Electrophotographic member, process cartridge, and electrophotographic apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9639009-B2
Application number	US-201514715033-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2015
Priority date	May 16, 2014
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

The present invention provides a highly electro-conductive electrophotographic member which contributes to formation of high-quality electrophotographic images while bleeding out of an ion conducting agent is reduced, a process cartridge, and an electrophotographic apparatus. Accordingly, the electrophotographic member according to the present invention includes an electro-conductive mandrel and an electro-conductive layer, wherein the electro-conductive layer contains a resin synthesized from a nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclic cation and a compound being able to react with the nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclic cation, and an anion; the nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclic cation has two substituents bonded to hydroxyl groups; and the substituent bonded to the hydroxyl group is bonded to a nitrogen atom of a nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocycle of the nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclic cation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrophotographic member, comprising an electro-conductive mandrel and an electro-conductive layer, the electro-conductive layer comprising an anion and a resin having a structure represented by Formula (1)

wherein Z represents a cationic skeleton comprising a cationic nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocycle,
A 1 and A 2 independently represent a linking group and are bonded to a nitrogen atom of the cationic nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocycle in Z, with the proviso that (i) one of A 1 and A 2 bonds to the nitrogen atom, and the other of A 1 and A 2 bonds to a carbon atom in the cationic nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocycle when the cationic nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocycle has only one nitrogen atom and (ii) A 1 and A 2 bond to two nitrogen atoms in the cationic nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocycle when the cationic nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocycle has two or more nitrogen atoms, and
B 1 and B 2 independently represent a residue of a reaction of the hydrogen atom of a hydroxyl group with a compound capable of reacting with the hydrogen atom of the hydroxyl group, and at least one of B 1 or B 2 comprises a residue of a reaction of the hydrogen atom of a hydroxyl group with at least one compound selected from the group consisting of an isocyanate compound, an epoxide compound and a melamine compound.

2. The electrophotographic member according to claim 1 , wherein the linking group has an oxyalkylene structure.

3. The electrophotographic member according to claim 2 , wherein the oxyalkylene structure is represented by Formulae (I) or (II):
** CH 2 a O—*  (I)

** CH 2 b O 2 *  (II)

wherein * represents a bonding site to the residue,
** represents a bonding site to the nitrogen atom,
a is an integer of 1 to 9, and
b is an integer of 1 to 4.

4. The electrophotographic member according to claim 1 , wherein Z comprises a cationic imidazolium skeleton or a cationic pyridinium skeleton.

5. The electrophotographic member according to claim 1 , wherein the anion is at least one member selected from the group consisting of a fluorosulfonic acid anion, a fluorocarboxylic acid anion, a fluorosulfonylimide anion, a fluorosulfonylmethide anion, a fluoroalkylfluoroboric acid anion, a fluoroalkylfluorophosphoric acid anion, a tetrafluoroboric acid anion, a hexafluorophosphoric acid anion, a hexafluoroarsenic acid anion, a hexafluoroantimonic acid anion, a dicyanamide anion, and a bis(oxalato)boric acid anion.

6. An electrophotographic member according to claim 1 , wherein
the resin is synthesized from a nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclic cation and at least one compound selected from the group consisting of an isocyanate compound, an epoxide compound and a melamine compound, and
the nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclic cation has two substituents bonded to hydroxyl groups, with the proviso that (i) one of the substituents bonds to the nitrogen atom, and the other substituent bonds to a carbon atom in the nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocycle when the nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocycle in the nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclic cation has only one nitrogen atom, and (ii) the substituents bond to two nitrogen atoms in the nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocycle when the nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocycle in the nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclic cation has two or more nitrogen atoms.

7. The electrophotographic member according to claim 6 , wherein the substituent bonded to the hydroxyl group has an oxyalkylene structure between the hydrogen atom of the hydroxyl group and the nitrogen atom.

8. The electrophotographic member according to claim 7 , wherein the oxyalkylene structure is represented by Formulae (III) or (IV):
**** CH 2 c O—***  (III)

**** CH 2 d O 2 ***  (IV)

wherein *** represents a bonding site to the hydrogen atom of the hydroxyl group,
**** represents a bonding site to the nitrogen atom,
c is an integer of 1 to 9, and
d is an integer of 1 to 4.

9. The electrophotographic member according to claim 6 , wherein the nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclic cation is an imidazolium cation or a pyridinium cation.

10. The electrophotographic member according to claim 6 , wherein the anion is at least one member selected from the group consisting of a fluorosulfonic acid anion, a fluorocarboxylic acid anion, a fluorosulfonylimide anion, a fluorosulfonylmethide anion, a fluoroalkylfluoroboric acid anion, a fluoroalkylfluorophosphoric acid anion, a tetrafluoroboric acid anion, a hexafluorophosphoric acid anion, a hexafluoroarsenic acid anion, a hexafluoroantimonic acid anion, a dicyanamide anion, and a bis(oxalato)boric acid anion.

11. A process cartridge detachably attached to a main body of an electrophotographic apparatus and comprising at least one of a charging member and a developer carrying member, wherein the charging member or the developer carrying member is the electrophotographic member according to claim 6 .

12. An electrophotographic apparatus, comprising an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a charging member, and a developer carrying member, wherein the charging member or the developer carrying member is the electrophotographic member according to claim 6 .

13. The electrophotographic member according to claim 1 , wherein B 1 and B 2 both independently comprise said residue of a reaction of the hydrogen atom of a hydroxyl group with at least one compound selected from the group consisting of an isocyanate compound, an epoxide compound and a melamine compound.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Sosuke
• Yamada Masaki
• Arimura Hideya
• Yamauchi Kazuhiro
• Nishioka Satoru

Classifications

• G03G15/0233

  Structure, details of the charging member, e.g. chemical composition, surface properties · CPC title

• G03G5/043 Primary

  Photoconductive layers characterised by having two or more layers or characterised by their composite structure · CPC title

• G03G15/0818

  characterised by the structure of the donor member, e.g. surface properties · CPC title