JPH1165339A - Fixing member, production of fixing member, fixing device and image forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a fixing member having high wear resistance, excellent durability and good release property for a toner even when the amt. of a release agent is decreased, by subjecting a fluorine-contg. elastomer to first crosslinking and then crosslinking in a second stage in the presence of a fluorine-contg. compd. having functional groups on the molecular ends which are allowed to react with the fluorine-contg. elastomer. SOLUTION: After a fluorine-contg. elastomer compsn. is applied on a carrying body and subjected to first crosslinking, the compsn. is subjected to second crosslinking in the presence of a fluorine-contg. compd. having functional groups on the molecular ends which are allowed to react with the fluorine-contg. elastomer. The carrying body may consist of an inorg. material as the base body or of a heat-resistant resin as the base body. Thereby, a fixing member to be used for an electrophotographic copying device, printer and other various kinds of image forming devices can be obtd., and especially the obtd. fixing member is suitable to be used as a fixing member such as an image fixing roll or belt which is always subjected to thermal cycles of heating and cooling or to mechanical pressing force.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heating and cooling cycle and a heating apparatus used in a fixing unit of a copying apparatus, a printer and other various image forming apparatuses which are always subjected to mechanical pressure welding. The present invention relates to a fixing member such as a roll or a belt, a fixing device using the fixing member, and an image forming method using the fixing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a copying apparatus, a printer and other various image forming apparatuses used in an electrophotographic system, a method for fixing a toner image formed on a sheet usually includes a heating element such as a lamp inside. A method is adopted in which a toner image is fused on a support by passing a carrier, such as paper, on which a toner image is formed between two pairs of rotating bodies that are heated by being arranged and pressed against each other. .

As an example of a fixing device used in such a method, there is a hot roll fixing device as shown in FIG. 1, and this hot roll fixing device comprises a pair of a heating roll 1 and a pressure roll 11. Consists of Heating roll 1
Is a fluorine-based material such as fluorine rubber, silicone rubber, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), or a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether (PFA) on the surface of a cylindrical hollow metal core 2 such as aluminum or iron. An outermost layer 4 made of a heat-resistant elastomer such as a resin or a heat-resistant resin having excellent release properties is covered. A heating element 21 such as a halogen lamp is disposed inside the heating roll 1 so as to have a function of a heating roll.

On the other hand, the pressure roll 11 is made of aluminum,
An outermost layer 14 made of a heat-resistant elastomer or a heat-resistant resin having the same or different type as that of the heating roll 1 and excellent in releasability is coated on the surface of a hollow cylindrical core 12 made of iron or the like. The heating roll 1 and the pressure roll 11 are pressed against each other by a spring or the like. In the figure, reference numeral 27 denotes an inlet, 28 denotes an outlet, and 29 denotes a release agent application device for applying a release agent to the surface of the heating roll 1.

In this heat roll fixing device, a paper 31 having a toner image 32 on its surface is conveyed between a heating roll 1 and a pressure roll 11, and after the toner image 32 is fixed on the paper 31, an outlet is formed. The paper is conveyed from between a pair of rolls via.

[0006] The fixing member coated on the surface of the carrier such as a roll may have a phenomenon such as a hot offset in which a part of the fused toner image adheres to the rotating body, or the toner image may not be separated from the rotating body together with the carrier. It is required that phenomena such as winding around the rotating body do not occur as much as possible.

On the other hand, the heating and cooling cycle in which the apparatus is heated to a high temperature of about 200 ° C. when the apparatus is in operation and is cooled to room temperature when the apparatus is stopped is repeated. Has been requested. Further, on the outermost surface of the rotating body, the fixing members which are opposed to each other are in pressure contact with each other, and the separation claw for preventing the winding of the paper is always in pressure contact. Exposure and constant stress.

Accordingly, the heat-resistant elastomer or heat-resistant resin having excellent releasability to be coated on the rotating body of the fixing device includes a silicone-based or fluorine-based polymer material such as fluorine rubber, silicone rubber, and fluorine resin. Is limited to However, each of these polymer materials also has some problems.

First, when fluororubber is used as a release material, the releasability from the toner becomes insufficient for the following two reasons. One is that in order to ensure durability against friction with a toner image carrier such as paper, an inorganic oxide such as SiO ₂ or an inorganic filler such as carbon black is added to increase the surface energy. . The other is to add a crosslinking agent and heat it to crosslink the main chain to form a rubber, but unreacted functional groups remain in the rubber,
The interaction between toner and rubber occurs. Therefore, in order to ensure the releasability, a release agent such as silicone oil is supplied from the outside to the surface of the heating rotator that is in direct pressure contact with the unfixed image, and is formed between the unfixed image and the surface. It has been practiced to separate and release a layer of a release agent.

However, the release agent adheres to the toner image carrier at the time of fixing, and as a result, the surface of the paper or the OHP film becomes sticky and the tapes do not adhere, and a device for supplying the release agent from outside is required. Therefore, there is a problem that reduction in size and cost of the fixing device is restricted. For this reason, it is required to reduce the amount of the release agent supplied to the surface of the rotating body while improving the durability against friction, or to improve the releasability of the toner without using any release agent. I have.

Next, when silicone rubber is used as the release material, the free oil contained in the silicone rubber oozes out on the surface in the initial stage, so that a release agent is applied like fluororubber. Although it is not necessary, oil does not exude during long-term use, and the releasability decreases drastically. In fact, a release agent must be applied, and depending on the release agent, rubber swells and the strength decreases. There is.
In addition, durability against friction is inferior to fluororesin.

When a fluororesin is used as the release material, the release property is sufficient, so that the application of a release agent is not always necessary. However, since the fluororesin itself has poor elasticity, the toner image is crushed and cannot be fixed uniformly, and there is a problem that the suitability for high image quality is low.

In view of the above, a fixing member or a composition for a fixing member which is excellent in the releasability and abrasion resistance while taking advantage of the excellent heat resistance and elasticity of fluororubber or silicone rubber has been proposed as follows. ing.

For example, JP-A-59-91046 discloses
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 33345/1989, an inorganic filler treated with a silane compound reactive with silicone rubber is mixed with silicone rubber, applied to a carrier roll, and then a magnetic field is applied to the core to apply the inorganic filler to the surface. There has been proposed a method of manufacturing a roll that forms a tilted structure that is distributed more in the core than in the vicinity. In this fixing member, it is considered that the releasability is improved by reducing the amount of the inorganic filler near the surface that causes the releasability to decrease. However, wear resistance is reduced.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 60-31855, a solution obtained by mixing a fluororubber, a fluororesin, a curing agent and a silane-based solvent is applied onto a silicone rubber elastic layer and baked, so that the fluororesin is exposed to the outside. There has been proposed a method of forming a fluororesin layer for forming a release layer. However, in this forming method, it is difficult to control the formation of the fluororesin layer during firing, and it is difficult to uniformly form the fluororesin near the surface on the fixing member surface.

JP-A-60-176073 proposes a fixing roll member in which a mixture of a fluorine rubber, a fluorine resin, an aminosilane and the like is blended with a silicone rubber. However, in this fixing roll member,
Fluoro rubber, poor compatibility between the fluoro resin and the silicone rubber, and the aminosilane compounded impair the releasability from the toner.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 63-112677 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-100876 propose a fixing roll in which a rubber layer, a mixed layer of fluororesin and fluororubber, and a fluororesin layer are coated in this order. . However, although this fixing member has releasability, elasticity, and abrasion resistance, the fluororesin film on the outermost surface is as thin as 10 μm, and it is difficult to control the thickness of the fluororesin layer at the time of painting and baking, and a smooth film is formed. If it is difficult to polish it for smoothness, the fluororubber will be exposed on the surface this time, and the releasability will decrease. Further, there is a drawback that the elasticity is impaired when the film thickness is increased.

JP-A-1-152485 and JP-B-8-20818 disclose a fixing roll having a heat-resistant rubber elastic layer in which an inorganic filler having thermal conductivity is treated with a coupling agent and dispersed. Components have been proposed. However, since the coupling agent for treating the filler is not fluorine-containing, the releasability from the toner is impaired.

JP-A-2-29463, JP-A-2-29463
JP-A-29464, JP-A-2-170858 and JP-A-3-100057 disclose a treatment with a silane compound reactive with silicone rubber, an alkylsilane coupling agent or a fluoroalkylsilane coupling agent, and silicone oil. There has been proposed a silicone rubber compounded and cured with synthetic silica fine particles and a fixing device using the same. However, there is a disadvantage that the free oil escapes from the silicone rubber as it is used, and the releasability and abrasion resistance decrease.

JP-A-3-61533 and JP-B-6-43118 propose a rubber surface material for a fixing device in which a perfluoroalkylsilane coupling agent is blended or coated with rubber itself. Although this fixing member has no problem in releasability, the releasability and abrasion resistance deteriorate.

JP-A-4-202258 and JP-B-7-86175 propose a silicone rubber composition for a fixing member in which a crosslinking agent comprising a fluorinated hydrogen polysiloxane and a catalyst are blended and crosslinked. ing. These compositions are excellent in maintaining the releasability, but have low abrasion resistance like other silicone rubbers.

As described above, in the prior art, it was difficult to satisfy all of the releasability, durability, and high image quality suitability in a state where the amount of the release agent is reduced or hardly used. Therefore, a new fixing member which is excellent in releasability from toner, excellent in durability, and excellent in high image quality aptitude has been required.

[0023]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above technical background, and an object of the present invention is to provide:
(1) Even when the amount of the release agent is reduced, the toner has excellent releasability from the toner, (2) it is resistant to abrasion and has excellent durability, and (3)
An unfixed image can be uniformly fixed, and the image surface after fixing has high smoothness and high image quality, a fixing member, a method of manufacturing the fixing member, and a fixing device having such a fixing member. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming method using the fixing device.

[0024]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have applied a fluorine-containing elastomer composition on a carrier, and after primary crosslinking, a functional group capable of reacting with the fluorine-containing elastomer is added to the molecular terminal. It has been found that by performing the second-stage crosslinking in the presence of the fluorine-containing compound, a surface material having excellent releasability, durability, and high image quality aptitude can be formed even when the amount of the release agent is small. Thus, the present invention has been completed.

That is, the present invention relates to a fixing member having a layer on a carrier, and the outermost layer of the layer has a fluorine-containing elastomer.
A fixing member obtained by cross-linking in a step, wherein the cross-linking in the second step is performed in the presence of a fluorine-containing compound having a functional group capable of reacting with the fluorine-containing elastomer at a molecular terminal. is there.

According to the present invention, an image fixing apparatus which is used for a copying apparatus, a printer and other various image forming apparatuses using an electrophotographic system, and particularly receives an image fixation which is constantly subjected to a heating / cooling cycle or mechanical pressure contact. There is provided a fixing member that can be suitably used as a fixing member such as a roll or a belt. Further, a fixing device using the fixing member and an image forming method using the fixing device are provided. Further, the fixing member of the present invention can be widely used as a member such as a roller or a belt used under the same severe conditions as the image fixing member.

[0027]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail.
The carrier may be based on an inorganic material and is heat resistant
The base resin may be used. Heat as an inorganic material
Metals such as aluminum, copper, and nickel with good conductivity,
Alloys such as stainless steel, silver alloys, nickel alloys, or
Ceramics and the like can be mentioned. Also, as heat resistant resin
Is polyamide, polyamide imide, polyimide, poly
Heat-resistant resins such as arylene sulfide and polyether
No. When using a heat-resistant resin as a base material,
Metal or SiO_Two , TiO_Two , Al _Two O_Three , MgO, C
aO, Fe_Two O_Three Inorganic oxides such as SiC (silicon carbide)
BN (boron nitride) inorganic material fine particles
You may add to fat.

When an inorganic material is added to the heat-resistant resin as a filler, the content of the inorganic material as the filler in the carrier is preferably 0.1% by weight or more and 50% by weight or less, more preferably 1% by weight or more. More preferably, it is not more than 30% by weight. In addition, the average particle diameter of the inorganic material fine particles is desirably smaller than 5 μm, since coarse particles having a diameter of 5 μm or more easily fall off the heat-resistant resin.

When the carrier is composed of an inorganic material such as a metal, the carrier is provided in the form of, for example, a roll of a hollow metal core or a belt of a Ni electroformed sheet. When composed of resin, the carrier is provided in the form of, for example, a belt of a polyimide film or the like, but is not limited thereto.
The surface of the carrier may be subjected to a surface treatment in order to firmly adhere the fluorine-containing elastomer composition. For example, in the case of a metal surface, a degreasing treatment using an organic solvent or the like and a roughening treatment by sandblasting or the like can be performed. Further, a primer can be applied.

Further, an elastic layer may be interposed between the carrier surface and the fluorine-containing elastomer composition. For the elastic layer, fluorine rubber, silicone rubber or the like can be used as a heat resistant elastomer, but silicone rubber is desirable. In order to improve the adhesiveness between the carrier and the fluoroelastomer composition, a primer may be applied on the elastic layer.

Next, the fluorine-containing elastomer composition coated on the carrier will be described. The composition comprises a fluoropolymer, a crosslinking agent, a crosslinking aid, and various other additives.

As the fluoropolymer, 1) at least one selected from monomers based on vinylidene fluoride (VDF), ethylene, propylene or the like as a monomer having a methylene group (—CH ₂ —) in the molecule; 2) Highly fluorinated monomers: tetrafluoroethylene (TFE), hexafluoropropylene (HFP), perfluoro (alkyl vinyl ether)
A copolymer produced by copolymerizing at least one selected from monomers based on (PAVE), chlorotrifluoroethylene, and VDF can be used. Among these copolymers, because it satisfies the performance required for the fixing member such as heat resistance and release property,
VDF-HFP binary copolymer, VDF-HFP-TF
E terpolymers and VDF-HFP-PAVE terpolymers are preferred.

As the cross-linking agent, a cross-linking agent for fluoro rubber used for fluoro rubber, such as a polyamine cross-linking agent or a polyol cross-linking agent, is used, and generally commercially available cross-linking agents for fluoro rubber can also be used. Primary crosslinking is performed by this crosslinking agent. Preferred examples of the crosslinking agent include the following compounds (1) to (3).

(1) Triethylenetetramine, tetraethylenepentamine, ethylenediamine, trimethylenediamine, ethanolamine, 3,9-bis (3-aminopropyl) -2,4,8,10-tetraoxa-2-spiro [ Aliphatic polyamines such as 5,5] -undecane, N, N'-dicinnamylidene-1,6-hexanediamine and salts thereof, aromatic polyamines such as diaminodiphenylmethane, xylylenediamine, penylenediamine, diaminodiphenylsulfone and the like Salt, modified polyamine,
Polyamine compounds such as polyamidoamine.

(2) Bisphenol A, bisphenol AF, hydroquinone, catechol, resorcinol, 4,
4'-dihydroxydiphenyl, 4,4'-dihydroxydiphenyl methane, 4,4'-dihydroxydiphenyl phenol derivatives sulfone, polyhydroxy compounds having a phenol resin enol form hydroxyl group and metal salts thereof of the general formula: HO-CH ₂ -R _f -CH ₂ -OH
(R _f = divalent perfluoroalkyl group) Polyol compounds such as fluoroalkyl diols.

(3) triazine thiol, 1,6-hexanedithiol, 4,4'-dimercaptodiphenyl,
Polythiol compounds such as 1,5-naphthalenedithiol.

The cross-linking agent is a fluoropolymer 100
0.1 to 30 parts by weight, preferably 0.5 to 30 parts by weight
１５15 parts by weight. If the amount is less than 0.1 part by weight, the amount of the crosslinking agent is insufficient. If the amount is more than 30 parts by weight, not only the blending and kneading work becomes extremely difficult, but also the improvement of the degree of crosslinking is not significant and economical. Is also disadvantageous. When a fluoroelastomer layer is formed on a carrier, the fluoroelastomer composition in an uncrosslinked state is dissolved / dispersed in a medium such as a solvent or a dispersion and applied or impregnated on the carrier. As the agent, it is desirable to use a compound which is easily dissolved or dispersed in a medium.

In order to promote crosslinking, a crosslinking aid is optionally used. As a crosslinking assistant, a quaternary ammonium salt such as benzyldiazabicycloundecene chloride and a quaternary phosphonium salt such as benzyltriphenylphosphine chloride can be used.

The cross-linking assistant is a fluoropolymer 10
0.1 to 20 parts by weight relative to 0 parts by weight, preferably 0.1 to 20 parts by weight.
It is blended at a ratio of 5 to 10 parts by weight. If the amount is less than 0.1 part by weight, the amount of the crosslinking aid is insufficient, and if the amount is more than 20 parts by weight, the promotion of crosslinking is not significant and is economically disadvantageous. When a fluoroelastomer layer is formed on a carrier, the uncrosslinked fluoroelastomer composition is dissolved / dispersed in a medium such as a solvent or a dispersible medium and applied or impregnated on the carrier. It is desirable to use a compound that is easily soluble or dispersible in a solvent.

In addition to the above components, the fluorine-containing elastomer layer which constitutes the outermost layer of the fixing member of the present invention may contain a general filler such as an inorganic filler, an acid acceptor, a coloring agent, a plasticizer and an antioxidant. Various inorganic and organic additives known as a suitable rubber compounding agent can be compounded.

The inorganic filler is blended for the purpose of improving the strength of the fluorine-containing elastomer and improving the thermal conductivity. For the inorganic filler, for example, SiO ₂ , TiO
₂ , inorganic oxides such as Al ₂ O ₃ , MgO, CaO, Fe ₂ O ₃ , SiC (silicon carbide), BN (boron nitride),
Silicate and the like. The average particle size of these inorganic fillers is desirably set to a range of 5 μm or less. Coarse particles having an average particle diameter of more than 5 μm are likely to easily fall off and may impair the smoothness of the fixing member surface.

The inorganic filler is a fluoropolymer 10
0.1 to 50 parts by weight, preferably 1.0 to 30 parts by weight, based on 0 parts by weight. If the amount is less than 0.1 part by weight, it is difficult to improve the strength and the thermal conductivity.
If the amount is more than 0 parts by weight, the kneading operation becomes extremely difficult, and the releasability from the toner tends to be reduced.

The acid acceptor neutralizes hydrofluoric acid (HF) generated by a crosslinking reaction, and includes magnesium oxide, lead oxide, calcium hydroxide, sodium stearate and the like. As the coloring agent, titanium oxide, Fe
Examples include ₂ O ₃ (Bengara), carbon black, phthalocyanine-based organic pigments, and perylene-based organic pigments. However, it is necessary to add these additives to such an extent that the releasability of the surface from the toner is not impaired.

In the present invention, first, the above-mentioned fluorine-containing elastomer composition is applied or impregnated on a carrier, the solvent or the medium of the dispersion is removed by drying, and the primary crosslinking is completed by baking or the like to obtain a fluorine-containing elastomer on the carrier. A layer having an elastomer is formed. As a method of application or impregnation, a method of application or impregnation using a solution or an application method using a dispersion paint can be used.

As a method of coating or impregnating with a solvent, a composition is prepared by adding a fluorine-containing polymer, a cross-linking agent or a cross-linking assistant, an inorganic filler, an acid acceptor, a colorant, and other additives and kneading the mixture. After dissolving this composition in an organic solvent,
A method of preparing a solution of the fluorine-containing elastomer composition, and applying or impregnating the solution by a spray method, a dipping method, or the like.

As a method of applying a dispersion paint, a fluorine-containing polymer, a cross-linking agent and a cross-linking auxiliary, and other additives such as an inorganic filler, an acid acceptor, and a colorant are mixed in a dispersion to form an interface. A method in which a dispersion paint suspended and dispersed using a dispersant such as an activator is applied to a carrier by a spray method or the like.

Drying is performed by natural drying such as air drying or by heating. Primary crosslinking is carried out at a temperature of
The heating is performed by heating the carrier coated or impregnated with the uncrosslinked fluorine-containing elastomer composition for a period of 60 minutes.
Heating is performed in the air or in an atmosphere of an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon. In addition, heating may be performed in a state where pressure is applied as necessary in order to advance a crosslinking reaction.

The layer having a fluorine-containing elastomer of the present invention is the same as the layer having a fluorine-containing elastomer after primary crosslinking.
It can be obtained by performing secondary crosslinking in the presence of a fluorinated compound having a functional group capable of reacting with a fluorinated elastomer at the molecular terminal.

In the present invention, at the time of secondary crosslinking, one functional group capable of chemically reacting with the fluorine-containing elastomer is added to the molecular terminal.
The compound having one or two compounds reacts with the uncrosslinked residue and mainly functions as a “treatment agent” that increases the fluorine concentration on the side of the transfer member that contacts the toner image. Further, by simultaneously using a crosslinking agent, the degree of crosslinking on the side of the transfer member that contacts the toner image can be increased, and the effect of the processing agent can be further increased.

The crosslinking agent used for the secondary crosslinking includes (1)
For polyamine crosslinked or polyol crosslinked fluororubber
Crosslinker for fluororubber, including (2) heat resistant
Having a main chain composed of a fluorine compound, and the end of the main chain
Can react with fluorine-containing elastomer at the end or side chain
Compounds having a functional group are exemplified. In the case of (1), one
The compounds exemplified in the section of the next crosslinking are preferred. In particular, the primary frame
Use the same compound used in the bridge for secondary crosslinking
Is more preferable. In addition, commercially available
Crosslinking agents for raw rubber can also be used. In case of (2), include
Main chain composed of nitrogen compound and fluorine-containing elastomer
And a functional group capable of reacting with The functional groups are mainly
Directly to the chain, or-(CF_Two)_n−, −
(CH_Two)_n−, − (CF_Two O)_n-,-(CH_Two O) _n
Binding through spacers such as

Examples of the heat-resistant fluorine-containing compound forming the main chain include (1) a fluorine compound having a fluorine-substituted hydrocarbon such as fluoroalkyl and fluoropolyether in the main chain, and (2) a fluoroalkylpolysiloxane such as fluoroalkylpolysiloxane. Heat-resistant polymers containing nitrogen in the main chain, such as fluorine-containing organic silicon compounds, (3) fluorine-containing polyamides, and fluorine-containing polyimides.

Functional groups capable of chemically reacting with the fluorine-containing elastomer include halogen groups such as -Cl, -Br, -I, -OH (hydroxyl group), -COOH (carboxyl group), epoxy group, -NR ¹ R An amino group represented by ² ,
Amide group represented by -CONR, -SH (mercapto group), - SO ₃ H (sulfonic group), - Si can be mentioned trialkoxysilane groups represented by (OR) _3. In the amino group represented by -NR ¹ R ² , R ¹
And R ² represent a hydrogen atom or an aliphatic or aromatic group. R ¹ and R ² may be different from each other,
Also, they may be the same. In the amide group represented by -CONR, R represents a hydrogen atom or a monovalent aliphatic or aromatic group. In the trialkoxysilane group represented by —Si (OR) ₃ , R represents a monovalent aliphatic group.

The fluorine-containing compound having a reactive functional group used as a cross-linking agent can sufficiently complete secondary cross-linking.
It is necessary to penetrate into the fluorine-containing elastomer layer during the treatment. Therefore, the molecular weight of the fluorine-containing compound having a reactive functional group is preferably in the range of 50 to 10,000,
The range of low molecular weight or oligomer of 100 to 5,000 is more preferable.

The above-mentioned crosslinking agent is used in an organic solvent in an amount of 0.1 to 50.
It is preferable to use it after being diluted to a concentration of 0.5% by weight.
More preferably, it is used at a concentration of 20% by weight. If the amount is less than 0.1% by weight, the amount of the crosslinking agent is insufficient. If the concentration is more than 50% by weight, there is no significant improvement in the degree of crosslinking, which is economically disadvantageous.

As the treatment agent for increasing the fluorine concentration on the side of the transfer member that comes into contact with the toner image, a fluorine-containing compound having one or two reactive functional groups at the molecular terminals is used. The fluorinated compound includes at least one of (1) a fluorine-containing group of a perfluoroalkyl group, a perfluoroalkyl ether group, or a perfluoroalkoxy group, and (2) a functional group capable of chemically reacting with a fluorine-containing elastomer. , (3) a spacer connecting (1) and (2).

The perfluoroalkyl group is
_n F _{2n + 1,} or -C _n F _2n - _(n is an integer of 1 or more)
Is represented by the general formula: It may have either a linear structure or a branched structure, but a linear structure is preferred. Further, those having 7 or more carbon atoms, particularly in the range of 7 to 20 are desirable.

The perfluoroalkyl ether group is represented by —C
_{F 2 O -, - CF 2} CF 2 O -, - CF (CF 3) O-
Or the like, and may have a linear structure or a branched structure, but a linear structure is preferable. Further, the perfluoroalkyl ether group preferably has 5 or more carbon atoms, particularly preferably 5 to 20 carbon atoms. Particularly preferred are the following general formulas (1) to
Structural formulas exemplified in (4) are mentioned.

[0058]

Embedded image

Further, the perfluoroalkoxy group is represented by —O
It is represented by a general formula of C _n F _{2n + 1} (n is an integer of 1 or more).
The C _n F _{2n + 1} portion may have either a linear structure or a branched structure, but preferably has a linear structure. Further, those having 7 or more carbon atoms, particularly in the range of 7 to 20 are desirable. Examples of the functional group capable of chemically reacting with the fluorine-containing elastomer include those exemplified in the section of the crosslinking agent used in the secondary crosslinking. Among them, trialkoxysilane groups are preferred because they have high reactivity with inorganic materials and prevent a decrease in the releasability of the surface of the toner when the inorganic material is blended as a filler in the fluorine-containing elastomer layer, From the viewpoint of high reactivity, R is more preferably a trimethoxysilane group represented by CH ₃ . Further, a spacer connecting (1) and (2) is-(CF ₂ )
_{n -, - (CH 2)} n -, - (CF 2 O) n -, - (C
H ₂ O) _n − and a siloxane bond. Here, n is preferably 1 or more, particularly preferably in the range of 1 to 100. Examples of the fluorinated compound having one or two reactive functional groups at the molecular terminal include a fluorinated silane coupling agent represented by the following general formula (5) and a fluorinated silane coupling agent represented by the following general formula (6) Alkyl siloxane can be suitably used. In particular, it is more preferable to use a fluorinated silane coupling agent because the effect of enhancing the releasability from the toner is great.

[0060]

Embedded image

(In the formula, R _f represents a perfluoroalkyl group, a perfluoroalkyl ether group or a perfluoroalkoxy group. X represents a functional group capable of chemically reacting with the fluorine-containing elastomer.)

[0062]

Embedded image

(In the formula, R _f represents a perfluoroalkyl group, a perfluoroalkyl ether group or a perfluoroalkoxy group. R represents a monovalent aliphatic group. X represents a chemical reaction with the fluorine-containing elastomer. Represents a possible functional group. M represents an integer of 2 or more, and n represents an integer of 1 or more.)

The fluorine-containing compound having a reactive functional group is preferably used after being diluted with an organic solvent to a concentration of 0.1 to 50% by weight, and preferably used at a concentration of 0.5 to 20% by weight. More preferred. If the amount is less than 0.1% by weight, the amount of the treating agent is insufficient, and if the concentration is higher than 50% by weight, the releasability from the toner is not significantly improved, which is economically disadvantageous. The organic solvent (1) does not dissolve the primary cross-linked fluorine-containing elastomer (2) is capable of dissolving the cross-linking agent and the fluorine compound used for the secondary cross-linking (3) the cross-linking agent used for the secondary cross-linking And the fluorine compound must not satisfy the condition.
Further, as the organic solvent, a single solvent may be used, or a plurality of solvents may be mixed and used.

In addition to the above-mentioned components, various inorganic and organic compounds which promote a crosslinking reaction can be used in combination as a catalyst. However, it is necessary to add these additives to such an extent that the releasability of the surface from the toner is not impaired.

In the present invention, the fixing member having undergone the primary crosslinking is subjected to a treatment for applying or impregnating a solution in which a crosslinking agent for secondary crosslinking and the fluorine compound are dissolved, and then the solvent is removed by drying. The secondary crosslinking is performed by heating or the like.

The treatment before the secondary cross-linking may be performed, for example, by mixing or separately dissolving the cross-linking agent or the fluorine compound in an organic solvent, and spraying the solution onto the fixing member after the primary cross-linking by spraying or dipping. It is performed by applying or impregnating by a method or the like. The solution in which the crosslinking agent for secondary crosslinking and the fluorine compound are dissolved penetrates from the layer surface of the fixing member by coating or impregnating. Then, by performing the secondary crosslinking, a reaction occurs with the uncrosslinked residue after the primary crosslinking, so that the fluorine-containing elastomer layer is formed into a structure having a high fluorine concentration on the side in contact with the toner image on the transfer body, and the crosslinking is performed. Promote.

Drying is performed by natural drying such as air drying or by heating and drying. Secondary cross-linking is carried out at a temperature of
The fixing is performed by heating the fixing member for 4 hours. Heating is performed in the air or in an atmosphere of an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon.

Usually, the fluororubber is heated at a low temperature for a short time to perform primary crosslinking, and then heated to a high temperature for a long time to complete the crosslinking reaction to form a secondary crosslinking. You. However, as described in the prior art, in practice, unreacted functional groups remain in the rubber during secondary crosslinking,
This is a cause of a decrease in releasability. Therefore, by performing a secondary crosslinking by heating after treating with a crosslinking agent and the fluorine compound, the crosslinking agent and the fluorine compound that have permeated the surface portion of the fluorine-containing elastomer layer are mixed with the uncrosslinked portion of the elastomer or compounded. By reacting with the reactive group of the inorganic filler thus formed, a structure having a high fluorine concentration on the side of the fluorine-containing elastomer layer in contact with the toner image is formed, and the crosslinking is promoted.

Therefore, the fixing member having such a layer containing the fluoroelastomer has high releasability from the toner, friction with a toner image support such as paper, and a blade made of metal or resin. It is resistant to mechanical stress and has elasticity due to the fact that crosslinking has not progressed to the inside. In particular, it is excellent as a fixing member of a full-color copying machine.

The fixing device of the present invention is a fixing device for heating and fixing a toner image on a transfer member, wherein the fixing member in contact with the toner image on the transfer member has a layer on a carrier, The outermost layer of the layer contains a fluorine-containing elastomer, and the layer having the fluorine-containing elastomer is obtained by two-stage crosslinking, and the second-stage crosslinking is capable of reacting with the fluorine-containing elastomer. It is obtained in the presence of a fluorine-containing compound having a group at the molecular end.

The image forming method of the present invention comprises the steps of forming a latent image on a latent image holding member, developing the latent image with a developer, transferring the developer to a transfer member, And fixing the image on the transfer member.

In the step of fixing the developed image on a transfer member, a layer is provided on a carrier, the outermost layer of the layer contains a fluorine-containing elastomer, and the layer having the fluorine-containing elastomer is If a fixing part agent obtained by cross-linking in a step, and the second-stage cross-linking is performed in the presence of a fluorine-containing compound having a functional group capable of reacting with the fluorine-containing elastomer at a molecular terminal, There is no particular limitation. Each of these steps is itself a general step, for example,
JP-A-56-40868, JP-A-49-9123
No. 1 and other publications. The image forming method of the present invention can be carried out by using a known image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile machine.

[0074]

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

Example 1 (Preparation of heating roll 1 in FIG. 2) A fluorinated polymer VDF-HFP-TFE terpolymer was added to a polyol crosslinking agent bisphenol A of the following formula (7).
F, additives and the like were blended in the following proportions and kneaded with two rolls to obtain a fluorine-containing elastomer composition. This fluoroelastomer composition was mixed and dissolved in an organic solvent (a mixed solvent of methyl ethyl ketone and methyl isobutyl ketone) to obtain a fluoroelastomer composition solution.

Fluoropolymer (VDF-HFP-TFE ternary copolymer): 100 parts by weight Crosslinking agent (bisphenol AF): 10 parts by weight Crosslinking aid (benzyltriphenylphosphine chloride): 5 parts by weight Acid acceptor (MgO): 5 parts by weight

[0077]

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An aluminum hollow core 2 having an outer diameter of 40 mmΦ was used as a carrier, and a silicone rubber having a hardness of 50 degrees was coated on the carrier as an elastic layer 3 with a thickness of 2.5 mm. An adhesive primer for enhancing the adhesion between the silicone rubber and the fluoroelastomer is applied to the surface of the elastic layer 3 in advance, then immersed in a fluoroelastomer composition solution and dip coated. After drying for an hour, and further heating at 150 ° C. for 30 minutes, primary cross-linking was performed to obtain a heating roll 1 having been subjected to primary cross-linking.

Next, bisphenol AF is used as a crosslinking agent for secondary crosslinking in an acetone / methanol mixed solvent (volume mixing ratio = 1: 1), and a fluorine-containing compound treating agent for increasing the fluorine concentration is represented by the following formula (8) [2- (Perfluorooctyl) ethyl] trimethoxysilane, which is a silane coupling agent containing a perfluoroalkyl group, is dissolved at a concentration of 1% by weight, respectively, and benzyltriphenylphosphine chloride is added as a cross-linking aid in 0%. The solution was dissolved at a concentration of 0.5% by weight to obtain a crosslinking agent solution for secondary crosslinking.

[0080]

Embedded image

The primary rolled heating roll 1 is immersed in a crosslinking agent for secondary crosslinking and a treating agent solution for 4 hours, dried, and then heated at 250 ° C. for 4 hours to perform secondary crosslinking, whereby the fluoroelastomer is cured. The heating roll 1 having the outermost layer 4 formed thereon was produced.

(Preparation of Pressure Roll 11 in FIG. 2) As a carrier, an aluminum hollow metal core 1 having an outer diameter of 40 mmΦ was used.
2, a pressure roller 1 was prepared in the same manner as the heating roll 1 except that a carrier was used in which a silicone rubber having a hardness of 50 was coated as a resilient layer 13 with a thickness of 1.5 mm on a carrier.
1 was produced.

(Evaluation Test) The heating roll 1 and the pressure roll 11 obtained in this way were modified and mounted on a copying machine “A color 635” (manufactured by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.) having a configuration as shown in FIG. did. In FIG. 2, the members substantially the same as those in the conventional device shown in FIG.
The same reference numerals are used. Continuous copying is performed by this apparatus, and the smoothness of the image after fixing is evaluated by a gloss meter "GM
-26D "(manufactured by Murakami Color Research Laboratory) with the incident light on the sample set at 75 °. The conditions are as shown below.

Toner: A colo manufactured by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
r 635 cyan toner Toner image: solid image (20 cm × 5 cm) Toner amount: 1 mg / cm ² Paper: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. color J paper Transfer speed: 100 mm / sec Release agent oil amount: 2 μl / A4 sheet Hit

As a result, because of the excellent releasing property of the fixing roll of the present invention, the smoothness was high, and even if fixed, the peeling was possible, and a clear image was obtained. The color development of the image was satisfied where the gloss value exceeded 40, and the fixing temperature was 125 ° C. to 175 ° C. If the number of copies is 17
Until the number of sheets exceeded 10,000, no image disturbance, offset on the fixing roll, and abrasion were observed.

Comparative Example 1 In the preparation of the heating roll 1 and the pressure roll 11, a solution in which a crosslinking agent and a fluorine-containing compound treating agent for increasing the fluorine concentration were dissolved during the secondary crosslinking was not applied.
A fixing roll was prepared and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the conventional method of heating for a time was employed. As a result, the fixing temperature at which the gloss value exceeded 40 was from 125 ° C. to 145 ° C., which was inferior to that of Example 1 from 125 ° C. to 170 ° C. In addition, the releasability was severely deteriorated, and when the number of copies exceeded about 5,000, image disorder and offset on the heating roll 1 were observed.

Example 2 (Preparation of Heating Roll 1 in FIG. 2) In the preparation of the fluorine-containing elastomer composition, an inorganic filler (SiO ₂ fine particles, average particle diameter 0.1 μm) was newly added at the following ratio during kneading. A heating roll 1 was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the obtained fluorine-containing elastomer composition was mixed and dissolved in an organic solvent (a mixed solvent of methyl ethyl ketone and methyl isobutyl ketone, volume ratio of 7: 3). .

Fluorine-containing polymer (VDF-HFP-TFE ternary copolymer): 100 parts by weight Crosslinking agent (bisphenol AF): 10 parts by weight Crosslinking aid (benzyltriphenylphosphine chloride): 5 parts by weight Acid acceptor (MgO): 5 parts by weight Filler (SiO ₂ fine particles): 15 parts by weight

(Production of Pressure Roll 11 in FIG. 2) As a carrier, an aluminum hollow cored bar 1 having an outer diameter of 40 mmΦ was used.
2, a pressure roller 1 was prepared in the same manner as the heating roll 1 except that a carrier was used in which a silicone rubber having a hardness of 50 was coated as a resilient layer 13 with a thickness of 1.5 mm on a carrier.
1 was produced.

(Evaluation Test) The heating roll 1 and the pressure roll 11 obtained in this manner were mounted by remodeling a copying machine “A color 635” (manufactured by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.) having a configuration as shown in FIG. did. In FIG. 2, the members substantially the same as those in the conventional device shown in FIG.
The same reference numerals are used. Continuous copying was performed using this apparatus, and an evaluation test was performed under the same conditions as in Example 1. As a result, due to the excellent releasing property of the fixing roll of the present invention, the smoothness was high, and even after fixing, the image could be peeled off, and a clear image was obtained. The color development of the image is satisfied when the gloss value exceeds 40, and the fixing temperature is from 125 ° C. to 175 ° C.
° C. Until the number of copies exceeded 350,000, no image disturbance, offset on the fixing roll, or abrasion was observed.

Comparative Example 2 In the preparation of the heating roll 1 and the pressure roll 11, a solution in which a crosslinking agent and a fluorine-containing compound treating agent for increasing the fluorine concentration were dissolved at the time of the secondary crosslinking was not applied.
A fixing roll was prepared and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2 except that the conventional method of heating for a time was employed.

As a result, the fixing temperature at which the gloss value exceeds 40 is from 125 ° C. to 145 ° C.
To 175 ° C. In addition, the releasability was severely deteriorated, and when the number of copies exceeded about 1,000, image disturbance and offset on the fixing roll were observed.

Example 3 (Preparation of heating roll in FIG. 2) In the secondary crosslinking,
A fluorine-containing compound treating agent for increasing the fluorine concentration is treated with a fluoroalkylsiloxane modified with a silanol group at the end represented by the following formula (9) at a concentration of 2% by weight in an acetone / methanol mixed solvent (volume mixing ratio = 1: 1). A heating roll 1 was produced in the same manner as in Example 2 except that the heating roll 1 was melted.

[0094]

Embedded image

(Production of Pressure Roll in FIG. 2) A hollow metal core 12 made of aluminum was used as a carrier.
A pressure roll 11 was produced in the same manner as the heating roll 1 except that a silicone rubber having a hardness of 50 degrees was coated as the elastic layer 13 with a thickness of 1.5 mm.

(Evaluation Test) The heating roll 1 and the pressure roll 11 obtained in this manner were mounted by remodeling a copying machine “A color 635” (manufactured by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.) having a configuration as shown in FIG. did. In FIG. 2, the members substantially the same as those in the conventional device shown in FIG.
The same reference numerals are used.

Copying is continuously performed by this apparatus.
An evaluation test was performed under the same conditions as described above. As a result, due to the excellent releasing property of the fixing roll of the present invention, the smoothness was high, and even after fixing, the image could be peeled off, and a clear image was obtained. The color development of the image was satisfied where the gloss value exceeded 40, and the fixing temperature was 125 ° C. to 175 ° C.
Even when the number of copies exceeded 280,000, no image disturbance, no offset on the fixing roll, and no abrasion were observed.

Example 4 (Preparation of Heating Belt 6 in FIG. 3) An inorganic filler was added to a latex liquid (fluorine-containing polymer concentration: 50% by weight) of a terpolymer of VDF-HFP-TFE, which is a fluorine-containing polymer. A mixture of surfactant and water at the following ratio
On the other hand, a mixture of water and a polyol crosslinking agent, various additives, a surfactant, and the like at the following ratio was defined as a liquid B. A dispersion coating liquid was obtained by mixing 28 parts by weight of liquid B with 100 parts by weight of liquid A.

(Solution A) Fluorine-containing polymer (VDF-HFP-TFE ternary copolymer) latex liquid: 100 parts by weight Filler (SiO ₂ fine particles): 15 parts by weight Water: 0.1 parts by weight Surfactant : 0.1 parts by weight

(Solution B) Water: 100 parts by weight Crosslinking agent (bisphenol AF): 45 parts by weight Crosslinking aid (benzyltriphenylphosphine chloride): 15 parts by weight Acid acceptor (MgO): 15 parts by weight Surfactant: 0.3 parts by weight

A polyimide sheet 7 was used as a carrier, and a silicone rubber having a hardness of 30 degrees was coated on the carrier by 0.1 m.
An elastic layer 8 having a thickness of m was prepared. After previously applying an adhesion primer for improving the adhesion between the silicone rubber and the fluorine-containing elastomer on the surface of the elastic layer 3, the dispersion coating liquid is applied by a spray method and dried at 100 ° C. for 30 minutes. Further 150
Primary cross-linking was performed by heating at 30 ° C. for 30 minutes to obtain a heating belt 6 after the primary cross-linking.

Next, the same cross-linking agent for secondary cross-linking and treating agent solution as in Example 1 were used, and the cross-linking agent solution for secondary cross-linking was spray-coated on the belt 6 having been subjected to primary cross-linking to form a cross-linking agent. After infiltrating the solution and drying for 5 hours, 25
Heating was performed at 0 ° C. for 4 hours to perform secondary crosslinking, thereby producing a heating belt 6 on which an outermost layer 9 having a fluoroelastomer was formed.

(Production of Pressure Roll 11 in FIG. 3) The pressure roll 11 was produced in the same manner as described in Example 1.

(Evaluation Test) The fixing belt and the fixing roll obtained in this manner were mounted by remodeling a copying machine “A color 635” (manufactured by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.) having a configuration as shown in FIG. did. In FIG. 3, the members substantially the same as the members in the conventional device shown in FIG.
The same reference numerals are used. Continuous copying was performed by this apparatus, and the smoothness of the image after fixing was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1.

As a result, because of the excellent releasability of the fixing belt and the fixing roll of the present invention, the smoothness was high, and the image could be peeled off even after being fixed, and a clear image was obtained. The color development of the image is satisfied where the gloss value exceeds 40,
The fixing temperature was from 125 ° C to 175 ° C. Also,
Even when the number of copies exceeded 300,000, no image disturbance, no offset on the fixing belt and the fixing roll, and no abrasion were observed.

Comparative Example 3 In the preparation of the heating belt 6 and the pressure roll 11, no filler was added to the fluorine-containing elastomer dispersion coating liquid, and the crosslinking agent and the fluorine concentration were increased during the secondary crosslinking. A fixing roll was prepared and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 4, except that a conventional method of heating at 250 ° C. for 4 hours was employed without applying a solution in which the compound treating agent was dissolved.

As a result, the fixing temperature at which the gloss value exceeded 40 was from 120 ° C. to 145 ° C., which was 125 ° C. in Example 4.
To 170 ° C. When the number of copies exceeds 1,000, the image is disturbed, the offset on the heating belt, the heating belt 6 and the pressure roller 11 are stopped.
The surface was scratched by abrasion.

Example 5 (Preparation of Heating Roll 1 in FIG. 4) As a carrier, an outer diameter of 50 which was subjected to a degreasing treatment and a roughening treatment by sandblasting was used.
Example 4 After preparing an aluminum hollow metal core 12 having a diameter of mmΦ and applying an adhesion primer for enhancing the adhesion between silicone rubber and a fluorine-containing elastomer in advance on the surface of the carrier without providing an elastic layer, Example 4 was performed. Using the same dispersion paint solution as in the above, apply by spray method
It was dried at 0 ° C. for 30 minutes, and further heated at 150 ° C. for 30 minutes to perform primary cross-linking, thereby obtaining a primary cross-linked heating roll 1.

Next, the same solution as in Example 1 was used as a cross-linking agent and a treating agent solution for secondary cross-linking, and the above-mentioned solution was applied to a primary cross-linked heating roll 1 by spraying, followed by penetration and drying. After drying for 5 hours, secondary cross-linking was performed by heating at 250 ° C. for 4 hours to produce a heating roll 1 on which an outermost layer 4 having a fluoroelastomer was formed.

(Preparation of Pressure Roll 11 in FIG. 4) A hollow metal core 12 made of aluminum was used as a carrier, and silicone rubber having a hardness of 50 degrees was coated on the carrier as an elastic layer 13 to a thickness of 1.5 mm. Further, a fluororesin film 15 made of PFA was coated by tubing to produce a pressure roll 11.

(Evaluation Test) The heating roll 1 and the pressure roll 11 thus obtained were mounted by modifying a copying apparatus “Vivace500” (manufactured by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.) having a configuration as shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, members that are substantially the same as members in the conventional device shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Continuous copying was performed using this apparatus, and the releasability of the solid image when the fixing temperature was changed was evaluated. The conditions are as shown below.

Toner: Vibece manufactured by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
Black toner for 500 Toner image: Solid image (20 cm × 5 cm) Toner amount: 1 mg / cm ² Paper: Black and white L paper manufactured by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Transport speed: 300 mm / sec Release agent oil amount: None

As a result, because of the excellent releasability of the fixing roll of the present invention, peeling was possible at a wide range of temperatures, and a clear image was obtained. Fixable fixing temperature from 155 ℃ to 200
° C. Even when the number of copies exceeded 520,000, no image disturbance, offset on the fixing roll, or abrasion was observed.

Comparative Example 4 In the preparation of the heating roll 1 and the pressure roll 11, a filler was not added to the fluorine-containing elastomer dispersion coating liquid, and the crosslinking agent and the fluorine concentration were increased during the secondary crosslinking. A fixing roll was prepared and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 5, except that a conventional method of heating at 250 ° C. for 4 hours was employed without applying a solution in which the compound treating agent was dissolved.

As a result, the releasable fixing temperature was 165 ° C.
To 195 ° C, and from 155 ° C to 200 ° C in Example 5.
Was inferior to Further, when the number of copies exceeded 50,000, image distortion and offset on the heating roll were observed.

From the above results, the second-stage crosslinking of the layer containing the fluorine-containing elastomer forming the outermost layer of the fixing member was carried out by the presence of the fluorine-containing compound having a functional group capable of reacting with the fluorine-containing elastomer at the molecular terminal. It can be seen that the fixing member obtained by performing the process below is excellent in releasability, durability, and high image quality aptitude. On the other hand, when the second-stage crosslinking of the fixing member is not performed in the presence of the fluorinated compound having a functional group capable of reacting with the fluorinated elastomer at the molecular end, the releasability is particularly reduced. It can be seen that the width of the fixing temperature at which peeling can be performed is narrowed, and an image is disturbed and an offset onto the heating roll occurs at an early stage of the running test. Further, at the same time as performing the second-stage crosslinking of the layer having a fluorine-containing elastomer forming the outermost layer of the fixing member in the presence of a fluorine-containing compound having a functional group capable of reacting with the fluorine-containing elastomer at the molecular terminal, It can be seen that when an inorganic filler is added to the layer having the fluorine-containing elastomer, the durability is improved. On the other hand, without performing the second-stage crosslinking in the presence of a fluorinated compound having a functional group capable of reacting with the fluorinated elastomer at the molecular terminal, even if an inorganic filler is added to the layer having the fluorinated elastomer, It can be seen that the durability was not improved and the releasability was significantly reduced. Further, the fixing member of the present invention can be used for both fixing a color image and fixing a black and white image,
It can be seen that an excellent effect is exhibited.

[0117]

The fixing member of the present invention has a crosslinking agent having at least two functional groups capable of reacting with the fluorine-containing elastomer in the molecule after the outermost layer undergoes primary crosslinking, and a fluorine-containing compound at the molecular terminal. Since it is composed of a fluorine-containing elastomer layer characterized in that it is treated with a fluorine-containing compound having one or two functional groups capable of reacting with the elastomer and then heated to perform the second-stage crosslinking, Even when the amount of the mold agent is reduced, the toner has excellent releasability from the toner, is resistant to abrasion, has excellent durability, can fix an unfixed image uniformly, has high smoothness of the image surface after fixing, and has high image quality.
Therefore, when used in a fixing device such as an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a printer using an electrophotographic system, the maintainability is improved, and it is possible to prevent toner offset, prevent winding of paper and the like, and obtain a clear image. It becomes possible. Also, by suppressing the amount of the release agent used, not only the tackiness of the fixed image and the adhesion of the tape to the image carrier are improved, but also the size and cost of the fixing device can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a conventional fixing device.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a roll-in-type fixing device for a full-color copying machine used in a fixing method according to Embodiments 1, 2, and 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a belt-incorporated fixing device for a full-color copying machine used in a fixing method according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view showing a roll-in type fixing device for a black-and-white copying machine used in a fixing method according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,12 Heating roll 2 Hollow core metal 3,8,13 Elastic layer 4,9,14 Surface layer 6 Heating belt 7 Heat resistant sheet 11 Pressure roll 15 Fluororesin film 21,22,26 Heater 23 Pressure pad 24 Belt drive roll 25 Belt transport roll 27 Inlet 28 Outlet 29 Release agent coating device 31 Paper 32 Toner image

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A fixing member having a layer on a carrier and an outermost layer of the layer having a fluoroelastomer, wherein the layer having the fluoroelastomer is obtained by two-stage crosslinking. 2. A fixing member, wherein the second-stage crosslinking is performed in the presence of a fluorinated compound having a functional group capable of reacting with the fluorinated elastomer at a molecular terminal. 2. The fixing member according to claim 1, wherein the second-stage crosslinking further uses a crosslinking agent. 3. The fixing member according to claim 1, wherein the fluoroelastomer contains an inorganic filler. 4. The content of the inorganic filler is 0.1% by weight or more and 50% by weight with respect to the fluorine-containing elastomer.
The fixing member according to claim 3, wherein: 5. The fluorine-containing compound having a functional group capable of reacting with the fluorine-containing elastomer at a molecular terminal is a fluorine-containing silane coupling agent. 3. The fixing member according to item 1. 6. The fluorine-containing silane coupling agent,
The fixing member according to claim 5, wherein the fixing member has a group selected from a perfluoroalkyl group, a perfluoroalkyl ether group, and a perfluoroalkoxy group. 7. A method for producing a fixing member in which the outermost layer of a layer formed on a carrier has a fluoroelastomer, wherein the layer having the fluoroelastomer is obtained by two-stage crosslinking. 2. A method for producing a fixing member, wherein the second-stage crosslinking is carried out in the presence of a fluorine-containing compound having a functional group capable of reacting with the fluorine-containing elastomer at a molecular terminal. 8. The method for producing a fixing member according to claim 7, wherein the second-stage cross-linking is further performed using a cross-linking agent. 9. The fixing member according to claim 7, wherein the fluorinated compound having a functional group capable of reacting with the fluorinated elastomer at a molecular terminal is a fluorinated silane coupling agent. Manufacturing method. 10. The fixing member according to claim 9, wherein the fluorine-containing silane coupling agent has a group selected from a perfluoroalkyl group, a perfluoroalkyl ether group and a perfluoroalkoxy group. Production method. 11. A fixing device for fixing a toner image on a transfer body by heating the toner image, wherein the fixing member in contact with the toner image on the transfer body has a layer on a carrier, and an outermost layer of the layer Has a fluorine-containing elastomer, and a layer having the fluorine-containing elastomer is obtained by two-stage crosslinking, and the second-stage crosslinking has a functional group capable of reacting with the fluorine-containing elastomer at a molecular terminal. A fixing device which is carried out in the presence of a fluorine-containing compound. 12. A step of forming a latent image on a latent image holding member,
Developing the latent image using a developer, transferring the developed image to a transfer body, and fixing the developed image on a transfer body, wherein the fixing step comprises forming a layer on a carrier. Wherein the outermost layer of the layer comprises a fluoroelastomer, and the layer having the fluoroelastomer comprises 2
A transfer member is obtained by using a fixing agent obtained by cross-linking in a second step, wherein the second cross-linking is performed in the presence of a fluorine-containing compound having a functional group capable of reacting with the fluorine-containing elastomer at a molecular terminal. An image forming method, comprising a step of contact-fixing the above toner image.