JPH04346356A - Electrophotographic photoconductor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent drop in surface resistance due to adhesion of paper dust, etc., on a surface when an electrophotographic photoconductor body is used repeatedly to prevent flow of image. CONSTITUTION:A charge carrying layer, a charge generating layer, and a protection layer are accumulated in that order on a conductive supporting body. In the protection layer, heat-cure silicon resin, urethane elastomer, and hydrophobic silica are contained. Also the surface roughness of the protection layer is over 0.01mum and below 0.5mum in mean roughness relative to the centerline. Thus an electrophotographic photoconductor body can be obtained which is sensitive by positive charging, stable against temperature and humidity, not provided with image flow due to drop in surface resistance under high temperature and humidity produced especially by the adhesives on a surface such as paper dust, etc., after it is used repeatedly, hard and strong in film even if the protection layer is thin, and excellent in wear-resistance and durability.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic photoreceptor containing an organic photoconductive substance, and more particularly to a laminated electrophotographic photoreceptor used for positive charging.

0002

[Prior Art] In the past, photoreceptors made of inorganic photoconductive materials such as selenium, selenium-tellurium alloy, cadmium sulfide, and zinc oxide have been widely used as electrophotographic photoreceptors. Research is progressing on organic photoconductive materials, which have characteristics such as the ability to select compounds that exhibit photoconductivity in an appropriate wavelength range.

Electrophotographic photoreceptors using organic photoconductive substances in their photosensitive layers have advantages such as easy film formation, high flexibility and a large degree of freedom in design, low cost, and non-polluting properties. However, the sensitivity and photoreceptor life were inferior compared to inorganic photoconductive materials. In order to improve these problems, a laminated electrophotographic photoreceptor in which a photosensitive layer is formed by separating the functions of a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer has been proposed and put into practical use. Since the charge transport agent generally used in this laminated electrophotographic photoreceptor is an electron-donating substance such as pyrazoline, hydrazone, or oxazole, the charge transport layer is of a hole transport type, and therefore a charge transport layer is formed on the charge generation layer. When laminated, it is used with a negative charge.

On the other hand, these electrophotographic photoreceptors are usually repeatedly subjected to the processes of charging, exposure, development, transfer, cleaning, and static elimination, but in this series of processes, positive charging is faster than negative charging. Corona discharge is stable, and the amount of ozone generated is small, so there is little property deterioration due to ozone oxidation. In addition, conventionally used inorganic photoreceptors such as selenium and selenium-tellurium alloys are used with a positive charge, so there is a strong demand for an organic photoreceptor that can be used with a positive charge because these electrophotographic processes can be shared.

[0005] In order to obtain a positive charge with a structure in which a charge transport layer is stacked on a normal charge generation layer, an electron-accepting substance such as trinitrofluorenone may be used as a charge transport agent. Receptive substances are not generally used because they are rarely available with high mobility, are chemically unstable, and have harmful effects such as carcinogenicity. Therefore, in order to enable positive charging using an electron donating substance, a structure has been proposed in which a charge transport layer and a charge generation layer are laminated in this order on a conductive support. They have drawbacks such as large carrier injection into the charge transport layer, which reduces chargeability, and generally because the charge generation layer is a thin layer, mechanical strength is low and durability is poor.

Therefore, we have proposed a three-layer structure in which a protective layer of a thin resin film is further provided on the charge transport layer and charge generation layer, or a four-layer structure consisting of a charge transport layer, a charge generation layer, a charge injection blocking layer, and a surface protection layer. Proposal of the structure, as well as the charge transport layer and charge generation layer.
In the layer structure, increase the resin ratio of the charge generation layer to 5μm.
Proposals have been made to improve mechanical strength by increasing the thickness of the charge generation layer, and to maintain sensitivity by adding a charge transport agent to the charge generation layer. (For example, The Third International Congress on Advances
Innon Impact Printing Technologies: The 3rd international
congress on advances in n
on-impact printing technology
logies proceedings p115, Electrophotographic Society No. 59
Proceedings of the Annual Research Conference, p. 184, etc.) In the case of resin thin films, polyester resins, polyvinyl butyral resins, phenolic resins, cellulose acetate, styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers, polyamide resins, polyimide resins, and melamine resins are generally used as protective layers for photoreceptors. etc. (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 38-15446, Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-15748, Japanese Patent Publication No. 52-24414, Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-34
860, Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-53756, Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-55357, Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-22345, etc.); It cannot be said to be sufficient in terms of stability, and there is a problem of image blurring or image blurring due to a decrease in surface resistance under high temperature and high humidity conditions, especially due to surface deposits such as paper dust after repeated use.

[0007] In addition, these protective layers made of thin resin films do not have sufficient durability when they are thin, and on the other hand, when the film thickness is increased, the residual potential increases and the repeatability characteristics deteriorate.

[0008] Therefore, a method of using a protective layer in which a metal oxide is dispersed in a binder resin (for example,
Special Publication No. 57-39846, Special Publication No. 58-1210
44, Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-223445, etc.), however, metal oxides in the binder resin are insoluble in the binder resin and solvent, and their shape is lumpy, so they may not be present in the protective layer. Even if the content is constant, the resistance value will fluctuate depending on the dispersion state, making the characteristics unstable. Also, unless the blending ratio, particle size, etc. are carefully controlled, environmental fluctuations in chargeability and residual potential, It has the disadvantage of causing repeated fluctuations.

[0009]

[Problem to be solved by the invention] Therefore, in any case, there have not been many satisfactory characteristics in terms of sensitivity, durability, etc., and only high durability against scratches and abrasion during repeated use has been obtained. In addition, it has less surface resistance reduction due to surface deposits such as paper dust, is stable in use environments such as temperature and humidity, can be used with positive charge, and satisfies the characteristics required as an electrophotographic photoreceptor. It is desired to develop an electrophotographic photoreceptor with a long life.

0010

[Means for Solving the Problems] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a structure in which a charge transport layer, a charge generation layer, and a protective layer are laminated in this order on a conductive support, and the protective layer is thermoset. Contains silicone resin, urethane elastomer, and hydrophobic silica, and its surface roughness is 0.01 in terms of center line average roughness.
Due to the electrophotographic photoreceptor having a diameter of 1 μm or more and 0.5 μm or less, it is positively charged and sensitive, and is stable against temperature and humidity, especially under high temperature and high humidity conditions due to surface deposits such as paper dust after repeated use. The present invention provides an electrophotographic photoreceptor that is free from image blur due to a decrease in surface resistance, has high hardness and film strength even when the protective layer is thin, and has excellent abrasion resistance and durability.

[0011]

[Function] The electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention is positively charged and sensitive by laminating a charge transport layer, a charge generation layer and a protective layer in this order on a conductive support.

Further, in the electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention, by using a thermosetting silicone resin as a protective layer, a coating film with high hardness and excellent light transmittance and weather resistance can be obtained. At the same time, by containing urethane elastomer, wear resistance is improved and
It prevents the inherent moisture permeability of silicone resin, stabilizes the resistance of the protective layer under high temperature and high humidity conditions, and improves image fading.

Furthermore, by containing the urethane elastomer, it is possible to prevent cracks caused by curing shrinkage of the silicone resin during film formation and to improve adhesion to the lower layer.

[0014] The electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention includes the following in the protective layer:
In addition to thermosetting silicone resin and urethane elastomer, it also contains hydrophobic silica to improve the hardness of the photoreceptor surface, reduce the surface friction coefficient, improve the lubricity of the photoreceptor surface, and reduce surface deposits. By lowering the adhesive strength to the protective layer, the function of a cleaning device such as a urethane blade can be improved, and it is possible to prevent image fading due to a decrease in surface resistance due to deposits such as paper dust during repeated use.

The silica contained at the same time needs to be hydrophobic, and by being hydrophobically treated, it prevents the adsorption of ions such as moisture and ozone products, and also suppresses hydrophilic deposits. This can improve image blurring under high humidity.

Furthermore, by controlling the surface roughness of the protective layer to 0.01 μm or more and 0.5 μm or less in terms of center line average roughness due to the silica contained at the same time, the surface roughness of the protective layer can be adjusted to 0.01 μm or more and 0.5 μm or less in terms of center line average roughness, so that it can be easily cleaned by contact cleaning with ordinary cleaning means such as urethane blades. There is no toner cleaning failure, and the contact area between the photoreceptor and copy paper during toner image transfer is reduced to prevent talc and other substances contained in the copy paper from adhering to the photoreceptor surface.
This makes it possible to significantly improve the actual service life of the photoreceptor.

[0017]

EXAMPLES The electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention will be explained in detail below.

The thermosetting silicone resin used in the protective layer of the electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention is one obtained by thermosetting a hydrolyzate of alkoxysilane, and the hydrolyzate is trifunctional or tetrafunctional. Any alkyl group may be used as long as it has a silanol group, and examples of the alkyl group include a methyl group.

These thermosetting silicone resins are preferably those that are soluble in alcoholic solvents as a hydrolyzate of alkoxysilane, can be applied without corroding the lower layer, and can be condensed by heat treatment after forming the coating. It hardens to produce a highly hard and durable film.

Similarly, the urethane elastomer contained in the protective layer is preferably one that is soluble in alcoholic solvents because it does not corrode the underlying layer.

[0021] The alcohol-soluble urethane elastomer is
After condensation of isocyanate and an equivalent excess of polyol in a low-boiling solvent such as acetone, n-hexane, or ethyl acetate, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, or It can be obtained by replacing it with an alcoholic solvent containing at least one selected from 2-butanol, 2-methylpropanol, 1-pentanol, 2-pentanol, diacetone alcohol, and the like.

[0022] At the same time, the hydrophobic silica contained in the protective layer is high-purity silica with an average primary particle size of 5 to 50 nm that has been treated with an organosilicon compound such as organosilane or silicone oil. relative humidity of at least 80
% water absorption is preferably 1% or less. Examples include those in which silica is reacted with hexamethylene disilazane to replace the silanol groups on the silica surface with trimethylsilyl groups, and those in which silica is treated with a silicone compound and replaced with polydimethylsiloxane to make it hydrophobic.

The protective layer of the electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention is prepared by using a coating liquid in which a hydrolyzate of these alkoxysilanes and a urethane elastomer are dissolved in a solvent that dissolves both, and hydrophobic silica is further dispersed. , dip coating method on the photosensitive layer,
It is formed by applying it by a normal coating method such as a spin coating method, a spray coating method, an electrostatic coating method, etc., drying it, and then hardening it by heat treatment. Heat treatment temperature is 80℃~200℃
However, considering the heat resistance of the photosensitive layer, it is 80°C to 120°C.
It is preferably around ℃. The thickness of the protective layer is 0.2 to 5.
The thickness is preferably 0.5 to 2 μm in consideration of electrophotographic properties, adhesion, and abrasion resistance.

The ratio of the thermosetting silicone resin to the urethane elastomer in the protective layer is preferably 2:8 to 8:2 in terms of solid content weight ratio after drying, and as the ratio of the silicone resin decreases, the surface It is inferior in hardness, and if the ratio of silicone resin is too large, cracks may occur due to curing shrinkage of the silicone resin during film formation, and the adhesion with the underlying layer may deteriorate.

Furthermore, the amount of hydrophobic silica dispersed in the protective layer is determined based on the total solid content of the protective layer, from the viewpoints of coating liquid stability, coating film strength, film formability, surface roughness, etc. 5 to 150 parts by weight, preferably 20 to 80 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight
Parts by weight range.

Examples of the electron-donating substance used in the charge transport layer of the electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention include compounds having an electron-donating group such as an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an amino group, and an imide group, anthracene, pyrene, and phenanthrene. Polycyclic aromatic compounds or derivatives having a skeleton thereof, heterocyclic compounds such as indole, oxazole, oxadiazole, carbazole, thiazole, pyrazoline, imidazole, triazole, etc. or derivatives having a skeleton thereof. These electron-donating substances and binder resin are dissolved in a suitable solvent, coated and dried by a conventional coating method such as dip coating, spin coating, spray coating, or electrostatic coating to form a charge transport layer. but,
When the electron-donating substance is a polymer compound, the charge transport layer may be formed alone without mixing with a binder resin. The thickness of the charge transport layer is from several μm to several tens of μm, preferably from 5 to 25 μm.

[0027] Further, as the charge generating substance used in the charge generating layer of the electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention, phthalocyanine type,
Azo series, squarerium series, cyanine series, quinone series,
Examples include various pigments or dyes such as perylene-based pigments. The charge generation layer is prepared by adding and dispersing these pigments or dyes and a suitable binder resin, and then applying a coating solution prepared using a conventional coating method such as dip coating, spin coating, spray coating, or electrostatic coating. It is coated and dried by heating to form a film with a thickness of several μm, preferably 0.2 to 2 μm.

The binder resin used in the charge generation layer and the charge transport layer is used as necessary for the purpose of improving adhesion with other layers, improving the uniformity of the coating film, adjusting fluidity during coating, etc. , specifically polyester, polyvinyl chloride,
Polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl acetate, polycarbonate, fluororesin, methacrylic resin, silicone resin,
Alternatively, copolymers of these resins may be mentioned. The solvent may be one that dissolves the charge generating agent, charge transporting agent, or binder resin, and specifically, halogenated hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, ketones, esters, ethers, etc. can be used.

The conductive support used in the electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention may be any conventionally known conductive support, including metal plates and drums made of aluminum, aluminum alloy, tin oxide, Plates made of metal oxides such as indium oxide, or those metals and metal oxides, etc., are vacuum evaporated, sputtered, laminated,
These include various plastic films, papers, etc. that have been applied by coating and treated to be conductive.

Furthermore, the electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention has an adhesive layer of casein, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl butyral, polyamide, etc. or A barrier layer can be provided.

In this way, the electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention is formed by laminating the photosensitive layer consisting of a charge transport layer and a charge generation layer and a protective layer on a conductive support. A charge transport layer, a charge generation layer, and a protective layer are laminated in this order, and are positively charged and sensitive.

Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below, but the present invention is not limited to the combinations shown in the following examples.

An electrophotographic photoreceptor according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. 1,1-bis(p-diethylaminophenyl)-4,4-diphenyl-1,3-butadiene
1 part by weight and 1 part by weight of polycarbonate (manufactured by Bayer AG, trade name Macrohole N) were dissolved in 9 parts by weight of methylene chloride, and this coating solution was applied by dip coating onto an aluminum drum with an outer diameter of 25 mm, and heated at 80°C for 1 hour. It was dried to form a charge transport layer with a thickness of 20 μm.

Next, 5 parts by weight of τ-type metal-free phthalocyanine (manufactured by Toyo Ink Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) and acrylic resin (manufactured by Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., trade name: Dianal HR664) were added.
4 parts by weight and 1 part by weight of melamine resin (trade name: Super Beckamine L145-60, manufactured by Dainippon Ink Co., Ltd.) were dispersed in 115 parts by weight of s-butyl alcohol. This coating liquid was dip-coated onto the charge transport layer and dried at 130° C. for 1 hour to form a charge generation layer with a thickness of 0.2 μm.

In addition, 70 parts by weight of thermosetting silicone resin (manufactured by Toshiba Silicone Corporation) and urethane elastomer (trade name: OLESTAR NL2, manufactured by Mitsui Toatsu Chemical Co., Ltd.)
249E) 30 parts by weight and 100 parts by weight of n-butyl alcohol
A coating liquid was prepared by adding 50 parts by weight of hydrophobic silica (product name: Cabosil TS530, manufactured by Cabot Corporation) to the coating liquid dissolved in 0 parts by weight, and dispersing it by ultrasonic dispersion. This coating liquid was applied by dip coating onto the charge generation layer, and the coating solution was applied at 110°C for 1 hour.
The protective layer was heat-treated for a period of time and cured to form a protective layer having a thickness of 1 μm and a center line average roughness of 0.07 μm.

The electrophotographic photoreceptor obtained in this way was installed in a self-made image testing machine and exposed to high temperature and high humidity (35°C, 85R).
H%) 1000 sheets, 2000 sheets, 3000 sheets, 400 sheets
The state of image bleeding was evaluated when 0, 5,000, and 6,000 sheets were printed. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image testing machine for an electrophotographic photoreceptor in an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a main charging section, 2 is a laser exposure section for writing an electrostatic latent image, 3 is a non-magnetic one-component DC flying developing section, 4 is a paper and paper transport section, 5 is a transfer section, and 6 is a transfer section. The fixing section 7 is a toner cleaning section using a urethane blade.

The evaluation results are shown in (Table 1).

[0039]

[Table 1]

As described above, according to this embodiment, an electrophotographic photoreceptor is formed by laminating a charge transport layer, a charge generation layer, and a protective layer in this order on a conductive support, and a thermosetting layer is used as the protective layer. Contains silicone resin, urethane elastomer, and hydrophobic silica, and its surface roughness is 0.01 in center line average roughness.
Due to the electrophotographic photoreceptor having a diameter of 1 μm or more and 0.5 μm or less, it is positively charged and sensitive, and is stable against temperature and humidity, especially under high temperature and high humidity conditions due to surface deposits such as paper dust after repeated use. The present invention provides an electrophotographic photoreceptor that is free from image blur due to a decrease in surface resistance, has high hardness and film strength even when the protective layer is thin, and has excellent abrasion resistance and durability.

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the protective layer of the first example, instead of 70 parts by weight of thermosetting silicone resin (manufactured by Toshiba Silicone Corporation) and 30 parts by weight of urethane elastomer (manufactured by Mitsui Toatsu Chemical Co., Ltd., trade name OLESTAR NL2249E),
A charge transport layer, a charge generation layer, and a protective layer were formed in the same manner as in the first example, except that 50 parts by weight of the thermosetting silicone resin and 50 parts by weight of the urethane elastomer were used. Image evaluation was performed using

[0042] The evaluation results are shown in (Table 1). A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

In the protective layer of the first embodiment, hydrophobic silica (manufactured by Cabot Corporation, trade name: Cabosil TS530) was used.
) A charge transport layer, a charge generation layer, and a protective layer were formed in the same manner as in the first example, except that 50 parts by weight of hydrophobic silica (trade name CABOSIL TS720, manufactured by Cabot Corporation) was used instead of 50 parts by weight. , Image evaluation was performed in the same manner as in the first example.

The evaluation results are shown in (Table 1). A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

In the protective layer of the first embodiment, hydrophobic silica (manufactured by Cabot Corporation, trade name: CABOSIL TS530) was used.
) instead of 50 parts by weight, hydrophobic silica (manufactured by Degussa)
A charge transport layer, a charge generation layer, and a protective layer were formed in the same manner as in the first example, except that the amount was 50 parts by weight (trade name: Aerosil RY200), and image evaluation was performed in the same manner as in the first example. .

The evaluation results are shown in (Table 1). Further, as a comparative example of the present invention, a sample was prepared using only a thermosetting silicone resin and a urethane elastomer as a protective layer, and having a surface roughness of 0.01 μm or less in center line average roughness.

In the protective layer of the first example, hydrophobic silica (manufactured by Cabot Corporation, trade name: CABOSIL TS530) was used.
) A charge transport layer, a charge generation layer, and a protective layer were formed in the same manner as in the first example except that the protective layer was formed using only a thermosetting silicone resin and a urethane elastomer without using 50 parts by weight. The image was evaluated in the same manner as in the first example.

[0048] The evaluation results are shown in (Table 1).

[0049]

As described above, in the present invention, an electrophotographic photoreceptor is formed by laminating a charge transport layer, a charge generation layer, and a protective layer in this order on a conductive support, and the protective layer is thermosetting. Contains silicone resin, urethane elastomer, and hydrophobic silica, and its surface roughness is 0.01 μm or more in center line average roughness.
．． Due to the electrophotographic photoreceptor having a diameter of 5 μm or less, it is positively charged and sensitive, stable against temperature and humidity, and reduces surface resistance under high temperature and high humidity, especially due to surface deposits such as paper dust after repeated use. It is possible to produce an electrophotographic photoreceptor that has no image fading caused by the electrophotographic process, has high hardness and film strength even with a thin protective layer, and has excellent abrasion resistance and durability.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an image testing machine for an electrophotographic photoreceptor in a first embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Main charging section 2 Laser exposure section for electrostatic latent image writing 3 Non-magnetic one-component DC flying development section 4 Paper and paper transport section 5 Transfer section 6 Fixing section

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An electrophotographic photoreceptor formed by laminating a photosensitive layer and a protective layer for the photosensitive layer on a conductive support, wherein the surface roughness of the protective layer is 0.01 μm in terms of center line average roughness.
An electrophotographic photoreceptor characterized in that the particle size is greater than or equal to m and less than or equal to 0.5 μm. 2. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer contains a thermosetting silicone resin, a urethane elastomer, and further hydrophobic silica. 3. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive layer is formed by laminating a charge transport layer and a charge generation layer in this order on a conductive support.