the surface layer is It is a process cartridge characterized by being a blade for an image forming apparatus characterized by being 15 atomic% or more.

The invention according to claim 6 is the process cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the thickness of the surface layer of the blade for the image forming apparatus is 0.1 μm or more and 1.0 μm or less.
The invention according to claim 7 is the process cartridge according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the rubber hardness of the plate-like substrate of the blade for the image forming apparatus is A60 or more and A80 or less.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the photoreceptor includes a wear-resistant layer that includes oxygen and a gallium element on the surface thereof, and an oxygen content of 15 atomic% or more. The process cartridge according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein a difference in thickness of the wear layer is 0.1 µm or less.
The invention according to claim 9 is the process cartridge according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the cleaning means cleans the surface of the photoreceptor.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photosensitive member, a charging unit that charges the surface of the photosensitive member, an exposure unit that exposes the surface of the photosensitive member charged by the charging unit to form an electrostatic latent image, A developing unit that develops the electrostatic latent image with a developer containing toner to form a toner image, a transfer unit that transfers the toner image to a recording medium, and a cleaning unit.
The cleaning means has a surface layer containing oxygen and a gallium element on at least a part of the surface of a plate-like substrate made of a rubber-like elastic body, and the oxygen content of the surface layer is An image forming apparatus characterized by being a blade for an image forming apparatus characterized by being 15 atomic% or more.

The invention according to an eleventh aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the tenth aspect, wherein a thickness of a surface layer of the blade for the image forming apparatus is 0.1 μm or more and 1.0 μm or less.
The invention according to a twelfth aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the tenth or eleventh aspect, wherein the rubber hardness of the plate-like base material of the blade for the image forming apparatus is A60 or more and A80 or less.
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the photoreceptor includes a wear-resistant layer that includes oxygen and a gallium element on a surface thereof, and an oxygen content of 15 atomic% or more. 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a difference in thickness of the wear layer is 0.1 μm or less.
The invention according to claim 14 is the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the cleaning unit cleans the surface of the photoreceptor.

  According to the present invention, the blade for an image forming apparatus that has good cleaning properties, can reduce the amount of wear of a member to be cleaned, and can achieve a long life as compared with the case without this configuration. A process cartridge having the blade for the image forming apparatus and an image forming apparatus can be provided.

  Hereinafter, the blade for an image forming apparatus, the process cartridge, and the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail.

<Blade for image forming apparatus>
The blade for an image forming apparatus of the present invention (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “blade”) contains oxygen and gallium element in at least a part of the surface of a plate-like substrate made of a rubber-like elastic body. It has a structured surface layer, and the oxygen content of the surface layer is 15 atomic% or more.
Since the surface layer in the present invention contains the above two elements in a specific composition, it is composed of a gallium oxide having excellent hardness and oxidation resistance. By pressing this surface layer against the member to be cleaned, it is possible to remove (clean) toner, foreign matter, etc. present on the surface of the member to be cleaned. It becomes possible to clean the member to be cleaned without increasing the hardness of the plate-shaped substrate and increasing the pressing load. In addition, in the image forming apparatus, an oxidizing atmosphere may be formed by ozone or nitrogen oxides generated by the charger. However, since the surface layer in the present invention is excellent in oxidation resistance, the surface layer itself Deterioration can be suppressed, and as a result, the effect due to the presence of the surface layer can be maintained over a long period of time.
Therefore, the blade for an image forming apparatus of the present invention can reduce the amount of wear of the member to be cleaned while improving the cleaning property, and can also achieve a long life of itself.

(Surface layer)
First, the surface layer will be described.
This surface layer is characterized by comprising at least oxygen and a gallium element, and may be composed of only these two elements, but in the range not impairing the effects of the present invention, Elements such as nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon, aluminum, and indium may be included. By including such other elements, various physical properties such as electrical resistance and hardness of the surface layer can be flexibly controlled, and the effects of the present invention can be further enhanced.

  The composition in the surface layer in the present invention may be uniform, but it is inclined in the thickness direction as long as it contains oxygen and gallium elements and the oxygen content is 15 atomic% or more. May be. In addition, the surface layer in the present invention is configured to include oxygen and gallium elements, and has a multilayer structure in which layers having different compositions are stacked if the oxygen content is 15 atomic% or more. Also good.

In the surface layer in the present invention, the oxygen concentration distribution in the thickness direction may be uniform or non-uniform, but decreases toward the plate-like substrate side (that is, increases toward the surface side of the surface layer). It is preferable.
By having such an oxygen concentration distribution, it is possible to achieve a higher level of both mechanical durability, oxidation resistance, image defects and sensitivity due to adhesion of discharge products, and to improve these characteristics. It is easy to maintain for a long time. In addition, the distribution profile of the oxygen concentration in the surface layer thickness direction is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, linear, curved, or stepped.

  The gallium content in the surface layer is preferably in the range of 0.1 atomic% to 50 atomic%, and more preferably in the range of 5 atomic% to 40 atomic%. If the gallium content is less than 0.1 atomic%, the formation of the surface layer itself may be difficult. Moreover, when content exceeds 50 atomic%, a problem may arise in the adhesiveness to a braid | blade.

  Further, the oxygen content in the surface layer needs to be 15 atomic% or more, preferably 20 atomic% or more and 60 atomic% or less, and more preferably 25 atomic% or more and 50 atomic% or less. When the oxygen content is less than 15 atomic%, the oxidation resistance of the surface layer surface (blade surface) becomes insufficient, and when used in the image forming apparatus, the characteristics of the blade are deteriorated or sufficient. Mechanical characteristics may not be ensured. From the viewpoint of hardness and surface roughness, the upper limit is preferably 60 atomic%.

  When nitrogen is contained in the surface layer in the present invention, the content is preferably 30 atomic% or less, and more preferably 15 atomic% or less. When the nitrogen content exceeds 30 atomic%, the water resistance of the surface layer becomes insufficient, so that it may lack practicality. Further, the nitrogen concentration distribution in the thickness direction of the surface layer may be uniform or non-uniform, but is preferably not substantially contained in the outermost surface.

  When carbon is contained in the surface layer in the present invention, the content is preferably 2 atom% or more and 15 atom% or less, more preferably 2 atom% or more and 10 atom% or less. By setting the carbon content in the surface layer to 2 atom% or more and 15 atom% or less, an effect of obtaining a highly water-repellent low energy surface can be obtained.

  When hydrogen is contained in the surface layer in the present invention, the content is preferably in the range of 0.1 atomic% to 30 atomic%, and more preferably in the range of 0.5 atomic% to 20 atomic%. When the hydrogen content is less than 0.1 atomic%, structural disturbances remain built in the layers, which may cause electrical instability and insufficient mechanical properties. In addition, if it exceeds 30 atomic%, the probability that hydrogen will be bonded to two or more atoms to gallium increases, the three-dimensional structure cannot be maintained, and the hardness and chemical stability (especially water resistance) are insufficient. There is a case.

About content of each element in the whole surface layer in this invention, Rutherford back scattering method (RBS), a hydrogen forward scattering method (HFS), etc. can be used.
Hereinafter, these measurement methods will be described.

  In the present invention, the content of elements such as gallium, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen in the surface layer means a value determined by the Rutherford back scattering method (RBS) including the distribution in the film thickness direction. .

  As the RBS, an accelerator: NEC 3SDH Pelletron, an end station: CE & A RBS-400 was used, and 3S-R10 was used as the system. The analysis used the CE & A HYPRA program.

The RBS measurement conditions are as follows.
He ++ ion beam energy is 2.275 eV
Detection angle 160 °
Grazing angle 109 ° with respect to the incident beam

  In the RBS measurement, a He ++ ion beam is incident substantially perpendicular to the sample, a detector is set at 160 ° with respect to the ion beam, and the backscattered He signal is measured. The composition ratio and the film thickness are determined from the detected energy and intensity of He. Further, the spectrum may be measured at two detection angles in order to improve the accuracy of obtaining the composition ratio and the film thickness. In addition, the accuracy can be improved by performing cross check by measuring at two detection angles having different depth direction resolution and backscattering dynamics.

  The number of He atoms back-scattered by the target atom is determined only by three factors: 1) the atomic number of the target atom, 2) the energy of the He atom before scattering, and 3) the scattering angle. The density is assumed by calculation from the measured composition, and this is used to calculate the film thickness. The density error is within 20%.

  In the present invention, the hydrogen content in the surface layer means a value determined by the hydrogen forward scattering method (HFS).

As the HFS,
Accelerator: NEC 3SDH Pelletron, end station: CE & A RBS-400, 3S-R10 was used as a system. For the analysis, the CE & A HYPRA program was used.

The measurement conditions of HFS are as follows.
He ++ ion beam energy: 2.275 eV
Detection angle 160 ° Grazing Angle 30 ° for incident beam

  The measurement by HFS can pick up the hydrogen signal scattered in front of the sample by setting the detector at 30 ° to the He ++ ion beam and the sample at 75 ° from the normal. . At this time, the detector may be covered with a thin (10 μm) aluminum foil to remove He atoms scattered together with hydrogen. The quantification is performed by comparing the hydrogen counts of the reference sample and the sample to be measured after normalization with the stopping power. As a reference sample, a sample obtained by ion implantation of H into Si and muscovite were used.

It is known that muscovite has a hydrogen concentration of 60 atomic%.
The H adsorbed on the outermost surface can be obtained by subtracting the amount of H adsorbed on the clean Si surface.

  The presence or absence of hydrogen in the semiconductor film can also be estimated from the intensity of the group 13-hydrogen bond or NH bond using infrared absorption spectrum measurement.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the content of elements other than nitrogen among the above-described elements, particularly the preferable ranges of the contents of both oxygen and gallium, be satisfied at the outermost surface of the surface layer.
Here, the outermost surface of the surface layer means a region whose depth from the surface is at least within a range of several nm (specifically, a range of about 1 to 50 nm from the surface). It means a region corresponding to the measurement range in the depth direction when the solid surface is measured by (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy).

The content of elements such as gallium and oxygen at the outermost surface of the surface layer can be determined by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy).
For example, it can be measured by using JPS9010MX manufactured by JEOL Ltd. as an XPS measuring apparatus, using an MgKα ray as an X-ray source, and irradiating at 10 kV, 20 mA. In this case, the photoelectron measurement is performed in steps of 1 eV, and the element content is determined by measuring the 3d5 / 2 for gallium element, 1s for O, and 1s for N, and calculating the spectrum area intensity and sensitivity factor. be able to. Note that Ar ion etching is performed at 500 V for about 10 seconds before measurement.

The surface layer in the present invention may be any of microcrystal, polycrystal, or amorphous, but is preferably amorphous from the viewpoint of improving the smoothness of the surface layer surface. The crystallinity / amorphous property can be determined by the presence or absence of a point or a line in a diffraction image obtained by RHEED (reflection high energy electron diffraction) measurement.
Although details will be described later, since the surface layer is formed on the plate-like base material by using a vapor phase film forming method, the cross section may have a columnar structure depending on the film forming conditions and the like. However, it is preferable not to have such a columnar structure from the viewpoint of the slipperiness of the surface layer surface.

  Various dopants can be added to the surface layer in order to control the conductivity type. When controlling the conductivity to n-type, for example, one or more elements selected from Si, Ge, Sn can be used, and when controlling to p-type, for example, Be, Mg, Ca, One or more elements selected from Zn and Sr can be used.

  The surface layer tends to contain many bonding defects, dislocation defects, crystal grain boundary defects and the like in its internal structure in any case of microcrystal, polycrystal or amorphous. For this reason, hydrogen and / or a halogen element may be contained in the surface layer in order to inactivate these defects. Hydrogen and halogen elements in the surface layer are taken into bond defects in the crystal, defects at the grain boundaries, etc., and have a function of eliminating the reactive sites and performing electrical compensation.

The thickness of the surface layer in the present invention is preferably in the range of 0.1 μm to 1.0 μm, more preferably in the range of 0.2 μm to 0.8 μm, and still more preferably in the range of 0.3 μm to 0.5 μm.
When the thickness of the surface layer is within this range, it is possible to obtain a blade that does not peel off the surface layer while maintaining the cleaning property for a long period of time, and can allow the formation cost of the surface layer.
Note that the thickness of the surface layer is the difference in height from the part where the surface of the plate-like substrate is exposed by masking or the optical interference method using the difference in refractive index from the plate-like substrate. It can be measured by a step method read by a meter, a light cutting method, or the like.

In addition, although the surface layer in this invention should just be provided in at least one part of the surface of a plate-shaped base material, the surface layer may be provided in the whole surface of the plate-shaped base material.
Here, if the surface layer in the present invention is provided in the contact region with the member to be cleaned, the effect can be obtained, so that “at least part of the surface of the plate-like substrate” provided with the surface layer is Means the contact area of the blade with the member to be cleaned.
It is preferable that the surface layer is formed so as to cover the surface of the plate-like substrate from the viewpoint of film formation ease and the durability of the blade, as shown in FIG. More preferably, it is formed so as to cover two surfaces of the substrate.

(Plate substrate)
In the blade for an image forming apparatus of the present invention, the plate-like substrate is made of a rubber-like elastic body.
As the rubber-like elastic body used here, urethane rubber, silicone rubber, polyimide-modified silicone rubber, fluorine rubber, butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, nitrile rubber, natural rubber and the like are used. Among these, urethane rubber is preferably used from the viewpoint of easy control of mechanical properties such as processing accuracy and elastic modulus.

  In the present invention, since the surface layer as described above is provided, a relatively soft rubber-like elastic body can be used as the plate-like base material. Specifically, the rubber hardness is A60 to A80. preferable.

In the present invention, the rubber hardness of the plate-like substrate can be measured as follows.
That is, it can be measured in accordance with the method described in JIS K 6253 (2006) and using an Asker rubber hardness meter A type which is a type A durometer manufactured by Kobunshi Keiki Co., Ltd.

Hereinafter, a method for producing the blade for an image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described.
The blade for an image forming apparatus of the present invention is produced by forming a surface layer on a plate-like substrate using the film forming apparatus shown in FIG.
Here, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a film forming apparatus used for forming the surface layer in the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 2, a film forming apparatus 100 includes a vacuum vessel 101 having a partition portion 101a, a film forming jig 103 that holds a plate-like substrate 12, a discharge unit including a high frequency power supply unit 105a and a discharge electrode 105b. 105, a process gas supply unit 107 connected to a supply port 107a for supplying a process gas, a material gas supply unit 109 connected to a supply port 109a for supplying a material gas, an exhaust device 111 connected to the exhaust port 111a, Have

In the film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 2, an exhaust device 111 is provided at one end of the vacuum vessel 101 through an exhaust port 111a, and an exhaust device 111 (exhaust port 111a) of the vacuum vessel 101 is provided. A supply port 107a for supplying a process gas, a supply port 109a for supplying a material gas, and a discharge unit 105 are provided on the opposite side to the other side.
Further, a film forming jig 103 for holding the plate-like substrate 12 is provided in the vacuum container 101. The film forming jig 103 has a polygonal cross section, and has a function of holding the plate-like substrate 12 on this side. The film forming jig 103 can be rotated in the direction of the arrow while holding the plate-like substrate 12 by a rotating device (not shown).

The discharge unit 105 includes a discharge electrode 105b having a discharge surface provided on the exhaust device 111 (exhaust port 111a) side, and a high-frequency power source unit 105b connected to a surface opposite to the discharge surface of the discharge electrode 105b. Yes.
Further, a supply port 107 a for supplying process gas is provided in the vicinity of the discharge electrode 105 b, and the supply port 107 a is connected to the process gas supply unit 107.
Further, a supply port 109a for supplying a material gas is provided at a position opposite to the supply port 107a with respect to the partition portion 101a. The supply port 109a is connected to the material gas supply unit 109. Yes.

One end of the vacuum vessel 101 is fixed to the inner wall of the vacuum vessel 101, and the other end faces the film formation jig 103 with a small interval so as not to contact the film formation jig 103 that rotates and the plate-like substrate 12 held by the film formation jig 103. Partition part 101a to be used.
The partition portion 101a has a space in which the discharge electrode 105b and the process gas inside the vacuum vessel 101 are supplied from the supply port 107a and a region where the material gas is supplied from the supply port 109a except for the minute gap. It is used for separation. Note that the position of the partition portion 101 a can be set according to the length of one side of the film forming jig 103 (the size of the plate-like base material 12), and does not have to be at the center of the vacuum vessel 101.

Formation of a surface layer can be implemented as follows, for example.
First, process gas is introduced from the supply port 107a, and high-frequency power with a frequency of 13.56 MHz, for example, is supplied from the high-frequency power supply unit 105a to the discharge electrode 105b. At this time, plasma is formed so that the light emitting region radially expands from the discharge surface side of the discharge electrode 105b to the exhaust port 111a side. Here, the process gas introduced from the supply port 107a flows in the vacuum vessel 101 from the region including the discharge electrode 105b to the exhaust port 111a side.
The discharge electrode 105b may be one having an electrode surrounded by an earth shield.

  Here, the process gas contains at least oxygen, and a rare gas such as nitrogen, hydrogen, helium, or argon is used.

  Next, for example, trimethylgallium (material gas) diluted with hydrogen as a carrier gas is introduced from the supply port 109a, thereby forming a non-single crystal film containing gallium and oxygen on the surface of the plate-like substrate 12. be able to.

Although the formation temperature of the surface layer at the time of film-forming is not specifically limited, The temperature of the plate-shaped base material 12 surface has the preferable range of 10 to 100 degreeC, and it is preferable to form within the range of 20 to 60 degreeC.
The temperature of the surface of the plate-like substrate 12 may be controlled by heating and / or cooling means (not shown in the drawing), or may be left to a natural temperature increase during discharge. When heating the plate-like base material 12, a heater may be installed at a location adjacent to the plate-like base material 12. When the plate-like substrate 12 is cooled, a cooling gas or liquid may be circulated inside the film forming jig 103 that holds the plate-like substrate 12.
In order to avoid an increase in the temperature of the surface of the plate-like substrate 12 due to electric discharge, it is effective to adjust the high energy gas flow that strikes the surface of the plate-like substrate 12. In this case, conditions such as the gas flow rate, discharge output, and pressure are adjusted so as to achieve the required temperature. Further, in order to prevent the temperature of the plate-like substrate 12 from rising due to the temperature rise of the discharge electrode 105b itself due to discharge, a cooling gas or liquid may be circulated inside the discharge electrode.

Here, as the material gas, trimethylgallium, triethylgallium, t-butylgallium, or the like can be used as an organometallic compound containing gallium.
These liquids and solids can be vaporized and used alone or in a mixed state by bubbling with a carrier gas.
Two or more of these may be mixed.

  In the case of forming a surface layer mainly containing gallium and oxygen like the surface layer in the present invention, it is preferable that active hydrogen exists in the vacuum vessel 101. The active hydrogen may be supplied from hydrogen atoms used as a carrier gas or hydrogen atoms contained in an organometallic compound.

The plasma generating means of the film forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 2 uses a high frequency power supply unit, but is not limited to this. For example, a microwave oscillating device, an electrocyclotron resonance method, A helicon plasma type apparatus may be used. Further, in the case of a high-frequency oscillation device, it may be inductive or capacitive.
Further, two or more kinds of these apparatuses may be used in combination. For example, a remote plasma apparatus for supplying active hydrogen from the process gas supply port 107a may be added. Alternatively, two or more devices of the same type may be used. In order to prevent the temperature of the surface of the plate-like substrate 12 from rising due to the plasma irradiation, a high-frequency oscillation device is preferable, but a device for preventing heat irradiation may be provided.

  When two or more types of different plasma generators (plasma generating means) are used, it is necessary to be able to generate discharges simultaneously at the same pressure. Moreover, you may provide a pressure difference in the area | region to discharge and the area | region (part in which the plate-shaped base material was installed) to form into a film. These apparatuses may be arranged in series with respect to the gas flow formed in the film forming apparatus from the part where the gas is introduced to the part where the gas is discharged. You may arrange | position so that it may oppose.

  In addition, when two different types of plasma generators are used under the same pressure, for example, when using a microwave oscillator and a high-frequency oscillator, the excitation energy of the excited species can be greatly changed, and the film quality can be controlled. It is valid. Moreover, you may perform discharge by atmospheric pressure vicinity (300-1200 hPa range). When discharging near atmospheric pressure, it is desirable to use He as a carrier gas.

  In forming the surface layer, other than the above-described method, a normal metal organic vapor phase epitaxy method, vapor deposition method, sputtering method, or molecular beam epitaxy method can be used.

The blade for an image forming apparatus of the present invention obtained as described above is used, for example, as shown in FIG.
Here, FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the blade for an image forming apparatus of the present invention and the usage mode thereof.
The image forming apparatus blade 10 shown in FIG. 1 has a configuration having a surface layer 14 formed on a part of the surface of a plate-like substrate 12.
A blade holder 20 is attached to the blade 10 with an adhesive or the like, and the surface of the member to be cleaned 30 is rubbed by applying a force to the blade holder 20 in the arrow B direction.
Here, the force (pressing force) applied in the direction of arrow B is appropriately determined depending on the type of the member to be cleaned 30, the required cleaning performance, the allowable blade life, and the like. In the case of a body, 0.5 g / cm to 5 g / cm is preferable, and 1 g / cm to 3 g / cm is more preferable.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the blade 10 is inclined and brought into contact with the member 30 to be cleaned. The inclination angle θ is preferably 15 ° to 45 °.

The blade for an image forming apparatus of the present invention can be applied to any part of a cleaning unit in the image forming apparatus. For example, it can be used as a cleaning unit for a photoreceptor, an intermediate transfer member, a fixing member, and the like.
Among these, the blade for an image forming apparatus of the present invention is an electrophotographic photosensitive member from the viewpoint that the cleaning property is good, the amount of wear of the member to be cleaned can be reduced, and the effect that a long life can be achieved. It is preferably used as a body cleaning means.

<Process cartridge and image forming apparatus>
Next, the process cartridge and the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described.
The process cartridge of the present invention integrally includes a photosensitive member, a cleaning unit, and at least one unit selected from the group consisting of a charging unit, an exposure unit, and a developing unit, and is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. The cleaning means is the blade for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention also includes a photoreceptor, a charging unit that charges the surface of the photoreceptor, and an exposure unit that exposes the surface of the photoreceptor charged by the charging unit to form an electrostatic latent image. A developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image with a developer containing toner to form a toner image, a transfer means for transferring the toner image to a recording medium, and a cleaning means, the cleaning means comprising: It is a blade for an image forming apparatus of the present invention. The image forming apparatus of the present invention may be a so-called tandem machine having a plurality of photoconductors corresponding to the toners of the respective colors. In this case, it is preferable that all the photoconductors are the photoconductors of the present invention. The toner image may be transferred by an intermediate transfer system using an intermediate transfer member.

In the process cartridge and the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the blade for the image forming apparatus of the present invention is preferably used as a cleaning means for the photosensitive member from the standpoint that the effect is remarkably obtained.
The photosensitive member to be cleaned has a wear-resistant layer on the surface containing oxygen and gallium element and having an oxygen content of 15 atomic% or more. The difference in thickness is preferably 0.1 μm or less. This is because fine particles such as silicon oxide and titanium oxide attached to the toner surface for chargeability control and powder property improvement are detached and migrated and attached to the surface of the photoconductor, resulting in non-uniform chargeability. This is to prevent it. Also, if the difference in thickness of the wear-resistant layer is 0.1 μm or less, an image caused by variations in the exposure state due to the difference in light absorption and reflection generated in the exposure means by providing the wear-resistant layer. This is preferable because the unevenness of density does not become a problem.
More specifically, in the process cartridge and the image forming apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable to use a photoreceptor having the layer configuration shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 3, an embodiment of a photoreceptor suitable for the present invention will be described.
Here, FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the layer structure of the photoreceptor suitable for the present invention.
3 includes a substrate 211, an undercoat layer 213, a photosensitive layer 215 including a charge generation layer 215a and a charge transport layer 215b, and an abrasion resistant layer 217 in this order.
Here, the photosensitive layer 215 may be formed from an organic polymer, may be formed from an inorganic material, or may be a combination thereof.

As for the photosensitive layer 215 composed of the substrate 211, the undercoat layer 213, the charge generation layer 215a, and the charge transport layer 215b constituting the photoreceptor 210 shown in FIG. 3, specifically, for example, JP-A-2006-267507 is disclosed. The substrate and each layer described in the publication can be applied.
The wear resistant layer 217 may be formed of the same material as the surface layer in the above-described blade for an image forming apparatus of the present invention. Specifically, as a material and a forming method of the wear resistant layer 217, for example, techniques described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-267507 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-300001 can be applied.

Next, an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
Here, FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 4, the image forming apparatus 200 includes a photoconductor 210, and in order along the rotation direction of the photoconductor 210, a charging device (charging unit) 220, an exposure device (exposure unit) 230, and a developing device. A (developing unit) 240, a transfer device (transfer unit) 250, and a cleaning device (cleaning unit) 260 including the image forming apparatus blade 10 of the present invention are provided. The image forming apparatus 200 includes a fixing device 270 for fixing the toner image transferred onto the recording medium P to the recording medium P.

The charging device 220 charges the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 210. The exposure device 230 exposes the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 210 charged by the charging device 220 with light modulated according to the image data, whereby an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image of the image data is formed on the photoconductor 210. Form. The developing device 240 supplies a developer containing toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor 210 to develop the electrostatic latent image with toner to form a toner image. The transfer device 250 transfers the toner image on the photoreceptor 210 onto the recording medium P by conveying the recording medium P with the photoreceptor 210 while sandwiching the recording medium P therebetween. The recording medium P is stored in advance in a paper storage unit (not shown), and is conveyed from the paper storage unit by a roller or the like to reach between the photoconductor 210 and the transfer device 250. The toner image on 210 is transferred.
The recording medium P to which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to a place where the fixing device 270 is installed by a roller (not shown), and the unfixed toner image is fixed on the recording medium P by the fixing device 270. The recording medium P on which the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 270 is discharged to the outside of the image forming apparatus 200 by a roller or the like (not shown).
Deposits such as unfixed toner and paper dust on the photoreceptor 210 are removed from the photoreceptor 210 by the cleaning device 260 having the blade 10 for an image forming apparatus of the present invention.

  At least one selected from the photosensitive member 210, the image forming apparatus blade 10 of the present invention, the charging device 220, the exposure device 230, the developing device 240, and the transfer device 250 included in the image forming apparatus 200 is as follows. The image forming apparatus 200 may be detachably provided, and these detachable apparatuses are collectively referred to as a process cartridge (process cartridge of the present invention).

The charging device 220 may be a non-contact corona discharge type corotron, scorotron, or the like.
Further, the image forming apparatus 200 may be a so-called tandem machine having a plurality of photoconductors corresponding to the toners of the respective colors. In this case, all the photoconductors are wear-resistant layers as shown in FIG. It is preferable that the photoconductor has
Further, the transfer of the toner image is not limited to the method of directly transferring from the photoreceptor to the recording medium, but is an intermediate transfer system in which the toner image is transferred from the photoreceptor to the intermediate transfer member and then transferred from the intermediate transfer member to the recording medium. May be.

  EXAMPLES The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[Example 1]
As the plate-like substrate, 15 mm × 330 mm × 2.0 mm (thickness) urethane rubber (rubber hardness A70: material number 238707 manufactured by Hokushin Kogyo Co., Ltd.) was used.
A surface layer was formed on the plate-like substrate using the film forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 2 as follows to obtain a blade for an image forming apparatus.

The urethane rubber plate-like substrate 12 was fixed to the film forming jig 103 in the vacuum container 101 of the film forming apparatus 100.
Here, the film forming jig 103 had a diameter of 80 mm (having a regular octagonal cross section with a side of 31 mm) × length of 350 mm.
Further, in the partition part 101 a in the vacuum container 101, the interval with the rotation of the film forming jig 103 was 1.5 mm at the minimum.

Next, the inside of the vacuum vessel 101 was evacuated using the exhaust device 111 until the pressure reached about 0.15 hPa.
Thereafter, hydrogen gas (100 sccm), oxygen gas (5.00 sccm), and helium gas (400 sccm) are supplied as process gases from the process gas supply unit 107 into the vacuum vessel 101 through the supply port 107a. A power of 150 W was supplied from the power supply unit (13.56 MHz) 105a to the discharge electrode 105b having a discharge surface dimension of 350 mm × 50 mm.

  Next, as a material gas, trimethylgallium gas (3.00 sccm) was supplied from the material gas supply unit 109 into the vacuum vessel 101 through the supply port 109a.

  With the film forming apparatus as described above, a surface layer having a thickness of 0.50 μm was formed on two surfaces (two surfaces as shown in FIG. 1) of the urethane rubber plate-shaped substrate. The film formation time was 30 minutes.

-Surface layer analysis and evaluation-
The composition of the surface layer was determined by analyzing the film formed on the silicon wafer piece simultaneously with the plate-like substrate by the following method. The results are as follows.
Hydrogen: HFS method Other than hydrogen (gallium, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon): RBS method and XPS method (surface region)
Ga: 30.0 atomic%
O: 44.5 atomic%
H: 18.5 atomic%
N: 7.0 atomic%

-Evaluation-
(Measurement and evaluation of dynamic friction coefficient)
The obtained blade for an image forming apparatus was pressed against a polycarbonate plate under the following conditions, and the dynamic friction coefficient at that time was measured using an autograph (AG-10N type) manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation. About this dynamic friction coefficient, after forming the surface layer, an initial value of an unused blade for an image forming apparatus was compared with a value after a wear test described later, and the wear property was evaluated.

<Pushing condition>
・ Pressing angle (inclination angle θ): 25 °
・ Load: 2.5 g / cm
・ Speed: 1000mm / min

(Abrasion test)
The obtained blade for an image forming apparatus was pressed and worn on a polycarbonate cylindrical material under the following conditions to visually check for deformation of the plate-like base material, and the remaining state of the surface layer was observed with a microscope (Keyence Corporation). (VHX-100 type).

<Pushing condition>
・ Pressing angle (inclination angle θ): 25 °
・ Load: 2.5 g / cm
-Speed: 1000 mm / min-Diameter of cylinder made of polycarbonate x Number of rotations: 80 mm x 40 rpm
・ Test time: 100 hours (240,000 revolutions)

  The results of evaluation as described above are shown in Table 1 below.

[Comparative Example 1]
In Example 1, a surface layer was not formed, and a plate-like substrate made of urethane rubber was used as it was as a blade for an image forming apparatus.
The image forming apparatus blade was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are also shown in Table 1.

[Comparative Example 2]
In Example 1, a blade for an image forming apparatus was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a surface layer made of DLC was formed under the following conditions.

As in Example 1, the urethane rubber plate-like substrate 12 was fixed to the film forming jig 103 in the vacuum vessel 101 of the film forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG.
Next, the inside of the vacuum vessel 101 was evacuated using the exhaust device 111 until the pressure reached about 0.15 hPa.
Thereafter, hydrogen gas (500 sccm) is supplied as a process gas from the process gas supply unit 107 into the vacuum vessel 101 through the supply port 107a, and the discharge surface has a dimension of 350 mm from the high-frequency power supply unit (13.56 MHz) 105a. A power of 150 W was supplied to the × 50 mm discharge electrode 105b.

Next, methane gas (10.0 sccm) was supplied from the material gas supply unit 109 into the vacuum vessel 101 through the supply port 109a as the material gas.
At this time, the reaction pressure in the film forming chamber 10 measured with a Baratron vacuum gauge (MKS, absolute pressure transducer type 622A) was 40 Pa.

  By using the film forming apparatus as described above, a surface layer made of DLC having a thickness of 0.50 μm was formed on two surfaces (two surfaces as shown in FIG. 1) of a urethane rubber plate-like substrate. The film formation time was 20 minutes.

  The obtained blade for an image forming apparatus was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are also shown in Table 1.

As can be seen from Table 1, the blade for the image forming apparatus of Example 1 has a dynamic friction coefficient lower than the initial value, and the value hardly changes even after the wear test. There was little deformation of the plate-like substrate by the abrasion test, and no peeling of the surface layer was observed.
On the other hand, since the blade for an image forming apparatus of Comparative Example 1 is not provided with a surface layer, it can be seen that the dynamic friction coefficient shows a high value both in the initial value and after the wear test.
Further, it can be seen that the blade for the image forming apparatus of Comparative Example 2 shows a high numerical value after the wear test, although the initial dynamic friction coefficient is low. Moreover, although the deformation | transformation leaf of a plate-shaped base material is not seen by an abrasion test, peeling is seen in the surface layer of the pressed corner, and it turns out that it is inferior to Example 1 about abrasion resistance.

[Example 2]
(Production of blade for image forming apparatus)
In Example 1, a blade for an image forming apparatus was obtained in the same manner as Example 1 except that the amount of oxygen gas in the material gas was 10.00 sccm.

-Surface layer analysis and evaluation-
In the same manner as in Example 1, the composition of the surface layer was determined. The results are as follows.
Ga: 31.0 atomic%
O: 47.5 atomic%
H: 15.5 atomic%
N: 6.0 atomic%

An image forming apparatus blade obtained as described above is attached as a photoconductor cleaning means in an image forming apparatus (DocuCenter Color 500 manufactured by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.) equipped with an organic photoconductor (OPC). Was made.
Using this image forming apparatus, continuous printing of 50,000 sheets was performed in an environment of high humidity (28 ° C., 85% RH), and the following evaluation was performed. Here, the printed image was a halftone having an image density of 20%.

-Evaluation-
(Evaluation of cleaning properties)
Using an image forming apparatus with a pressing force of 2.5 g / cm, 2.0 g / cm, an inclination angle θ of 30 °, and an image forming apparatus blade attached, 50,000 sheets as described above under both conditions Was printed and the cleaning property was evaluated.
Here, the cleaning property was determined based on the white spots of the image due to the toner remaining on the photoconductor, and the case where white spots occurred was defined as poor cleaning.

(Evaluation of image flow)
Using an image forming apparatus with a pressing force of 2.5 g / cm, an inclination angle θ of 25 °, and an image forming apparatus blade attached, 50,000 sheets were printed as described above, and image flow was evaluated.
Here, the image flow was determined based on whether or not the fine line of the image was reproduced during continuous printing of 50,000 sheets. In addition, during continuous printing, temporary printing was stopped at the time of 25,000 sheets, and the same observation was made and evaluated for 8 hours after the stop.

(Evaluation on the life of blades for image forming devices)
Using an image forming apparatus with a pressing force of 2.5 g / cm, an inclination angle θ of 25 °, and a blade for an image forming apparatus attached, 50,000 sheets were printed as described above. The presence or absence of deformation of the material was visually observed, and peeling (remaining state) of the surface layer was observed with a microscope (VHX-100 type, manufactured by Keyence Corporation).

(Evaluation of photoconductor wear and filming)
Using an image forming apparatus with a pressing force of 2.5 g / cm, an inclination angle θ of 25 °, and an image forming apparatus blade attached, printing on 50,000 sheets as described above, the surface of the photoreceptor after printing The amount of wear was measured by an optical interferometry, and filming was visually observed.

  The results of evaluation as described above are shown in Table 2 below.

Example 3
(Production of photoconductor)
First, a cylindrical organic photoreceptor having an undercoat layer 213, a charge generation layer 215a, and a charge transport layer 215b in this order on a substrate 211 shown in FIG. 3 was prepared.
This organophotoreceptor was obtained as follows.

  An organic photoreceptor in which an undercoat layer, a charge generation layer, and a charge transport layer were laminated in this order on an Al base was prepared by the procedure described below.

-Formation of undercoat layer-
20 parts by mass of a zirconium compound (trade name: Organotix ZC540 manufactured by Matsumoto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), 2.5 parts by mass of a silane compound (trade name: A1100 manufactured by Nihon Unicar Co., Ltd.), a polyvinyl butyral resin (trade name: S-REC BM- manufactured by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.) S) A solution obtained by stirring and mixing 10 parts by weight and 45 parts by weight of butanol was applied to the surface of an Al substrate having an outer diameter of 84 mm (inner diameter of 82 mm) and a length of 340 mm, and heated and dried at 150 ° C. for 10 minutes. An undercoat layer having a thickness of 1.0 μm was formed.

-Formation of charge generation layer-
Next, a mixture obtained by mixing 1 part by mass of chlorogallium phthalocyanine as a charge generating material with 1 part by mass of polyvinyl butyral (trade name: S-REC BM-S manufactured by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.) and 100 parts by mass of n-butyl acetate. Was dispersed with a glass bead for 1 hour with a paint shaker to obtain a dispersion for forming a charge generation layer.
This dispersion was applied on the undercoat layer by an immersion method and then dried at 100 ° C. for 10 minutes to form a charge generation layer having a thickness of 0.15 μm.

-Formation of charge transport layer-
Next, 2 parts by mass of a compound represented by the following structural formula (1), 3 parts by mass of a polymer compound (viscosity average molecular weight 39,000) represented by the following structural formula (2), 20 parts by mass of chlorobenzene A coating solution for forming a charge transport layer was obtained by dissolving in a part.

  This coating solution is applied onto the charge generation layer by an immersion method, heated at 110 ° C. for 40 minutes to form a 20 μm-thick charge transport layer, and the undercoat layer, the charge generation layer, and the charge transport layer are formed on the Al substrate. An organic photoreceptor having the layers laminated in this order was obtained.

The film forming jig 103 shown in FIG. 2 was changed to a flange capable of fixing the organic photoconductor to fix the organic photoconductor, and an abrasion resistant layer was formed under the following conditions.
Further, the partition portion 101a in the vacuum container 101 had a minimum distance of 2.5 mm from the rotating organic photoreceptor surface.

Next, the inside of the vacuum vessel 101 was evacuated using the exhaust device 111 until the pressure reached about 0.15 hPa.
Thereafter, a mixed gas containing hydrogen gas (500 sccm) and oxygen gas (10.00 sccm) is supplied as a process gas from the process gas supply unit 107 into the vacuum vessel 101 through the supply port 107a, and the high frequency power supply unit A power of 150 W was supplied from (13.56 MHe) 105a to discharge electrode 105b having a discharge surface dimension of 350 mm × 50 mm.

  Next, as a material gas, trimethylgallium gas (5.00 sccm) was supplied from the material gas supply unit 109 into the vacuum vessel 101 through the supply port 109a.

With the film forming apparatus as described above, an abrasion resistant layer having a thickness of 0.50 μm was formed on the surface of the organic photoreceptor. The film formation time was 30 minutes.
Here, the thickness of the obtained abrasion-resistant layer was measured using a Toray Engineering Co., Ltd. product: thin film corresponding surface shape measuring device SP-700 type as a measuring device. The measurement range is a range of 300 mm in length excluding each 20 mm width from the axial end of the photoconductor, and the measurement interval is 90 ° in the circumferential direction of the photoconductor and every 20 mm in the axial direction. 64 spots were measured on each photoconductor. As a result, the difference in thickness of the wear resistant layer was 0.09 μm.

-Abrasion layer analysis and evaluation-
The composition of the wear-resistant layer was determined by analysis according to the following method. The results are as follows.
Hydrogen: HFS method Other than hydrogen (gallium, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon): RBS method and XPS method (surface region)
Ga: 31.0 atomic%
O: 45.5 atomic%
H: 18.5 atomic%
N: 5.0 atomic%

The image forming apparatus was modified and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2 except that the photoconductor in the image forming apparatus in Example 2 was replaced with the photoconductor in Example 3 obtained as described above. went.
The evaluation results are also shown in Table 2.

[Comparative Example 3]
The image forming apparatus was remodeled and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2 except that the blade for the image forming apparatus used in Example 2 was replaced with the urethane rubber plate-shaped substrate used in Comparative Example 1. went.
The evaluation results are also shown in Table 2.

[Comparative Example 4]
The image forming apparatus was modified in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the image forming apparatus blade used in Example 2 was replaced with the image forming apparatus blade having the surface layer made of DLC used in Comparative Example 2. And evaluated.
The evaluation results are also shown in Table 2.

From Table 2 above, the following can be seen.
That is, according to Example 2, it is understood that no image flow occurs in a high humidity environment, and the amount of wear of the photosensitive member is halved compared to Comparative Example 3. Further, even when the pressing force of the blade is set to 2.0 g / cm, no cleaning failure occurs, and it can be seen that the cleaning property is good even if the pressing force is small.
According to Example 3, it can be seen that image flow does not occur in a high humidity environment, and the wear amount of the photoreceptor is significantly reduced as compared with Comparative Example 3. Further, even when the pressing force of the blade is set to 2.0 g / cm, no cleaning failure occurs, and it can be seen that the cleaning property is good even if the pressing force is small.
According to Comparative Example 3, the amount of wear of the photosensitive member was large, and in a high humidity environment, an image flow occurred after a temporary stop of printing. Further, it can be understood that the cleaning failure can be prevented only when the pressing force of the blade is as large as 2.5 g / cm, and that the cleaning failure occurs when the pressing force is small.
According to Comparative Example 4, it can be seen that image flow occurs during continuous printing in a high humidity environment. In addition, the surface layer made of DLC peeled off during continuous printing, and the amount of wear of the photoreceptor, which shows that the amount of wear was large, was large. In a high-humidity environment, image flow occurred after the suspension of printing. Further, it can be understood that the cleaning failure can be prevented only when the pressing force of the blade is as large as 2.5 g / cm, and that the cleaning failure occurs when the pressing force is small.

[Example 4]
A surface of 0.24 μm thickness under the same conditions except that the plate-like base material in Example 1 is urethane rubber having a rubber hardness of A64 (Hokuto Kogyo Co., Ltd., material number 238640) and the film formation time is 15 minutes. A layer was obtained. In addition, the composition of the obtained surface layer was the same as the surface layer in Example 1.
This image forming apparatus blade is a photosensitive member cleaning blade, and the pressing force is set to 1.0 g / cm, and the inclination angle θ is set to 25 °. As a result of the evaluation of the service life of the blade, no defective cleaning was observed, and cracks were observed in the entire blade, but the surface layer was not peeled off from the plate-like substrate, and it could be used satisfactorily.

[Example 5]
A surface layer having a thickness of 0.78 μm was formed under the same conditions except that the plate-like base material in Example 1 was urethane rubber having a rubber hardness of A77 (Hokuto Kogyo Co., Ltd., material number 238778) and the film formation time was 45 minutes. Obtained. In addition, the composition of the obtained surface layer was the same as the surface layer in Example 1.
An image forming apparatus in which this image forming apparatus blade is a photoreceptor cleaning blade, the pressing force is set to 1.5 g / cm, and the inclination angle θ is set to 25 °. Evaluation of the service life of the blade, there was a slight rubbing noise accompanying the rotation of the photoreceptor, but there was no cleaning failure, and there was no peeling of the surface layer from the plate-like substrate In addition, cracks were seen only in a part of the pressed corner, and it was possible to use it satisfactorily.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a configuration of a blade for an image forming apparatus of the present invention and a usage mode thereof. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the film-forming apparatus used for formation of the surface layer in this invention. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a layer structure of a photoreceptor suitable for the present invention. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an image forming apparatus of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus blade 12 Plate-like base material 14 Surface layer 20 Blade holder 30 Member to be cleaned 100 Film forming apparatus 101 Vacuum vessel 101a Partition section 103 Film forming jig 105 Discharge section 105a High frequency power supply section 105b Discharge electrode 107 Process gas supply section 107a Supply port 109 for supplying process gas Material gas supply unit 109a Supply port for supplying material gas 111 Exhaust device 111a Exhaust port 200 Image forming device 210 Photoconductor 217 Friction resistant layer 220 Charging device (charging means)
230 Exposure apparatus (exposure means)
240 Developing device (developing means)
250 Transfer device (transfer means)
260 Cleaning device (cleaning means)
270 Fixing device

Claims (14)

  At least a part of the surface of the plate-like substrate made of a rubber-like elastic body has a surface layer containing oxygen and gallium element, and the oxygen content of the surface layer is 15 atomic% or more There is a blade for an image forming apparatus.   The blade for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface layer has a thickness of 0.1 μm to 1.0 μm.   The blade for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plate-like base material has a rubber hardness of A60 or more and A80 or less.   The blade for an image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the blade is used for cleaning the surface of an electrophotographic photosensitive member. A photosensitive member, a cleaning unit, and at least one unit selected from the group consisting of a charging unit, an exposure unit, and a developing unit, and is detachable from an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body;
The cleaning means has a surface layer containing oxygen and a gallium element on at least a part of the surface of a plate-like substrate made of a rubber-like elastic body, and the oxygen content of the surface layer is A process cartridge, which is a blade for an image forming apparatus having 15 atomic% or more.   The process cartridge according to claim 5, wherein a thickness of a surface layer of the blade for the image forming apparatus is 0.1 μm or more and 1.0 μm or less.   7. The process cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the rubber hardness of the plate-like base material of the blade for the image forming apparatus is A60 or more and A80 or less.   The photoreceptor has a wear-resistant layer comprising oxygen and gallium elements on the surface thereof, and an oxygen content of 15 atomic% or more, and a difference in thickness between the wear-resistant layers. The process cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the process cartridge is 0.1 μm or less.   The process cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the cleaning unit cleans the surface of the photoconductor. A photosensitive member; a charging unit that charges the surface of the photosensitive member; an exposure unit that exposes the surface of the photosensitive member charged by the charging unit to form an electrostatic latent image; and the electrostatic latent image includes toner. A developing unit that forms a toner image by developing with a developer; a transfer unit that transfers the toner image to a recording medium; and a cleaning unit.
The cleaning means has a surface layer containing oxygen and a gallium element on at least a part of the surface of a plate-like substrate made of a rubber-like elastic body, and the oxygen content of the surface layer is An electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein the blade is an image forming apparatus blade of 15 atomic% or more.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a thickness of a surface layer of the blade for the image forming apparatus is 0.1 μm or more and 1.0 μm or less.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 or 11, wherein a rubber hardness of the plate-like base material of the blade for the image forming apparatus is A60 or more and A80 or less.   The photoreceptor has a wear-resistant layer comprising oxygen and gallium elements on the surface thereof, and an oxygen content of 15 atomic% or more, and a difference in thickness between the wear-resistant layers. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image forming apparatus is 0.1 μm or less.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the cleaning unit is configured to clean the surface of the photoreceptor.

Images