Fixing member, method for producing the same, fixing apparatus, and electrophotographic image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12001158-B2
Application number	US-202217937710-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2022
Priority date	Oct 4, 2021
Publication date	Jun 4, 2024
Grant date	Jun 4, 2024

Abstract

A fixing member having an endless belt shape or a roller shape includes a base layer and a surface layer. The surface layer contains a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer, and has a pore communicating with an opening of an outer surface thereof. Perfluoropolyether is contained in at least a part of the pores. A ratio (E″(1)/E″(2)) is 0.60 to 1.00, where E″(1) is an average value of loss elastic moduli E″ of the surface layer in a direction orthogonal to a circumferential direction of the fixing member measured at a frequency of 10 Hz at 100 to 150° C., and E″(2) is an average value of loss elastic moduli E″ of the surface layer in a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the fixing member measured at a frequency of 10 Hz at 100 to 150° C. after removal of the perfluoropolyether contained in the pore.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fixing member having an endless belt shape or a roller shape, comprising:
a base layer; and
a surface layer,
the surface layer containing a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer, and having a pore communicating with an opening of an outer surface thereof, wherein perfluoropolyether is contained in at least a part of the pore; and
when an average value of loss elastic moduli E″ of the surface layer in a direction orthogonal to a circumferential direction of the fixing member measured at a frequency of 10 Hz at a temperature of 100° C. to 150° C. is defined as E″(1), and
the average value of loss elastic moduli E″ of the surface layer in the direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the fixing member measured at the frequency of 10 Hz at a temperature of 100° C. to 150° C. after removal of the perfluoropolyether contained in the pores is defined as E″(2),
E″(1)/E″(2) is 0.60 or larger and smaller than 1.00.

2. The fixing member according to claim 1 , wherein the perfluoropolyether has a structure represented by the following structural formula (2):

wherein a, b, c, d, e and f each independently represent 0 or a positive integer, and satisfy 1≤a+b+c+d+e+f≤600; and at least one of a, b, c and d is a positive integer.

3. The fixing member according to claim 2 , wherein the perfluoropolyether has at least one structure selected from the group consisting of the structures represented by the following structural formulae (3) to (6):

wherein n represents a positive integer, and n is a number in a range in which the viscosity of the perfluoropolyether at a temperature of 40° C. is in a range of 30 mPa·s to 500 mPa·s;

wherein n′ represents a positive integer, and n′ is a number in a range in which the viscosity of the perfluoropolyether at a temperature of 40° C. is in a range of 10 mPa·s to 2500 mPa·s;

wherein m and n″ each independently represent a positive integer, m/n″ is a number of 0.5 or larger and 2 or smaller, and m+n″ is a number in a range in which the viscosity of the perfluoropolyether at a temperature of 40° C. is in a range of 20 mPa·s to 1400 mPa·s; and

wherein m′ and n′″ each independently represent a positive integer, m′in′″ represents a number of 20 or larger and 1000 or smaller, and m′+n′″ is a number in a range in which the viscosity of the perfluoropolyether at a temperature of 40° C. is in a range of 20 mPa·s to 1200 mPa·s.

4. The fixing member according to claim 1 , wherein, a composition comprising the perfluoropolyether and a fluoropolymer is contained in at least a part of the pore, and wherein the fluoropolymer has at least one structure selected from a T unit and a Q unit of siloxane, and a repeating unit represented by the following structural formula (1):

where n represents a positive integer.

5. The fixing member according to claim 4 , wherein a content ratio of the perfluoropolyether in the composition is 0.20 or more and 0.80 or less.

6. The fixing member according to claim 4 , wherein the content ratio of the composition in the pore to the total mass of the surface layer including the mass of the composition is 20% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less.

7. The fixing member according to claim 1 , wherein in a cross section along a circumferential direction of the fixing member of the surface layer, P2 is 25.0% or more and 60.0% or less, where P2 is a ratio of an area occupied by the pore to the surface layer's area including the area occupied by the pore.

8. The fixing member according to claim 1 , wherein an average opening diameter of the opening on a first surface constituting the outer surface of the surface layer is 1 nm or larger and 5 μm or smaller.

9. The fixing member according to claim 1 , wherein an opening ratio P1 on the first surface constituting the outer surface of the surface layer is 1.0% or larger and 15.0% or smaller.

10. The fixing member according to claim 1 , wherein the surface layer has a thickness of 10 μm or larger and 100 μm or smaller.

11. A method for producing a fixing member having an endless belt shape or a roller shape, wherein
the fixing member comprises a base layer and a surface layer, wherein
the surface layer contains a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer, and has a pore communicating with an opening of an outer surface thereof, perfluoropolyether is contained in at least a part of the pore; and
when an average value of loss elastic moduli E″ of the surface layer in a direction orthogonal to a circumferential direction of the fixing member measured at a frequency of 10 Hz at a temperature of 100° C. to 150° C. is defined as E″(1), and
the average value of loss elastic moduli E″ of the surface layer in the direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the fixing member measured at the frequency of 10 Hz at a temperature of 100° C. to 150° C. after removal of the perfluoropolyether contained in the pores is defined as E″(2),
E″(1)/E″(2) is 0.60 or larger and smaller than 1.00,
the method comprising the steps of:
(I): providing a layered product having the base layer and a resin layer containing the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA),
(II): bringing a first perfluoropolyether that has been heated to a temperature in the vicinity of a melting point of the PFA into contact with a first surface constituting an outer surface of the resin layer to impregnate the resin layer with the first perfluoropolyether,
(III): cooling to room temperature the layered product obtained in the step (II) in which the resin layer is impregnated with the first perfluoropolyether,
(IV): removing, from the first surface side of the resin layer, at least a part of the first perfluoropolyether impregnated in the resin layer using a fluorine-based solvent to thereby form a pore opened on the first surface of the resin layer, in the resin layer, and
(V): allowing at least a part of the pore to contain a mixture containing a second perfluoropolyether and a mixture for forming a fluoropolymer, and curing the mixture for forming the fluoropolymer.

12. A fixing apparatus comprising:
a fixing member; and
a heating unit for heating the fixing member, wherein
the fixing member comprises a base layer and a surface layer, wherein
the surface layer contains a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer, has a pore communicating with an opening of an outer surface thereof, and
perfluoropolyether is contained in at least a part of the pore; and
when an average value of loss elastic moduli E″ of the surface layer in a direction orthogonal to a circumferential direction of the fixing member measured at a frequency of 10 Hz at a temperature of 100° C. to 150° C. is defined as E″(1), and
the average value of loss elastic moduli E″ of the surface layer in the direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the fixing member measured at the frequency of 10 Hz at a temperature of 100° C. to 150° C. after removal of the perfluoropolyether co

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Kasai Naoko
• Miyauchi Yohei
• Toyonori Masatsugu
• Notoya Yasuharu
• Muramatsu Hiroki
• Miyakai Tomoyo
• Seki Yoshiharu

Classifications

• G03G15/2057 Primary

  relating to the chemical composition of the heat element and layers thereof · CPC title

• B32B1/08

  Tubular products · CPC title

• B32B27/304

  comprising vinyl halide (co)polymers, e.g. PVC, PVDC, PVF, PVDF · CPC title

• B32B33/00

  Layered products characterised by particular properties or particular surface features, e.g. particular surface coatings; Layered products designed for particular purposes not covered by another single class · CPC title

• B32B37/04

  characterised by the partial melting of at least one layer · CPC title