Composition for seamless belt, and image forming apparatus using the belt

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10001731-B2
Application number	US-201514959119-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2015
Priority date	Dec 26, 2014
Publication date	Jun 19, 2018
Grant date	Jun 19, 2018

Abstract

A composition for seamless belt includes a thermoplastic resin; and a conductive agent. A liquid extracted from the composition with methanol has an intensity not greater than 7×10 8 in a total ion chromatogram.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A composition for seamless belt, comprising:
a thermoplastic resin; and
a conductive agent,
wherein the composition has an ion conductive property characterized by performing a method comprising:
(a) treating the composition that comprises the thermoplastic resin and the conductive agent with methanol to extract a liquid; and
(b) performing a total ion chromatogram on the liquid extracted in (a) and determining that said liquid has a total ion chromatogram intensity not greater than 7×10 8 .

2. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising:
an antistat comprising alkylene oxide in an amount of from 0.5% to 10% by weight based on a total weight of the composition,
wherein a liquid extracted with methanol from the composition including the antistat has a total ion chromatogram intensity not greater than 7×10 8 .

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic resin is at least one of a polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene copolymer and a vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene copolymer.

4. A seamless belt produced by a process comprising:
(i) melting and kneading a thermoplastic resin and a conductive agent to obtain a composition in which the conductive agent is dispersed in the thermoplastic resin, wherein the composition has an ion conductive property characterized by performing a method comprising:
(a) treating the composition that comprises the thermoplastic resin and the conductive agent with methanol to extract a liquid; and
(b) performing a total ion chromatogram on the liquid extracted in (a) and determining that said liquid has a total ion chromatogram intensity not greater than 7×10 8 ; and

(ii) extrusion molding the composition into a mold for the seamless belt.

5. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a seamless belt according to claim 4 ;
a photoconductor;
a charger to charge the photoconductor;
an irradiator to irradiate the charged photoconductor to form an electrostatic latent image thereon;
an image developer to develop the electrostatic latent image with a toner to form a toner image on the photoconductor;
a first transferer to transfer the toner image onto the seamless belt;
a second transferer to transfer the toner image onto a recording medium; and
a cleaning blade to clean the seamless belt the toner image transferred from.

6. A composition for seamless belt, comprising:
a thermoplastic resin;
a conductive agent; and
water in an amount of from 500 to 1,500 ppm,
wherein the composition has an ion conductive property characterized by performing a method comprising;
(a) treating the composition that comprises the thermoplastic resin and the conductive agent with methanol to extract a liquid; and
(b) performing a total ion chromatogram on the liquid extracted in (a) and determining that said liquid has a total ion chromatogram intensity not greater than 7×10 8 .

Assignees

• Matsushita Makoto
• Izutani Akira
• Yasunaga Hideaki
• Juri Keiichiro
• Momose Ayano
• Haga Yuri
• Takahashi Hiroaki
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Matsushita Makoto
• Izutani Akira
• Yasunaga Hideaki
• Juri Keiichiro
• Momose Ayano
• Haga Yuri
• Takahashi Hiroaki

Classifications

• G03G5/105

  comprising electroconductive macromolecular compounds · CPC title

• G03G5/104

  comprising inorganic material other than metals, e.g. salts, oxides, carbon · CPC title

• G03G7/004

  obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds · CPC title

• G03G7/0046

  obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds · CPC title

• H01B1/20

  Conductive material dispersed in non-conductive organic material {(organic macromolecular compounds or compositions C08)} · CPC title