JP7000756B2 - Endless belt, manufacturing method of endless belt, endless belt member, fixing member, fixing device, and image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an endless belt, a method for manufacturing an endless belt, a member for an endless belt, a fixing member, a fixing device, and an image forming device.

Patent Document 1 states that "a substrate having a surface containing nickel and a silicone rubber elastic layer are provided, and the surface of the substrate and the silicone rubber elastic layer are bonded via a Ni—O—Si bond. An elastic member, wherein the base material has nickel oxide on its surface. ”.
Patent Document 2 describes, "A fixing member having a layer on a carrier, the fixing member having an adhesive layer having a fluororesin-containing polyimide resin and an outermost layer made of a fluororesin as the layer. Is disclosed.
Patent Document 3 states, "A hydroxylation treatment step of introducing a hydroxyl group to the surface of a zinc-plated base material by bringing an alkaline aqueous solution into contact with the surface of the zinc-plated base material, and silane on the surface of the zinc-plated base material after the hydroxylation treatment. A silane coupling agent treatment step of forming a hydrogen bond between a silanol group derived from a silane coupling agent and a hydroxyl group on the surface of a zinc-plated substrate by contacting an aqueous solution of the coupling agent, and zinc after treatment with the silane coupling agent. The surface of the zinc-plated base material, which comprises a step of heating the plated base material to form a silane coupling agent film on the surface of the zinc-plated base material via a SiO bond formed by a dehydration condensation reaction between the silanol group and the hydroxyl group. Processing method. ”Is disclosed. A drive belt using this method is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-148716 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-3400022 JP-A-2015-137404

In the endless belt, when the adhesive layer is provided on the base material having the metal layer containing nickel plating, the adhesiveness between the metal layer and the adhesive layer may be lowered.

The object of the present invention is that in an endless belt having a metal layer containing nickel plating, the surface of the nickel plating contained in the metal layer before the adhesive layer is provided has a hydroxy group content of less than 4.1 mmol / g. It is an object of the present invention to provide an endless belt in which a decrease in adhesiveness between a metal layer and an adhesive layer is suppressed as compared with the case.

The following inventions are provided in order to achieve the above object.

The invention according to < 1 > is
With the base material
A metal layer provided on the substrate, the metal layer containing a nickel plating having a functional group derived from a hydroxy group on the surface and an amount of the functional group of 4.1 mmol / g or more.
An adhesive layer provided in contact with the metal layer and containing a compound having a reactive group structure and a siloxane structure,
An elastic layer provided in contact with the adhesive layer and
Endless belt with.

The invention according to < 2 > is
The endless belt according to < 1 > , wherein the elastic layer contains silicone rubber.
The invention according to < 3 > is
The endless belt according to < 1 > or < 2 > , wherein the base material is made of a heat-resistant resin.
The invention according to < 4 > is
The endless belt according to < 3 > , wherein the heat-resistant resin is polyimide.
The invention according to < 5 > is
The endless belt according to < 1 > , which has a surface layer provided on the elastic layer.
The invention according to < 6 > is
The endless belt according to < 5 > , wherein the surface layer contains a fluororesin.

The invention according to < 7 > is
A step of providing a metal layer on a substrate, a step of providing a metal layer containing nickel plating having a hydroxy group on the surface and an amount of the hydroxy group of 4.1 mmol / g or more.
A step of applying an adhesive containing a compound having a reactive group structure and a siloxane structure on the metal layer to provide an adhesive layer, and a step of providing the adhesive layer.
The step of providing an elastic layer on the adhesive layer and
A method for manufacturing an endless belt having.
The invention according to < 8 > is
Further, the manufacture of the endless belt according to < 7 > , which comprises a step of storing the base material provided with the metal layer in an inert gas atmosphere between the step of providing the metal layer and the step of providing the adhesive layer. Method.

The invention according to < 9 > is
With the base material
A metal layer provided on the substrate, having a hydroxy group on the surface, and having an amount of the hydroxy group of 4.1 mmol / g or more.
A member for an endless belt.
The invention according to < 10 > is
A fixing member having the endless belt according to < 1 > to < 6 > .
The invention according to < 11 > is
The fixing member described in < 10 > and
A pressure member that pressurizes the outer peripheral surface of the fixing member and sandwiches a recording medium on which an unfixed toner image is formed on the surface together with the fixing member.
A heating means for heating the unfixed toner image on the recording medium, and
Fixing device with.
The invention according to < 12 > is
Image holder and
A charging device that charges the surface of the image holder, and
An electrostatic latent image forming device that forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the charged image holder,
A developing device that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image holder with toner to form a toner image.
A transfer device that transfers a toner image formed on the surface of the image holder to a recording medium, and a transfer device.
The fixing device according to < 11 > , which fixes the toner image on the recording medium, and the fixing device.
Image forming apparatus having.

According to the invention according to < 1 > , in an endless belt having a metal layer containing nickel plating, the surface of the nickel plating contained in the metal layer before the adhesive layer is provided has a hydroxy group content of 4.1 mmol /. An endless belt is provided in which a decrease in adhesiveness between the metal layer and the adhesive layer is suppressed as compared with the case where the amount is less than g.

According to the invention according to < 2 > , the surface of the nickel plating contained in the metal layer before the adhesive layer is provided adheres to the metal layer as compared with the case where the content of the hydroxy group is less than 4.1 mmol / g. An endless belt in which a decrease in adhesiveness with a layer is suppressed and an elastic layer contains a silicone rubber is provided.
According to the inventions of < 3 > and < 4 > , the surface of the nickel plating contained in the metal layer before the adhesive layer is provided has a hydroxy group content of less than 4.1 mmol / g, as compared with the case where the surface has a hydroxy group content of less than 4.1 mmol / g. An endless belt in which a decrease in adhesiveness between a metal layer and an adhesive layer is suppressed and a base material is made of a heat-resistant resin is provided.
According to the inventions of < 5 > and < 6 > , the surface of the nickel plating contained in the metal layer before the adhesive layer is provided has a hydroxy group content of less than 4.1 mmol / g, as compared with the case where the surface has a hydroxy group content of less than 4.1 mmol / g. A decrease in adhesiveness between the metal layer and the adhesive layer is suppressed, and an endless belt having a surface layer provided on the elastic layer is provided.

According to the inventions according to < 7 > and < 8 > , in the method for manufacturing an endless belt having a metal layer containing nickel plating, the content of hydroxy groups on the surface of nickel plating is less than 4.1 mmol / g. A method for manufacturing an endless belt, in which a decrease in adhesiveness between a metal layer and an adhesive layer is suppressed, is provided.

According to the invention according to < 9 > , in the endless belt member having the metal layer containing the nickel plating, the metal layer has a hydroxy group content of less than 4.1 mmol / g on the surface of the nickel plating. Provided is an endless belt member in which deterioration of the adhesiveness between the metal layer and the adhesive layer is suppressed when the adhesive layer is provided on the adhesive layer.

According to the invention according to < 10 > , in an endless belt having a metal layer containing nickel plating, the surface of the nickel plating contained in the metal layer before the adhesive layer is provided has a hydroxy group content of 4.1 mmol /. Provided is a fixing member in which a decrease in adhesiveness between a metal layer and an adhesive layer is suppressed as compared with the case where an endless belt is included when the amount is less than g.
According to the inventions according to < 11 > and < 12 > , in an endless belt having a metal layer containing nickel plating, the surface of the nickel plating contained in the metal layer before the adhesive layer is provided has a hydroxy group content. 4.1 A fixing device and an image forming device including a fixing member in which a decrease in adhesiveness with an adhesive layer is suppressed as compared with the case where a fixing member including an endless belt when the pressure is less than 1.1 mmol / g are applied are provided.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the layer structure in the example of the endless belt which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of the fixing device which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of the image forming apparatus which concerns on this embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments that are an example of the present invention will be described in detail.

<Manufacturing method of endless belt and endless belt>
The endless belt according to the present embodiment is a base material and a metal layer provided on the base material, and has a functional group derived from a hydroxy group on the surface, and the amount of the functional group is 4.1 mmol / g or more. It is provided with a metal layer containing nickel plating, an adhesive layer provided in contact with the metal layer and containing a compound having a reactive group structure and a siloxane structure, and an elastic layer provided in contact with the adhesive layer.

Further, the method for producing an endless belt according to the present embodiment is a step of providing a metal layer on a base material, and has a hydroxy group on the surface, and the amount of the hydroxy group is 4.1 mmol / g or more. A step of providing a metal layer including plating, a step of applying an adhesive containing a compound having a reactive group structure and a siloxane structure on the metal layer to provide an adhesive layer, and a step of providing an elastic layer on the adhesive layer. And have.

In the endless belt, for example, a metal layer containing nickel plating may be provided on a base material, and the elastic layer and the metal layer may be adhered to each other via an adhesive. For example, when an adhesive layer is provided on a base material having a metal layer containing nickel plating (hereinafter, may be referred to as "endless belt member"), the adhesiveness between the metal layer and the adhesive layer is lowered. There was a case. It is considered that this is because when the amount of hydroxy groups present on the nickel-plated surface is too small, the reaction site between the adhesive and the hydroxy groups present on the nickel-plated surface is reduced. Therefore, it is considered that the decrease in the adhesiveness between the metal layer and the adhesive layer is a phenomenon caused by the decrease in the amount of bonding between the adhesive and the hydroxy group existing on the nickel plating surface.

The decrease in the amount of hydroxy groups present on the nickel-plated surface is considered as follows. For example, the endless belt member may be stored before the adhesive layer is provided on the metal layer of the endless belt member. For example, when the endless belt member is stored in an atmospheric environment, a phenomenon occurs in which the surface of nickel plating is oxidized and covered with an oxide film, and a phenomenon in which foreign matter of an organic substance adheres occurs. It is considered that these phenomena cover the hydroxy groups existing on the surface of the nickel plating, so that the amount of hydroxy groups on the surface of the nickel plating decreases.

On the other hand, in the endless belt and the endless belt manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, the above configuration suppresses a decrease in adhesiveness with the adhesive layer. When the adhesive layer is provided on the metal layer of the endless belt member, the amount of hydroxy groups present on the surface of the nickel plating contained in the metal layer before the adhesive layer is 4.1 mmol / g or more. The decrease in reactivity between the adhesive and the hydroxy group present on the nickel-plated surface is suppressed. That is, the decrease in the bonding portion between the adhesive and the hydroxy group existing on the nickel plating surface is suppressed. As a result, it is considered that the deterioration of the adhesiveness between the metal layer and the adhesive layer is suppressed.
Then, in the endless belt according to the present embodiment, the adhesive and the hydroxy group existing on the nickel-plated surface are reacting with each other. Therefore, in the endless belt according to the present embodiment, it is considered that the decrease in the adhesiveness between the metal layer and the adhesive layer is suppressed when the amount of the functional group derived from the hydroxy group is 4.1 mmol / g or more. ..

As a method for suppressing the decrease in the amount of hydroxy groups present on the nickel-plated surface, for example, the endless belt member is provided with nitrogen gas until the adhesive layer is provided on the metal layer of the endless belt member. For example, it may be stored in an inert gas environment such as. By storing in an inert gas environment, it is considered that the phenomenon rate of hydroxy groups existing on the surface of nickel plating is reduced by suppressing the oxidation of hydroxy groups existing on the surface of nickel plating and the adhesion of organic substances. .. Therefore, storage in an inert gas environment is considered to be a useful method in which the amount of hydroxy groups present on the surface of nickel plating is 4.1 mmol / g or more. Further, the obtained endless belt is useful in that the amount of the functional group derived from the hydroxy group can be easily controlled to 4.1 mmol / g or more.

Hereinafter, as an example of the endless belt according to the present embodiment, the configuration of the endless belt will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of an endless belt according to the present embodiment.
The belt 10 shown in FIG. 1 is an endless belt having a layer structure in which a metal layer 10B, a contact layer 10C, an elastic layer 10D, and a release layer 10E are sequentially laminated on an outer peripheral surface of a base material 10A. Is. In the metal layer 10B, the base metal layer 102, the electromagnetic induction metal layer 104 that self-heats due to the electromagnetic induction action, and the metal protective layer 106 are laminated in this order.

Hereinafter, each layer constituting the endless belt according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to an example of a fixing member configured including the endless belt according to the present embodiment.
As the endless belt according to the present embodiment, the belt 10 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described below as an example, but the present embodiment is not limited to this structure. For example, the metal layer 10B shown in FIG. 1 is not particularly limited as long as it contains nickel plating. For example, FIG. 1 shows a structure in which the base metal layer 102, the electromagnetic induction metal layer 104, and the metal protective layer 106 are laminated in this order as the metal layer 10B, but the number of laminated metal layers is different. good. Specifically, it may be a single metal layer and may be a metal layer that self-heats due to an electromagnetic induction action. In particular, among the metal layers, nickel plating having a hydroxy group on the surface is preferably a layer in contact with the adhesive layer. In addition, nickel plating means plating containing nickel (or nickel alloy).
In the following, the reference numerals of each layer may be omitted.

[Base material 10A]
The base material 10A is preferably a layer that maintains high strength with little change in physical properties even when the metal layer 10B generates heat. Therefore, it is preferable that the base material 10A is mainly composed of a heat-resistant resin (in the present specification, "mainly" and "main component" mean that the mass ratio is 50% or more, and the following Is also synonymous).

In the case of the base material 10A mainly composed of the heat-resistant resin, the slidability with the pressing member in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the belt is ensured, and the life of the pressing member is extended. Further, since the heat-resistant resin has a heat insulating effect, the heat from the metal layer 10B can be efficiently transferred to the outer peripheral surface side without escaping to the pressing member.

Examples of the heat-resistant resin that can form the base material 10A include high heat-resistant and high-strength resins such as liquid crystal materials such as polyimide, aromatic polyamide, and thermotropic liquid crystal polymer. In addition to these, polyester and polyethylene are used. Telephthalate, polyethersulfon, polyetherketone, polysulfone, polyimideamide and the like are used. Among these, polyimide is preferable.
Further, the heat insulating effect may be further improved by adding a filler having a heat insulating effect to the heat resistant resin or foaming the heat resistant resin.

The thickness of the base material 10A is preferably in the range of 10 μm or more and 200 μm or less, and more preferably in the range of 30 μm or more and 100 μm or less, from the viewpoint of achieving both rigidity and flexibility to realize repeated circumferential transport of the belt over a long period of time. ..

Further, from the viewpoint of suppressing the generation of cracks in the metal layer 10B, it is preferable that the tensile strength of the base material 10A satisfies 200 MPa or more (more preferably 250 MPa or more). The tensile strength of the base material is adjusted by the type of resin, the type of filler, and the amount of addition.
The tensile strength (MPa) of the base material is obtained when the base material is cut into a strip shape with a width of 5 mm, installed in a tensile tester Model 1605N (manufactured by Aiko Engineering Co., Ltd.), and pulled at a constant speed of 10 mm / sec. Measured at tensile breaking strength (MPa).

[Base metal layer 102]
The base metal layer 102 is a layer previously formed for forming the electromagnetic induction metal layer 104 on the outer peripheral surface of the base material 10A by the electrolytic plating method, and is provided as needed. As a method for forming the electromagnetic induction metal layer 104, an electrolytic plating method is preferable from the viewpoint of cost and the like, but when a base material 10A mainly composed of a resin is used, it is difficult to perform direct electrolytic plating. Therefore, in order to form the electromagnetic induction metal layer 104, it is preferable to provide the base metal layer 102.

Examples of the method for forming the base metal layer 102 on the outer peripheral surface of the base material 10A include an electroless plating method, a sputtering method, a vapor deposition method, and the like, and a chemical plating method (electroless plating method) from the viewpoint of ease of film formation. Is preferable, and among them, a general electroless nickel plating layer, an electroless copper plating layer, and the like are preferable.

Before forming the base metal layer 102 on the outer peripheral surface of the base material 10A by the electroless plating method, the surface roughness of the outer peripheral surface of the base material 10A is roughened in advance so that metal particles can easily adhere (coarse). Surface treatment) may be applied. Examples of the roughening treatment include a method of roughening the surface of the base material 10A by sandblasting, cutting, sandpapering, or the like using alumina abrasive grains or the like.

The thickness of the base metal layer 102 is preferably in the range of 0.1 μm or more and 5 μm or less, and more preferably in the range of 0.3 μm or more and 3 μm or less.

For the thickness of each layer constituting the belt according to the present embodiment, a cross section is prepared in the circumferential direction and the axial direction of the cylindrical body of the belt, and the acceleration voltage 2 of the scanning electron microscope (“JSM6700F” manufactured by JEOL Ltd.) It is a value measured from the observation image at 0.0 kV and 5000 times.

[Electromagnetic induction metal layer 104]
The electromagnetic induction metal layer 104 is a heat generating layer having a function of generating heat by an eddy current generated in the layer when a magnetic field is applied, and is composed of a metal that causes an electromagnetic induction action.
As the metal that causes the electromagnetic induction action, for example, a single metal such as nickel, iron, copper, gold, silver, aluminum, chromium, tin, zinc, or an alloy containing two or more kinds of metals may be selected. .. Considering cost, heat generation performance, and processability, copper, nickel, aluminum, iron, and chromium are suitable, and among them, copper or an alloy containing copper as a main component is preferable.

The electromagnetic induction metal layer 104 is formed by subjecting a well-known method, for example, an electrolytic plating treatment.

The optimum thickness of the electromagnetic induction metal layer 104 differs depending on the metal material. For example, when copper is used for the electromagnetic induction metal layer 104, the thickness of the electromagnetic induction metal layer 104 is from the viewpoint of efficiently generating heat. Is preferably in the range of 3 μm or more and 50 μm or less, more preferably in the range of 3 μm or more and 30 μm or less, and further preferably in the range of 5 μm or more and 20 μm or less.

[Metal protective layer 106]
On the outer peripheral surface side of the electromagnetic induction metal layer 104, a metal protective layer is provided in order to improve the film strength, suppress cracks due to repeated deformation, oxidative deterioration due to repeated heating for a long time, and maintain heat generation characteristics. It is preferable to provide it in contact with the electromagnetic induction metal layer 104.

The metal protective layer 106 is preferably a thin film having high breaking strength, high durability and high oxidation resistance, and is preferably an oxidation resistant metal. Specifically, the metal protective layer 106 is plated with nickel (or nickel alloy), which is a metal oxide resistant, from the viewpoint of suppressing the generation of cracks due to repeated deformation and the suppression of oxidative deterioration due to repeated heating. It is preferable to have.

The optimum thickness of the metal protective layer differs depending on the material. For example, when the metal protective layer is formed of nickel, cracking due to insufficient breaking strength is suppressed, while flexibility is obtained and the film is formed. From the viewpoint that the heat capacity of the metal itself does not become too large and the warm-up time is kept short, the range is preferably 2 μm or more and 20 μm or less, more preferably 2 μm or more and 15 μm or less, and 5 μm or more and 10 μm or less. It is more preferable to have.

The metal protective layer is preferably formed by an electrolytic plating method in consideration of processability with a thin film, and among them, electrolytic nickel plating having high strength is more preferable.
When forming by the electrolytic plating method, first, a plating solution containing metal ions such as nickel ions is prepared, and the base material 10A having the base metal layer 102 and the electromagnetic induction metal layer 104 is immersed in the plating solution to perform electrolytic plating. , Form an electroplating layer of the required thickness.

The surface of the nickel plating as the metal protective layer has hydroxy groups for reacting with the compound used for the adhesive layer described later, and the amount of hydroxy groups present on the surface of the nickel plating is 4.1 mmol / g or more. .. It is preferably 4.8 mmol / g or more, more preferably 6.0 mmol / g or more. The larger the amount of hydroxy groups present on the surface of the nickel plating, the better the adhesiveness between the metal layer and the adhesive layer tends to be. Therefore, the upper limit is not particularly limited, but for example, 10.0 mmol / g or less can be mentioned. ..

The amount of hydroxy groups present on the surface of nickel plating is measured by the F derivatization XPS method. In the F derivatization XPS method, the hydroxy group existing on the surface of nickel plating is selectively reacted with F (fluorine atom), and the amount of F generated is measured by the X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) method. It is a method of quantifying the amount of hydroxy groups by measuring with. Specifically, the hydroxy group on the nickel-plated surface of the endless belt member to be measured is gas-phase derivatized with trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA). However, since TFAA reacts with both hydroxy and amino groups and is indistinguishable, when it is reacted with ammonia after derivatization with TFAA, the introduced fluoride of the hydroxy group is removed, but the amino group does not change. Hydroxy groups were quantified using this method. That is, the amount of hydroxy group is quantified by (hydroxy group + amino group) -amino group. The amount of fluorine after each reaction is measured under conditions (10 kV, 10 mA) using an X-ray photoelectron spectrophotometer (manufactured by JEOL Ltd., product name: JPS-9000MX), and hydroxy from that value. Quantify the group. The reaction formulas of the hydroxy and amino groups present on the nickel-plated surface when they are reacted with ammonia after derivatization with TFAA are shown below.

[Adhesive layer 10C]
The adhesive layer 10C is a layer provided between the metal layer 10B and the elastic layer 10D.
As described above, the adhesive layer 10C is an adhesive layer containing a compound having a reactive group structure and a siloxane structure (hereinafter, may be referred to as a polysiloxane having a reactive group structure). That is, the adhesive layer 10C is a layer of a cured product of a composition containing a polysiloxane having a reactive group structure. When a composition containing a polysiloxane having a reactive group structure is applied onto a metal layer, a silanol group is generated by a hydrolysis reaction. Then, by a condensation reaction with a silanol group, it dehydrates and condenses with a hydroxy group existing on the surface of nickel plating. In addition, a siloxane bond is formed by the reaction between alkoxysilyl groups. As a result, an adhesive layer is formed in which the metal layer containing nickel plating and the adhesive layer are bonded. Further, due to this dehydration condensation reaction, a functional group derived from a hydroxy group is present on the surface of the nickel plating.
Hereinafter, the compound of the adhesive layer will be described.

-Composition containing siloxane having a reactive group structure-
Having a reactive group structure means having a reactive group in the structure. The reactive group structure of the siloxane having the reactive group structure is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a hydrosilyl group (SiH group). That is, the composition containing a siloxane having a reactive group structure contains, for example, at least a polysiloxane having a SiH structure, and if necessary, contains a tetraalkoxysilane, an alkenylsilane coupling agent, and other components. The composition may be mentioned.
Hereinafter, a composition containing a polysiloxane having a SiH structure will be described as an example, but the composition containing a polysiloxane having a reactive group structure used for the adhesive layer is not limited thereto.

Polysiloxane having a SiH structure A polysiloxane having a SiH structure has one or more SiH structures (that is, a structure in which a silicon atom and a hydrogen atom are directly bonded) and two or more continuous siloxane bonds. It is a siloxane compound.
The number of SiH structures contained in one molecule of polysiloxane having a SiH structure is 1 or more, and 2 or more is preferable, and 2 or more and 10 or less are preferable from the viewpoint of imparting adhesiveness to the elastic layer and rubber elasticity to the adhesive layer. More preferably, it is more preferably 2 or more and 4 or less.
The number of Si atoms contained in one molecule of polysiloxane having a SiH structure is 3 or more, and is preferably 3 or more and 100 or less from the viewpoint of improving adhesiveness and imparting rubber elasticity.
The number average molecular weight of the polysiloxane having a SiH structure is, for example, 200 or more and 10,000 or less, and is preferably 200 or more and 6000 or less from the viewpoint of improving adhesiveness and imparting rubber elasticity.
The number average molecular weight is measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The molecular weight measurement by GPC is performed by using Tosoh's GPC / HLC-8120GPC as a measuring device, using Tosoh's column / TSKgel SuperHM-M (15 cm), and using a THF solvent. The number average molecular weight is calculated from this measurement result using a molecular weight calibration curve prepared from a monodisperse polystyrene standard sample.

The molecular structure of the polysiloxane having a SiH structure may be linear, branched, or cyclic.
Examples of the polysiloxane having a SiH structure include compounds represented by the following general formula (1).

In the general formula (1), R ¹¹ , R ¹² , R ¹³ , R ¹⁴ , R ¹⁵ , R ¹⁶ and R ¹⁷ each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic group, and n is 1 or more. Indicates an integer.

In the general formula (1), examples of the monovalent organic group represented by R ¹¹ to R ¹⁷ include a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group, a substituted or unsubstituted silyloxy group and the like. Be done.

In the general formula (1), examples of the alkyl group represented by R ¹¹ to R ¹⁷ include a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 or more and 4 or less carbon atoms (preferably 1 or more and 3 or less). Specific examples thereof include a methyl group, an ethyl group, an n-propyl group, an isopropyl group, an n-butyl group, an isobutyl group and the like.
^In the general formula (1), examples of the substituent of the alkyl group represented by R11 to R17 include a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group described later, a substituted or unsubstituted silyloxy group and the like.

Examples of the aryl group represented by R ¹¹ to R ¹⁷ in the general formula (1) include a phenyl group and a naphthyl group.
In the general formula (1), examples of the substituent of the aryl group represented by R ¹¹ to R ¹⁷ include the above-mentioned substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, the later substituted or unsubstituted silyloxy group and the like.

In the general formula (1), examples of the substituent of the silyloxy group represented by R ¹¹ to R ¹⁷ include the above-mentioned substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, substituted or unsubstituted aryl group, substituted or unsubstituted silyloxy group and the like. Can be mentioned.

In the general formula (1), among these, R ¹¹ to R ¹⁷ are hydrogen atoms, unsubstituted alkyl groups having 1 or more carbon atoms and 2 or less carbon atoms, and unsubstituted from the viewpoint of improving adhesiveness and imparting rubber elasticity. A phenyl group, an unsubstituted silyloxy group, and a silyloxy group substituted with an unsubstituted alkyl group having 1 or more and 2 or less carbon atoms are preferable, and a hydrogen atom and an alkyl group having 1 or more and 2 or less carbon atoms are more preferable.

When n in the general formula (1) is 2 or more, the two or more R ¹³ and R ¹⁴ in the compound represented by the general formula (1) may be the same or different, respectively. Good, but preferably the same.
Further, R ¹³ and R ¹⁴ in the general formula (1) may be the same or different from each other, but are preferably the same. R ¹¹ and R ¹² in the general formula (1) may be the same or different from each other, but are preferably the same. R ¹⁵ and R ¹⁶ in the general formula (1) may be the same or different from each other, but are preferably the same.

Among these, the compound represented by the general formula (1) is preferably a compound in which R ¹¹ to R ¹⁶ are hydrogen, a methyl group, or an ethyl group, and R ¹⁷ is a hydrogen atom, and R ¹¹ to R ¹⁶ are preferable. A compound in which both are methyl groups and R ¹⁷ is a hydrogen atom is more preferable.

The content of the polysiloxane having a SiH structure in the entire composition is, for example, 1% by mass or more and 50% by mass or less, and is preferably 2% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less from the viewpoint of improving adhesiveness and coatability. ..

-Tetraalkoxysilane Tetraalkoxysilane is a compound in which four alkoxy groups are bonded to a Si atom, and is represented by the following general formula (2).

In the general formula (2), R ²¹ , R ²² , R ²³ , and R ²⁴ each independently represent a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group.

In the general formula (2), examples of the alkyl group represented by R ²¹ to R ²⁴ include linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 or more and 4 or less carbon atoms (preferably 1 or more and 3 or less). Examples thereof include a methyl group, an ethyl group, an n-propyl group, an isopropyl group, an n-butyl group, an isobutyl group and the like.
In the general formula (2), examples of the substituent of the alkyl group represented by R ²¹ to R ²⁴ include a linear or branched alkoxy group, and specifically, a methoxy group, an ethoxy group, a propoxy group, and the like. Examples thereof include an isopropoxy group, a butoxy group and an isobutoxy group.

In the general formula (2), among these, R ²¹ to R ²⁴ are preferably an unsubstituted alkyl group, more preferably a methyl group, an ethyl group and an n-propyl group from the viewpoint of suppressing wrinkles of the recording medium. A methyl group and an ethyl group are more preferable, and a methyl group is particularly preferable.
R ²¹ to R ²⁴ in the general formula (2) may be the same or different from each other, but are preferably the same.
Among these, the tetraalkoxysilane represented by the general formula (2) is preferably a compound in which R ²¹ to R ²⁴ are a methyl group or an ethyl group, and a compound in which any of R ²¹ to R ²⁴ is a methyl group. More preferred.

The content of tetraalkoxysilane in the entire composition is, for example, 1% by mass or more and 50% by mass or less, and 2% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less is preferable. When the content of tetraalkoxysilane is in the above range, peeling of the elastic layer or the like is suppressed as compared with the case where the content is less than the above range.
The amount of tetraalkoxysilane contained in the composition with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polysiloxane having a SiH structure is, for example, 10 parts by mass or more and 500 parts by mass or less, preferably 20 parts by mass or more and 300 parts by mass or less. ..

(Silane coupling agent having an alkenyl group)
The alkenyl-based silane coupling agent is not particularly limited as long as it is a silane coupling agent having an alkenyl group.
Here, the silane coupling agent is a compound in which at least one of an alkoxy group and a halogen atom is directly bonded to a Si atom.
Examples of the alkenyl group include an alkenyl group having 2 or more carbon atoms and 4 or less carbon atoms, and specific examples thereof include a vinyl group, an allyl group, a butenyl group and the like. Further, as the alkenyl group, an alkenyl group having a double bond at the terminal is preferable.

Specific examples of the alkenyl-based silane coupling agent include vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyltriisopropoxysilane, vinyltris (methoxyethoxy) silane, vinyltrichlorosilane, and allyltrimethoxysilane.

In particular, as the alkenyl-based silane coupling agent, a compound having an alkenyl group and having three alkoxy groups directly bonded to a Si atom can be mentioned.
Examples of the alkenyl-based silane coupling agent include compounds represented by the following general formula (3).

In the general formula (3), R ³¹ , R ³² , and R ³³ each independently represent a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, and R ³⁴ represents a monovalent organic group having an alkenyl group.

The substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group represented by R ³¹ to R ³³ in the general formula (3) is, for example, the same as the substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group represented by R ²¹ to R ²⁴ in the general formula (2). Can be mentioned.
R ³¹ to R ³³ in the general formula (3) may be the same or different from each other, but are preferably the same.

In the general formula (3), examples of the monovalent organic group having an alkenyl group represented by R34 include an alkenyl group, an ^{alkenyloxyalkyl} group, an alkenylcycloalkyl group, an alkenylaryl group and the like.
In the general formula (3), the monovalent organic group having an alkenyl group represented by ^R34 is preferably an alkenyl group, more preferably an alkenyl group having a double bond at the terminal, a vinyl group, an allyl group, and the like. A 3-butenyl group is more preferred, and a vinyl group is particularly preferred.

Among these, the alkenyl silane coupling agent represented by the general formula (3) is preferably a compound in which R ³¹ to R ³³ are a methyl group or an ethyl group and R ³⁴ is a vinyl group or an allyl group, and R is preferable. A compound in which all of ³¹ to R ³³ are methyl groups and R ³⁴ is a vinyl group is more preferable.

The content of the alkenyl silane coupling agent in the entire composition is, for example, 1% by mass or more and 50% by mass or less, and 2% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less from the viewpoint of improving adhesiveness and imparting rubber elasticity. preferable.
The amount of the alkenyl-based silane coupling agent contained in the composition with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polysiloxane having a SiH structure includes, for example, 20 parts by mass or more and 500 parts by mass or less, and 30 parts by mass or more and 300 parts by mass or more. The following is preferable.

-Other ingredients The composition may contain other ingredients as needed.
Examples of other components include solvents (eg, butyl acetate, etc.) and inorganic particles (eg, iron oxide, silica, etc.).
In addition, the composition may further contain other silane coupling agents as other components. Examples of other silane coupling agents include epoxy-based silane coupling agents, amino-based silane coupling agents, methacrylic-based silane coupling agents, styryl-based (phenylvinyl-based) silane coupling agents, and amino. Examples include a basic silane coupling agent.

The thickness of the adhesive layer 10C is, for example, 0.1 μm or more and 10 μm or less, preferably 0.2 μm or more and 7 μm or less, and more preferably 0.3 μm or more and 5 μm or less.

[Elastic layer 10D]
The elastic layer 10D is a layer provided from the viewpoint of imparting elasticity to the pressure applied to the fixing member from the outer peripheral side. For example, when used as a fixing belt in an image forming apparatus, the unevenness of the toner image on the recording medium is uneven. This is a layer in which the surface of the fixing member plays a role of adhering to the toner image in accordance with the above.

The elastic layer 10D may be made of an elastic material that restores its original shape even if it is deformed by applying an external force of 100 Pa, for example.
The elastic layer 10D in the present embodiment may contain, for example, silicone rubber. In the silicone rubber, the uncured material has a carbon-carbon double bond (for example, a vinyl group, etc.). When a composition containing a polysiloxane having a SiH structure is used for the adhesive layer 10C, the elastic layer 10D contains a silicone rubber, so that the carbon-carbon double bond contained in the silicone rubber and the adhesive layer are contained. It is considered that the hydrogen atom in the SiH structure (that is, the hydrogen atom directly bonded to the Si atom) reacts with each other to form a covalent bond. Therefore, it is considered that the adhesive layer 10C and the elastic layer 10D can obtain high adhesiveness.

Examples of the silicone rubber include RTV silicone rubber, HTV silicone rubber, liquid silicone rubber, and the like, and specifically, polydimethyl silicone rubber (MQ), methyl vinyl silicone rubber (VMQ), and methylphenyl silicone rubber (PMQ). ), Fluorosilicone rubber (FVMQ) and the like.
Examples of commercially available products include liquid silicone rubber SE6744 manufactured by Toray Dow Corning Silicone Co., Ltd.

In the present embodiment, the elastic material contained in the elastic layer 10D preferably contains silicone rubber as a main component (that is, contains 50% or more by mass ratio), and the content thereof is 90% by mass or more. It is more preferable, and it is further preferable that it is 99% by mass or less.

The elastic layer 10D may further contain a material other than silicone rubber as the elastic material, and examples thereof include heat-resistant rubber such as fluororubber. Examples of the fluororubber include vinylidene fluoride rubber, ethylene tetrafluoride / propylene rubber, ethylene tetrafluoride / perfluoromethyl vinyl ether rubber, phosphazene rubber, fluoropolyether and the like.
Examples of commercially available products include DuPont B-202 manufactured by DuPont Dow elastmers.

In addition to the elastic material, the elastic layer 10D may contain an inorganic filler for the purpose of reinforcement, heat resistance, heat transfer, and the like. Examples of the inorganic filler include known ones, and examples thereof include fumes-like silica, crystalline silica, iron oxide, alumina, and metallic silicon.
In addition to the above, the materials of the inorganic filler include carbides (for example, carbon black, carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes, etc.), titanium oxide, silicon carbide, talc, mica, kaolin, calcium carbonate, calcium silicate, magnesium oxide, etc. Well-known inorganic fillers such as graphite, silicon nitride, boron nitride, cerium oxide, magnesium carbonate and the like can be mentioned.
Among these, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, graphite, boron nitride, and carbides are preferable from the viewpoint of thermal conductivity.
The content of the inorganic filler in the elastic layer 10D may be determined by the required thermal conductivity, mechanical strength, etc. For example, 1% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less can be mentioned, and 3% by mass or more and 15 by mass or more. It is preferably 5% by mass or less, more preferably 5% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less.

Further, the elastic layer 10D has, as an additive, for example, a softening agent (paraffin-based, etc.), a processing aid (stearic acid, etc.), an antiaging agent (amine-based, etc.), a vulcanizing agent (sulfur, metal oxide, peroxide, etc.). Oxides, etc.), functional fillers (alumina, etc.) and the like may be contained.

The thickness of the elastic layer 10D is, for example, preferably in the range of 30 μm or more and 600 μm or less, and preferably in the range of 100 μm or more and 500 μm or less.

[Surface layer 10E]
The surface layer 10E is a layer that plays a role of suppressing the toner image in a molten state from sticking to the surface (outer peripheral surface) on the side in contact with the recording medium at the time of fixing. The surface layer is provided as needed.

The surface layer 10E is required to have heat resistance and releasability, for example. From this point of view, it is preferable to use a heat-resistant release material as the material constituting the surface layer, and specific examples thereof include fluororubber, fluororesin, silicone resin, and polyimide resin.
Among these, fluororesin is preferable as the heat-resistant mold release material.
Specific examples of such fluororesins include tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer (FEP), and polyethylene. -Tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), vinyl fluoride (PVF) and the like can be mentioned.

A surface treatment may be applied to the surface of the surface layer on the elastic layer side. The surface treatment may be a wet treatment or a dry treatment, and examples thereof include liquid ammonia treatment, excimer laser treatment, and plasma treatment.

The thickness of the surface layer 10E is often in the range of 10 μm or more and 100 μm or less, and more preferably in the range of 20 μm or more and 50 μm or less.

The surface layer 10E may be formed by a known method, for example, by a coating method.
Further, for the surface layer 10E, a tube-shaped release layer is prepared in advance, for example, an adhesive layer is formed on the inner surface of the tube and then covered on the outer periphery of the elastic layer 10D to form the release layer 10E. May be.

[Manufacturing method of endless belt]
The method for manufacturing an endless belt according to this embodiment has the following steps.
1) A step of providing a metal layer on a substrate, which is a step of providing a metal layer containing nickel plating having a hydroxy group on the surface and having a hydroxy group amount of 4.1 mmol / g or more (metal layer forming step). )
2) A step of applying an adhesive containing a compound having a reactive group structure and a siloxane structure on the metal layer to provide an adhesive layer (adhesive layer forming step).
3) A step of providing an elastic layer on the adhesive layer (elastic layer forming step).
Further, the method for manufacturing an endless belt according to the present embodiment may further include the following steps.
4) A step of storing the base material provided with the metal layer in an inert gas atmosphere between the steps of providing the metal layer and the step of providing the adhesive layer (storage step of the endless belt member).

-Metal layer forming process-
First, the base material is prepared. The base material may be, for example, a base material made of a heat-resistant resin or the like. The base material composed of the heat-resistant resin may be produced by a known method. For example, the coating film for forming a substrate is applied in the first step of applying the coating liquid to the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical or columnar core to form a coating film, and by heating the coating film, a film of a resin composition is used. Examples thereof include a method of forming a certain endless base material, a third process of removing the obtained endless base material from the core body, and the like.

Next, a metal layer is formed on the substrate so as to include nickel plating. When the metal layer forms a multi-layered metal layer, it is preferable to form the uppermost layer of the metal layer so as to be nickel-plated. Nickel plating may be formed, for example, by an electrolytic plating method. Specifically, a plating solution containing metal ions such as nickel ions is prepared, and a base material for subjecting nickel plating to the plating solution (including the above-mentioned base metal layer and a base material having an electromagnetically induced metal layer). Is immersed and electrolytic plating is performed, and a metal layer containing nickel plating is formed on the base material. By providing the metal layer in this way, hydroxy groups are present on the surface of the nickel plating of the metal layer provided on the base material, and the amount of hydroxy groups is 4.1 mmol / g or more (preferably). It is provided so as to be 4.8 mmol / g or more, more preferably 6.0 mmol / g or more). The base material on which the metal layer containing nickel plating is formed obtained by this step is the endless belt member according to the present embodiment.

-Storage process of endless belt members-
Next, the base material (member for the endless belt) on which the metal layer containing nickel plating is formed is stored under an inert gas atmosphere. By storing in an inert gas atmosphere, the amount of hydroxy groups on the surface of nickel plating will be 4.1 mmol / g or more even in the endless belt member after storage, so the adhesiveness between the metal layer and the adhesive layer will be increased. The decrease is suppressed. This storage step is a step performed as needed.
For example, by storing a base material (member for endless belt) provided with a metal layer containing nickel plating in an inert gas environment such as nitrogen gas, the hydroxy groups present on the surface of nickel plating can be oxidized and organic substances can be obtained. Adhesion of gas is suppressed. That is, storage in an inert gas environment can prevent the amount of hydroxy groups present on the surface of the nickel plating from decreasing to 4.1 mmol / g or less. This is considered to reduce the rate of decrease of the hydroxy groups present on the surface of the nickel plating, and it is considered that the amount of the hydroxy groups present on the surface of the nickel plating is maintained at 4.1 mmol / g or more. Therefore, storing in an inert gas environment before the adhesive layer is provided on the metal layer of the endless belt member is effective in suppressing the deterioration of the adhesiveness between the metal layer and the adhesive layer. be.

The inert gas is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include nitrogen gas and rare gas (for example, argon gas). Among these, the inert gas is often nitrogen gas or argon gas, and nitrogen gas is preferable. The storage period is not particularly limited, but as long as the amount of hydroxy groups present on the nickel-plated surface does not fall below 4.1 mmol, storage may be performed for a predetermined period. The storage temperature is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, room temperature (25 ° C.).
Storage in an inert gas atmosphere is also advantageous in terms of production cost because the usable period of the endless belt member is extended.

-Adhesive layer forming process-
Next, an adhesive layer is formed on the metal layer. A known method may be applied to form the adhesive layer. For example, a coating liquid for forming an adhesive layer may be formed on the metal layer by the coating method. The coating liquid for forming an adhesive layer may be prepared by a known method. For example, the coating liquid for forming an adhesive layer may be prepared by mixing and stirring the above-mentioned adhesive components.

Specifically, for example, first, a coating liquid for forming an adhesive layer is applied onto a metal layer (for example, coating by a flow coating method (spiral winding coating)), and if necessary, it is dried and heated for adhesion. Form an agent film. The drying temperature in the above drying is, for example, 10 ° C. or higher and 35 ° C. or lower, and the drying time is, for example, 10 minutes or longer and 360 minutes or lower. The heating temperature in the above heating may be in the range of 100 ° C. or higher and 200 ° C. or lower, and the heating time may be, for example, 10 minutes or longer and 360 minutes or lower. The heating may be performed in an atmosphere of an inert gas (for example, nitrogen gas, argon gas, etc.).

-Elastic layer forming process-
Next, an elastic layer is formed on the adhesive layer. A known method may be applied to form the elastic layer, for example, the elastic layer may be formed on the adhesive layer by a coating method.
Specifically, for example, first, a coating liquid for forming an elastic layer containing a liquid silicone rubber that is cured by heating to become a silicone rubber is prepared. Next, an elastic layer forming coating liquid is applied (for example, application by a flow coating method (spiral winding coating)) onto an adhesive film formed by applying and drying the composition for forming an adhesive layer, and elastically coated. An elastic layer is formed on the adhesive layer by forming a film and, for example, vulcanizing an elastic coating film as needed. The vulcanization temperature in vulcanization is, for example, 150 ° C. or higher and 250 ° C. or lower, and the vulcanization time is, for example, 30 minutes or longer and 120 minutes or lower.

When the surface layer is provided on the elastic layer, the step of providing the surface layer on the elastic layer may be included. For example, a releasable tube (for example, a PFA tube) to be a surface layer is placed on an elastic layer, and a hollow metal tube (outer mold) having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of a cylindrical body coated with the elastic layer. It is expanded so that it sticks along the inner surface of the cylinder by vacuum suction. The inner surface of the releasable tube may be subjected to surface treatment such as plasma treatment. Then, after inserting the core metal formed up to the upper pre-curing adhesive layer inside the mold with the releasable tube attached to the inner surface, the vacuum suction of the outer mold is released and the releasability is released. The tube is coated on the pre-cure adhesive layer and heated.
Through the above steps, the endless belt of the present embodiment (that is, the endless belt in which the amount of functional groups derived from hydroxy groups is 4.1 mmol / g or more on the surface of nickel plating) is obtained.

[Example of using endless belt]
In the above description, the endless belt according to the present embodiment has been described when it is applied to the fixing member, but it can be used as an endless belt for other electrophotographic image forming apparatus other than the fixing member. ..

<Fixing device>
The fixing device according to the present embodiment pressurizes the fixing member according to the above-described present embodiment and the outer peripheral surface of the fixing member, and sandwiches a recording medium on which an unfixed toner image is formed on the surface together with the fixing member. It has a pressure member and a heating means for heating the unfixed toner image on the recording medium.
Hereinafter, as an example of the fixing device according to the present embodiment, the above-mentioned endless belt is applied as a fixing member, and the metal layer of the endless belt which is a fixing member is heated as a heating means by electromagnetic induction. A certain form will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a fixing device according to the present embodiment.
The fixing device 100 according to the present embodiment is an electromagnetic induction type fixing device provided with the belt 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, a pressure roll (pressurizing member) 11 is arranged so as to pressurize a part of the belt 10, and a contact region (contact region) between the belt 10 and the pressure roll 11 is provided from the viewpoint of efficient fixing. A nip) is formed, and the belt 10 is curved along the peripheral surface of the pressure roll 11. Further, from the viewpoint of ensuring the peelability of the recording medium, a bent portion in which the belt bends is formed at the end of the contact region (nip).

The pressure roll 11 is configured by forming an elastic layer 11B made of silicone rubber or the like on the base material 11A, and further forming a release layer 11C made of a fluorine-based compound on the elastic layer 11B.

Inside the belt 10, the facing member 13 is arranged at a position facing the pressure roll 11. The facing member 13 is made of metal, heat-resistant resin, heat-resistant rubber, or the like, and has a pad 13B that is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the belt 10 to locally increase the pressure, and a support 13A that supports the pad 13B.

An electromagnetic induction heating device 12 having a built-in electromagnetic induction coil (excited coil) 12a is provided at a position facing the pressurizing roll 11 (an example of a pressurizing member) about the belt 10. The electromagnetic induction heating device 12 changes the generated magnetic field by an exciting circuit by applying an alternating current to the electromagnetic induction coil, and the metal layer 10B of the belt 10 (particularly, in the belt of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the electromagnetic induction metal layer 104). ) Generates an eddy current. This eddy current is converted into heat (Joule heat) by the electric resistance of the metal layer 10B, and as a result, the surface of the belt 10 generates heat.
The position of the electromagnetic induction heating device 12 is not limited to the position shown in FIG. 2, and may be installed on the upstream side of the rotation direction B with respect to the contact region of the belt 10, or may be installed inside the belt 10. It may be installed.

In the fixing device 100 according to the present embodiment, the driving force is transmitted to the gear fixed to the end of the belt 10 by the driving device, so that the belt 10 self-rotates in the direction of arrow B and accompanies the rotation of the belt 10. The pressure roll 11 rotates in the opposite direction, that is, in the direction of arrow C.
The recording medium 15 on which the unfixed toner image 14 is formed is passed through the contact region (nip) between the belt 10 and the pressure roll 11 in the fixing device 100 in the direction of arrow A, and the unfixed toner image 14 is in a molten state. Pressure is applied to fix the toner on the recording medium 15.

In the fixing device described above, an electromagnetic induction heating device that heats the metal layer of the endless belt by electromagnetic induction is used as the heating means, but the present invention is not limited to this. As the heating means, for example, a means for providing a heat generating member such as a halogen lamp in contact with the endless belt and heating the unfixed toner image via the endless belt may be used.

<Image forming device>
The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an image holder, a charging device that charges the surface of the image holder, and an electrostatic latent image forming device that forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the charged image holder. A developing device that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image holder with toner to form a toner image, and a transfer that transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the image holder to a recording medium. It has an apparatus and a fixing apparatus according to the present embodiment for fixing the toner image to the recording medium.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment includes a photoconductor (an example of an image holder) 202, a charging device 204, a laser exposure device (an example of a latent image forming apparatus) 206, a mirror 208, and development. Device 210, intermediate transfer body 212, transfer roll (example of transfer device) 214, cleaning device 216, static elimination device 218, fixing device 100, and paper feed device (paper feed unit 220, paper feed roller 222, alignment roller 224, It also has a recording medium guide 226).

When image formation is performed by the image forming apparatus 200, first, a non-contact charging device 204 provided in the vicinity of the photoconductor 202 charges the surface of the photoconductor 202.

The surface of the photoconductor 202 charged by the charging device 204 is irradiated with laser light corresponding to the image information (signal) of each color from the laser exposure device 206 through the mirror 208 to form an electrostatic latent image.

The developing apparatus 210 forms a toner image by applying toner to a latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 202. The developing device 210 includes a developing device (not shown) of each color containing toners of four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, respectively, and the developing device 210 rotates in the direction of the arrow to cause the photoconductor 202. Toners of each color are applied to the latent image formed on the surface to form a toner image.

The toner images of each color formed on the surface of the photoconductor 202 are of each color at the contact portion between the photoconductor 202 and the intermediate transfer body 212 due to the bias voltage applied between the photoconductor 202 and the intermediate transfer body 212. Each toner image is transferred so as to be superimposed on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer body 212 so as to match the image information.

The outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer member 212 comes into contact with the surface of the photoconductor 202 and rotates in the direction of arrow E.
A transfer roll 214 is provided around the intermediate transfer body 212 in addition to the photoconductor 202.

The intermediate transfer member 212 on which the multicolor toner image is transferred rotates in the direction of arrow E. The toner image on the intermediate transfer body 212 is transferred to the surface of the recording medium 15 which has been conveyed to the contact portion in the direction of arrow A by the paper feeding device at the contact portion between the transfer roll 214 and the intermediate transfer body 212.

For paper feeding to the contact portion between the intermediate transfer body 212 and the transfer roll 214, the recording medium housed in the paper feed unit 220 is fed by a recording medium pushing means (not shown) built in the paper feed unit 220. It is pushed up to a position where it contacts the roller 222, and when the recording medium 15 comes into contact with the paper feed roller 222, the paper feed roller 222 and the alignment roller 224 rotate in the direction of arrow A along the recording medium guide 226. It is done by being transported.

The toner image transferred to the surface of the recording medium 15 moves in the direction of arrow A, and in the contact region (nip) between the belt 10 and the pressure roll 11, the toner image 14 is pressed against the surface of the recording medium 15 in a molten state. And fixed on the surface of the recording medium 15. As a result, an image fixed on the surface of the recording medium is formed.

The surface of the photoconductor 202 after the toner image is transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer body 212 is cleaned by the cleaning device 216.
The surface of the photoconductor 202 is cleaned by the cleaning device 216 and then statically eliminated by the static eliminator 218.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

<Example>
A nickel-plated polyimide base material was applied, and an endless belt member (manufactured by Ebina Denki) whose outermost surface layer of the metal layer was nickel-plated was prepared. The endless belt member was stored for 40 days (under a 22 ° C. environment) in a case purged with nitrogen gas after nickel plating. A SiH group-containing silicone primer (trade name: PRYMER No. 32, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) is applied on the nickel-plated surface of the endless belt member after storage by the flow coat method, and 15 minutes in an environment of 22 ° C. It was air-dried and baked at 180 ° C. for 2 hours.
Next, a coating liquid for forming an elastic layer (liquid silicone rubber) was applied, and primary vulcanization and secondary vulcanization were performed. Then, the inner surface was coated with a plasma-treated PFA tube and heated to bond. In this way, the endless belt of the example was produced.

<Comparison example>
The endless belt of the comparative example was produced in the same manner as the endless belt of the example except that the storage condition of storage for 40 days in the case purged with nitrogen gas was changed to the storage condition of storage in the air for 40 days. did.

<Evaluation>
[Amount of hydroxy groups on nickel-plated surface]
The nickel-plated surface of the endless belt member was measured by the above-mentioned fluorine derivatization treatment XPS method. It is considered that the amount of hydroxy groups on the nickel-plated surface of the endless belt member is the same as the amount of functional groups derived from the hydroxy groups on the nickel-plated surface after the endless belt is manufactured.

[Peeling test]
The obtained endless belt was subjected to a 90 ° peel test to evaluate the adhesiveness between the metal layer and the adhesive layer. Specifically, each fixing belt was cut into a width of 1.5 cm and a length of 10 cm to prepare an evaluation sample, and the peeling test conditions were set to a peeling speed of 0.5 cm / sec. The results are shown in Table 1.
The endless belt of the example was subjected to a peeling test under the above conditions for storage conditions of 10 days, 20 days, and 30 days in a case purged with nitrogen gas.
-Evaluation criteria-
A (○): Coagulated fracture in the silicone rubber layer B (×): Peeling was observed at the interface between the nickel plating and the substrate.

As described above, it can be seen that the results of the peeling test are better in the examples than in the comparative examples. From this result, in the endless belt obtained in the examples, the amount of the functional group derived from the hydroxy group is 4.1 mmol / g or more, so that the deterioration of the adhesiveness between the metal layer and the adhesive layer is suppressed. it is conceivable that.

10 Belt 10A Base material 102 Base metal layer 104 Electromagnetic induction metal layer 106 Metal protection layer 10B Metal layer 10C Contact layer 10D Elastic layer 10E Release layer 11 Pressurized roll 11A Base material 11B Elastic layer 11C Release layer 12 Electromagnetic induction heat generation Device 13 Opposing member 13A Support 13B Pad 14 Toner image 15 Recording medium 100 Fixing device 200 Image forming device 202 Photoreceptor 204 Charging device 206 Exposure device 210 Developing device 212 Intermediate transfer body 214 Transfer roll

Claims (12)

With the base material
A metal layer provided on the substrate, the metal layer containing a nickel plating having a functional group derived from a hydroxy group on the surface and an amount of the functional group of 4.1 mmol / g or more.
An adhesive layer provided in contact with the metal layer and containing a compound having a reactive group structure and a siloxane structure,
An elastic layer provided in contact with the adhesive layer and
Equipped with
Among the metal layers, the layer in contact with the adhesive layer contains the nickel plating and contains the nickel plating.
An endless belt in which a functional group derived from the hydroxy group is directly bonded to the nickel plating . The endless belt according to claim 1, wherein the elastic layer contains silicone rubber. The endless belt according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the base material is made of a heat-resistant resin. The endless belt according to claim 3, wherein the heat-resistant resin is polyimide. The endless belt according to claim 1, further comprising a surface layer provided on the elastic layer. The endless belt according to claim 5, wherein the surface layer contains a fluororesin. A step of providing a metal layer on a substrate, a step of providing a metal layer containing nickel plating having a hydroxy group on the surface and an amount of the hydroxy group of 4.1 mmol / g or more.
A step of applying an adhesive containing a compound having a reactive group structure and a siloxane structure on the metal layer to provide an adhesive layer, and a step of providing the adhesive layer.
The step of providing an elastic layer on the adhesive layer and
Have,
Among the metal layers, the layer in contact with the adhesive layer contains the nickel plating and contains the nickel plating.
A method for manufacturing an endless belt in which the hydroxy group is directly bonded to the nickel plating . The endless belt according to claim 7, further comprising a step of storing the base material provided with the metal layer in an inert gas atmosphere between the step of providing the metal layer and the step of providing the adhesive layer. Method. With the base material
A metal layer provided on the substrate, having a hydroxy group on the surface, and having an amount of the hydroxy group of 4.1 mmol / g or more.
Equipped with
Of the metal layers, the layer in contact with the adhesive layer contains nickel plating and contains nickel plating.
A member for an endless belt in which the hydroxy group is directly bonded to the nickel plating . The fixing member having the endless belt according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The fixing member according to claim 10 and
A pressure member that pressurizes the outer peripheral surface of the fixing member and sandwiches a recording medium on which an unfixed toner image is formed on the surface together with the fixing member.
A heating means for heating the unfixed toner image on the recording medium, and
Fixing device with. Image holder and
A charging device that charges the surface of the image holder, and
An electrostatic latent image forming device that forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the charged image holder,
A developing device that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image holder with toner to form a toner image.
A transfer device that transfers a toner image formed on the surface of the image holder to a recording medium, and a transfer device.
The fixing device according to claim 11, wherein the toner image is fixed to the recording medium.
Image forming apparatus having.

Images