JPH05142806A - Manufacture of electrophotographic sensitive body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily form a photosensitive body having either a thin electric charge generating layer or electric charge transporting layer with uniform and stable quality on a photosensitive substrate. CONSTITUTION:A charge generating material or a charge transporting material is dispersed or dissolved in an aqueous medium to which a proper amount of a surfactant is added and an aluminum substrate 4 is immersed in a treatment liquid 2, which is the heated resulting solution, to form either a charge generating layer or a charge transporting layer on the aluminum substrate 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an electrophotographic photosensitive member.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a function-separated type photosensitive member has been put into practical use because it has a large material selectivity and is effective. Of these, a stack-type function-separated photoreceptor in which a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer are sequentially laminated on a photoreceptor substrate has attracted attention, and its development has been advanced in recent years. As a method for forming the charge generation layer or the charge transport layer in such a laminated type function separation type photoreceptor,
Generally, a vapor deposition method, a polymer binding method, a slip casting method and the like are known.

On the other hand, in recent years, when a charge generating layer or a charge transporting layer of a photoreceptor is prepared, the charge generating material or the charge transporting material is dispersed in an aqueous solvent with a surfactant,
Alternatively, a so-called micelle electrolysis method of solubilizing the resulting dispersion, or forming a charge generation layer or a charge transport layer made of the above material by applying current in the solution, for example,
JP-A-2-37355, JP-A-2-163745
It is known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-191960, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-191961, and the like.

[0004]

However, the above vapor deposition method may decompose depending on the type of the photosensitive material, and in the polymer binding method, the charge generation layer may be peeled off during the production of the charge transport layer, There is a problem that it is very difficult to obtain a uniform thin film layer. Furthermore, in the slip casting method, impurities such as solvents enter the layer,
As a result, there is a problem that stress strain occurs in the layer when the solvent is dried. In addition, since a large amount of organic solvent is used, disposal of waste liquid is a serious environmental problem.

On the other hand, according to the above-mentioned micelle electrolysis method, facilities such as an electrolytic cell and a power source are required, and the apparatus becomes large in size.
There is also a problem that the photosensitive substrate is limited to a conductive substance.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides an electrophotographic photoreceptor provided with a charge generating layer or a charge transporting layer having a stable quality layer of a uniform thin film layer. With the goal. Another object of the present invention is to manufacture an electrophotographic photosensitive member by a relatively simple method with simpler equipment.

[0007]

In order to achieve this object, a method of manufacturing an electrophotographic photosensitive member according to the present invention is an electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising a photoconductive substrate and a charge generation layer or a charge transport layer formed on the photosensitive substrate. In producing the body, the charge-generating material or charge-transporting material is dispersed or solubilized in an aqueous solvent containing an appropriate amount of a surfactant, and the photoreceptor substrate is dipped in a heated solution of the charge-generating material. It is characterized in that the charge generation layer or the charge transport layer is laminated on a substrate.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Β-type copper phthalocyanine was used as the charge generation material, and polyoxyethylene dodecyl ether, which is a nonionic surfactant, was used as the surfactant. The charge generation material dispersion liquid was prepared by the following procedure.

Polyoxyethylene dodecyl ether and lithium bromide (LiBr) as a supporting salt are added to ion-exchanged water so that their respective concentrations become 2.0 milliM and 0.1M. Next, β as a charge generation material was added to the above solution.
Type copper phthalocyanine is added so as to have a concentration of 7.0 mM, and the mixture is stirred for several hours. The charge generation material dispersion is stirred for 30 minutes by ultrasonic irradiation, and then left standing at room temperature (about 25 ° C) for 24 hours. After 24 hours, the supernatant was collected and used as a treatment liquid. An aluminum plate was used as the photoconductor substrate, and ultrasonic degreasing was performed in acetone for 5 minutes to prepare the charge generation layer.

The apparatus used for forming the charge generation layer is shown in FIG. The above-prepared treatment liquid 2 is put in a glass cell 1, and the treatment liquid 2 is put in a constant temperature bath 3 in which it is boiling.
Heat to 0 ° C and put the aluminum substrate 4 in it 30
A β-type copper phthalocyanine film was formed on the aluminum substrate by leaving it for a minute. Then, the aluminum substrate was taken out of the treatment liquid 2 and washed with water and ethanol to form a charge generation layer having a film thickness of about 0.2 μm.

As a mechanism for forming the charge generating layer on the aluminum substrate, the charge generating material and the surfactant surrounding the charge generating material are in dissociation equilibrium in the heated solution. When the aluminum substrate is immersed in this heated solution, the dissociation equilibrium is broken and the charge generating material aggregates on the surface of the aluminum substrate in search of an energy-stabilized state. Further, since the aluminum substrate surface tends to form a thin aluminum hydroxide film in the heating solution, it is considered that the charge generating material also bites into this aluminum hydroxide film to form a charge generating layer that is difficult to peel off. ..

As the above-mentioned charge generation layer forming material,
In addition to the β-type copper phthalocyanine described above, other phthalocyanine pigments, bisazo pigments, compounds such as anthracene, anthraquinone, indigo, porphyrin, and derivatives thereof can be mentioned. Further, as the surfactant, in addition to the above-mentioned nonionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant and the like can be applied. Further, as the supporting salt, in addition to the above-mentioned lithium bromide, various halide salts, sulfates, acetates and the like can be applied.

In the above embodiments, the case where the charge generation layer is formed on the aluminum substrate 4 has been described, but the same applies to the case where the charge transport layer is further laminated on the charge generation layer. In this case, an appropriate amount of a surfactant of 2.0 mM and a supporting salt of 0.1 M are mixed in an ion exchange aqueous solution, and a compound such as quinoline, thiazole, imidazole, hydrazone, carbazole, etc., which is a charge transport layer forming material, is added to this. Alternatively, a desired amount of its derivative or the like is blended, and this is mixed with about 90
By heating to a high temperature of ° C and immersing the above-mentioned aluminum substrate on the surface of which the charge generation layer is formed in the heated solution, a charge transport layer is further laminated on the charge generation layer.

As a method for laminating and forming a charge transport layer on the charge generation layer, there is a method of coating or dipping a charge transport material. For example, a hydrazone-based charge transport material may be blended in a polycarbonate solvent and coated.

In each of the above embodiments, the charge generation layer is formed on the photoconductor substrate, and the charge transport layer is laminated thereon. However, the order of stacking the charge generation layer and the charge transport layer is described. Of course, it also applies to the replaced ones. In this case, the photoconductor substrate is first dipped in a mixture of the charge transport material and the surfactant-containing aqueous solution, and the charge transport layer is formed on the photoconductor substrate in the heated solution. Then, a charge generation layer is formed thereon by laminating in a heating solution containing a similar charge generation material surfactant, or by a coating or dipping method.

[0016]

As described above, according to the method of manufacturing an electrophotographic photosensitive member of the present invention, a uniform and stable quality thin film charge generation layer or charge transport layer can be obtained. Moreover, there is an advantage that an electrolysis device is not required and the so-called heating solvent dipping method can be easily manufactured with simple equipment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a processing device that realizes a method for manufacturing a photoconductor according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Glass cell 2 Processing liquid 3 Constant temperature bath 4 Aluminum substrate

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In producing an electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising a charge generation layer or a charge transport layer laminated on a photoreceptor substrate, a charge generation material or a charge generation material in an aqueous solvent containing an appropriate amount of a surfactant. An electron characterized in that a charge transport material is dispersed or solubilized, and the photoconductor substrate is immersed in a heated solution of the charge transport material to form the charge generation layer or the charge transport layer on the photoconductor substrate. Manufacturing method of photographic photoreceptor.