JP2000019814A - Conductive member, electrophotographic apparatus and process cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] In order for a conductive member such as a charging member to be able to cope with higher image quality and higher stability, foreign matter adheres to the surface of the conductive member such as the charging member more than ever. It is needed to reduce. The A surface in the electrically conductive member having a fine uneven structure, the area of the reference surface at any location on the surface (area of flat surface) and S _0, the actual surface area (fine in the reference plane When the surface area of the surface formed by the concavo-convex structure is S ₁ , their ratio (S ₁ / S ₀ ) is
1.1 or more.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a conductive member used in an electrophotographic apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile, and more particularly, to a conductive member suitably used for charging, developing, and transferring. The present invention relates to a conductive member to be used.

The present invention also relates to an electrophotographic apparatus and a process cartridge using the conductive member.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, many methods have been known as electrophotography. In general, a photoconductive substance is used to form an electric latent image on a photoreceptor by various means. Charging process), then developing the latent image with toner to form a visible image (developing process), transferring the toner image to a transfer material such as paper as necessary (transfer process), and then applying heat, pressure, etc. Fix toner image on transfer material (fixing process)
A copy is to be obtained. Further, toner particles remaining on the photoconductor without being transferred onto the transfer material are mainly removed from the photoconductor by various means (cleaning step). In such electrophotography, various conductive members are used for various purposes. For example, in the charging step, a charging member for bringing the photoconductor to a predetermined potential, and for example, in the developing step, a developing member,
Further, in the transfer step, for example, a transfer member may be used.

[0004] Examples of the conductive member used in the charging step include conductive members having various shapes such as a roller, a blade, a brush, a belt, a film, and a chip to which a voltage is applied. A method of charging the photoconductor surface to a predetermined polarity and potential by bringing the photoconductor into contact with or in proximity to the photoconductor surface has been studied and widely used.

[0005] By the way, as the network environment has been improved by the recent spread of computers and their peripheral devices, the market has rapidly expanded and has been used in various environments. Along with this, electrophotographic devices such as printers, copiers and faxes as information output means are required to have higher definition images. For example, from the viewpoint of high image quality, high fidelity reproducibility of an image is strongly required. One of the means corresponding thereto is a flow of high resolution. In other words, how to precisely recognize and reproduce the original image,
One example is the technology development from 600 dpi to 800 or 1200 dpi or more.

[0006]

However, when a conventional charging member is used in an electrophotographic apparatus for outputting such a high-definition image, a minute charging unevenness which has not been a problem in the prior art. Even in such a case, there was a case where it appeared as density unevenness on an image.

The main cause of density unevenness on an image is the adhesion of foreign matter to the surface of the charging member during use. Although there are many components of foreign matter qualitatively, it is presumed to be composed of developer, photoreceptor, paper, dust, and / or a mixture of these components, and is generated inevitably with the use of an electrophotographic apparatus. is there. Even if the adhesion of foreign substances (absolute value of adhesion amount and partial adhesion unevenness) to the surface of the charging member is at a level that does not cause a problem when outputting with a conventional electrophotographic apparatus, higher definition is achieved. Is a new problem that arises as the demands on the system increase.

In order to solve this, various studies have been made from the viewpoint of the material surface and the surface shape. For example, from the viewpoint of the material, there is a study to use a material having a high releasability, a low coefficient of friction, a low surface energy, and a high contact angle as a surface layer.
This typical material is a silicone polymer compound or a fluorine compound. These have been developed in various structures depending on the required characteristics.

[0009] Further, mold release such as adjustment of the degree of crosslinking and hardness, addition of a solid or liquid lubricity-imparting substance such as silicone oil, graphite and mica, and introduction of an inert group such as halogen into the surface layer material. Various studies have been made to improve the performance.

For example, various studies have been made on the so-called surface roughness from the viewpoint of the surface shape. However, with such conventional indexes referred to as surface roughness (Rz, Rmax, Ra, Sm), It was difficult to control the releasability of the conductive member surface.

In these studies, a certain effect may be recognized in some cases, but it is not sufficient, and it is necessary to develop a description capable of greatly reducing the adhesion of foreign matter to the surface of a conductive member such as a charging member. Was.

An object of the present invention is to provide a conductive member which can be suitably used in an electrophotographic apparatus in which a high definition image is particularly strongly required.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic apparatus and a process cartridge having the above-mentioned conductive member.

[0014]

As a result of diligent studies to solve these problems, the present invention has been completed.

That is, the present invention has a fine uneven structure on the surface, and the ratio (S ₁ / S1) of the surface area (S ₁ ) of the surface formed by the uneven structure to the surface area (S ₀ ) of the flat surface.
S ₀ ) is 1.1 or more.

Further, the present invention provides at least a charging means for charging a photoreceptor with a charging device to which a voltage is applied, a means for forming an electrostatic latent image by image exposure, and a developing device for charging the electrostatic latent image with a developing device. In an electrophotographic apparatus having a developing means for visualizing with a toner and a transfer means for transferring the same to a material to be transferred, the conductive member is used for at least one of a charging means, a developing means and a transfer means. An electrophotographic apparatus characterized by the following.

The toner is produced by a polymerization method and may be spherical.

Further, in the present invention, at least one member selected from the group consisting of a charging device, an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a developing device, and a cleaning device is supported by one body, and at least one of the charging device and the developing device has a claim. A process cartridge detachably mountable to an electrophotographic apparatus, characterized by using the conductive member according to any one of (1) to (3).

The fine uneven structure on the surface should exhibit its function sufficiently as the surface area formed by the surface is larger and the ratio of the surface area should be 1.1 or more, preferably 2.0 or more, more preferably 2.0 or more. 3.0 or more.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION As a method for imparting a specific fine unevenness, a method of forming the surface by applying a chemical or physical treatment to the surface of the outermost layer, or a method of applying a surface treatment to a layer below the outermost layer And then forming a layer according to the rough shape. In any method, if a surface having a ratio of surface area having a fine unevenness of 1.1 or more is formed, even if water repellency is not particularly large as a material, large water repellency can be imparted, A further effect can be obtained by using a material having high water repellency.

According to the present invention, the characteristic of the material used for the surface layer can be emphasized by making the surface of the conductive member a structure having a specific fine uneven structure, and the characteristic is dramatically improved. Can be improved and demonstrated.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a part of a conductive member according to the present invention. FIG. 1 (A) is an enlarged view of a case where minute irregularities are formed near the surface, and FIG. The enlarged view in the case where the first coating layer is provided on the surface of the support having the shape formed thereon and the shape is substantially the same as the shape is shown.

In the present invention, the area of the reference plane (or the surface area of the flat plane) is defined as the plane (reference plane) set when a predetermined dimension (for example, 1 cm square) is accurately measured in each of the vertical and horizontal directions. Calculation area (for example, 1c on a plane)
If m square is 1 cm ^2), the actual surface area in the reference plane (or the surface area of the surface) formed by the fine irregularities, the reference plane is formed by the fact the fine uneven structure is a surface Means the actual surface area of the surface formed by the fine uneven structure.

The measurement of the surface area is not particularly limited. For example, a method of calculating the surface area from the adsorption of nitrogen gas to the surface by the BET method can be used.
Alternatively, an arbitrary cross section of the conductive member may be observed with an SEM or the like, or a ratio of a cross section length (L ₁ ) at a unit distance (L ₀ ) may be obtained from a curve or the like indicating a surface shape obtained by a surface roughness meter. May be used as the surface area ratio (ie, S
_{1 / S 0 = (L 1} / L 0) 2).

Either method can calculate the cross-sectional length. However, if the method is used to calculate the cross-sectional length from the cross-sectional SEM observation, it is simple and at the same time, the height and width of the unevenness can be obtained and calculated by image processing. Is preferred. The height and width of the unevenness thus obtained are 1 nm to 500 μm.
m (preferably 10 nm to 50 μm, more preferably 5 nm
0 nm to 30 μm), and may be formed from various combinations of structures and shapes.

In order to effectively utilize the area of the surface area, it is preferable that the contact area when contacting with another member is small. This is because the effect of the present invention is presumed to depend on the surface area of the portion that does not come into contact with other members, and it is desirable that the contact area due to the uneven shape is 50% or less of the surface area. Also, if the contact area is large, the friction increases, and the conductive part and the discharge part are easily secured by minute irregularities, so there is no need to contact with an excessive load as in the past, and permanent deformation of the conductive member And the advantage that distortion is reduced.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a cross-sectional shape for obtaining the ratio of the surface area of the surface formed by the uneven structure to the surface area of the flat surface.

In the present invention, to increase the surface area ratio, there are a method of increasing the height of the unevenness and a method of increasing the surface area by changing the shape of the minute unevenness on the surface. Since the surface roughness of the conductive member is increased, the surface of the conductive member preferably has a so-called self-similarity surface or a fractal structure. Can have a very large surface area. This surface is characterized by a non-integer dimension, and the so-called fractal dimension (D) preferably satisfies 2 ≦ D <3. In addition, these may be formed industrially or may exist naturally, but typical examples of those having such self-similarity include Mandelbrot set, Julia set, Koch curve and the like. Yes.

The conductive member of the present invention can be used for charging,
When used for applications requiring conductivity, such as development applications and transfer applications, 1 × 10 ² Ωcm to 1 × 10 ¹⁰ Ωcm (preferably 1 × 10 ³ Ωcm to 1 × 10 ⁹ Ωcm)
It is desirable to have the following volume resistance value. In this case, a conventionally known configuration can be used as the configuration, for example,
A configuration having one or more layers of rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, resin, etc. on a conductive support such as a metal is often used for general purposes. Further, as the material, a conventionally known material such as rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, resin coupling agent, etc. can be used. It is generally used after adjusting to the range, but if it is formed to be very thin, it can be used without particular consideration of imparting conductivity.

In this case, the thickness of the outermost layer is 1 mm
Or less, preferably 100 μm or less, more preferably 50 μm or less.
It is not more than μm, but when the outermost layer does not contain a conductive agent, it must be thin enough not to cause a sharp voltage drop. When an additive is used, the particle size of the additive (for example, an organic or inorganic substance such as a conductive agent, an insulating material, or a processing aid) is preferably smaller, preferably 10 μm or less, more preferably 1 μm or less.
Those having a size of not more than μm are preferred, and naturally, the smaller the cohesiveness, the more suitable.

The ease of forming the fractal surface may vary depending on the material used. The reason is not clear, but it is preferable that a substance that easily takes a stable crystal form easily forms the fractal surface. Alternatively, optimal conditions for obtaining stable crystals according to the type and physical properties of the material (melting temperature, cooling environment such as temperature, humidity, time, etc.)
The fractal surface can be obtained by selecting Generally, it is better to keep the humidity at the time of cooling low.
% RH or less, preferably 30% RH or less is suitable. From such a viewpoint, the lower the hygroscopicity of the material, the better, and the water absorption (ASTMD570, 23 ° C., 24 hr) is preferably 3% by mass or less, more preferably 1% by mass or less. Further, if a fine polishing such as lapping is performed after the surface is formed, more preferable results may be obtained.

When particularly high water repellency is required, a fluorine-containing compound or a compound having a siloxane bond is used as a binder or an additive, and a specific wax such as triacylglycerin, dialkylketone, alkylketene dimer, or the like; It is more preferable to use water-repellent materials such as various coupling agents such as silane, titanium and aluminum, alone or in combination. Furthermore, the conductive member may change its shape when viewed microscopically due to the heat generated by use, and the use of a material having a small thermal conductivity or coefficient of thermal expansion for the outermost layer reduces the change in the microstructure due to heat. It is more preferable from the viewpoint of stability because it is possible to maintain the initial fine shape.

The shape of the conductive member of the present invention is not particularly limited, but specific examples thereof include a roller shape, a blade shape, a chip shape, a wire shape, a belt shape, and the like.
Examples include a film shape, a shape having a curved surface, and the like.If the shape is a roller shape or a blade shape, the shape is a simple shape, so that the dimensional stability of the conductive member itself, and when incorporated in an electrophotographic device, This is excellent because it is easy to maintain dimensional consistency with other members. It can be used in any of a contact type and a non-contact type with respect to other members, and has an excellent effect of preventing foreign matter from adhering, so that the initial characteristics can be maintained for a long time.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the conductive member of the present invention, wherein (a) is a conductive support (core bar) 2.
a, a roller having a solid rubber 2b and a first coating layer 2c; and (b) a roller having a conductive support (core metal) 2a, sponge rubber 2b, a first coating layer 2c, and a second coating layer 2d. (C) is a conductive support (flat plate) 2
a, a blade shape composed of the first coating layer 2b,
(D) is a conductive support (belt) 2a, a first coating layer 2c.
, Respectively, are shown.

There is no particular limitation on the use of the conductive member of the present invention in an electrophotographic apparatus.
It is particularly suitable for an electrophotographic apparatus having a speed of 400 dpi or more (especially, a process speed of 180 mm / sec or more) or an electrophotographic apparatus for outputting a color image or a graphic image. Furthermore, when a conductive member is used as a charging member, it is used in any electrophotographic apparatus in which only a DC voltage is applied as a charging bias or a voltage in which an AC voltage is superimposed on a DC voltage is applied. However, the present invention is particularly suitable for an electrophotographic apparatus that uses only a DC voltage that easily reflects conductive unevenness on an image as a charging bias. Furthermore, a configuration in which a metal roller or the like is brought into contact with the charging member and the surface of the charging member is cleaned by applying a bias also has an advantage that bias can be reduced.

FIGS. 4 to 10 are schematic diagrams showing an example of the configuration of an electrophotographic apparatus using the conductive member of the present invention. 4 to 10, reference numeral 2 denotes a charging member, 3 denotes an image exposure, 4 denotes a developing device, 5 denotes a transfer paper, 6 denotes a transfer device, 7 denotes a fixing device, and 8 denotes a cleaning device. The conductive member of the present invention can be used as a transfer and / or transfer member.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0038]

[Example 1] Length 450mm, width 40mm,
A PTFE flat plate having a thickness of 2 mm was prepared, and a central portion thereof was dug with a length of 350 mm, a width of 30 mm, and a depth of 1 mm. Next, length 350mm, width 30mm, thickness 1m
m aluminum flat plates are prepared, and these are 800
The electrodes were placed at a distance of 5 cm in sulfuric acid at a concentration of mo1 / m ³ , and these were used as electrodes, and a current was passed at a current density of 10 mA / m ² for 5 hours to anodize the aluminum plate surface.
Further, the anodized surface is spray-coated with a fluororesin (PTFF) paint and baked at 400 ° C. for 2 hours.
It was cooled in an atmosphere of 0 ° C. and 10% RH and left as it was for 3 days. The surface-coated aluminum temporary obtained in this manner was engaged with the dug-in to form a blade 1.

Next, the following measurement was performed to determine the cross-sectional length of the blade 1, and the calculation was performed using the obtained numerical values. First, three arbitrary cross sections were selected and observed at 100, 1000, 5000, and 10000 times with an electron microscope. The unit distance (L ₀ ) is reduced to 1 by performing image processing on the data obtained when the data is expanded to 5000 borrows.
The cross-sectional length when it was set to 00 μm was calculated. A simple average of three arbitrary cross-sectional lengths was 180 μm as the cross-sectional length (L ₁ ) of the blade 1. Therefore, the ratio of the surface area of the surface formed by the uneven structure to the surface area of the flat surface is S ₁ / S ₀ = (L ₁ / L ₀ ) ² = (180
/ 100) ² ≒ 3.24. The fractal dimension of the section was measured using the observation result at each magnification, and was 1.30. Therefore, the fractal dimension of the surface was set to 2.30 by adding 1 to the fractal dimension of the section.

Further, after an external voltage can be applied to the aluminum portion of the blade 1, the length
mm, width 40mm, thickness 1mm made of stainless steel plate, peak voltage is 1KVpp, frequency is 1MHz
From the Z (impedance) and phase shift (δ) of the system obtained by measuring the current when an AC voltage which is a sine wave of The resistance value (Rp) assuming a circuit was determined. The applied voltage at this time was a value obtained by converting the peak-to-peak voltage to an effective value, and the volume resistance was Rp × contact area /
When calculated and calculated using the maximum thickness of the sample, 1.3 × 10
It was ⁶ Ωcm.

Next, a digital copier (GP55, manufactured by Canon) using a laser beam was prepared as an electrophotographic apparatus. This device has a resolution of 400 dpi, a corona charger as a charging unit for the photoconductor, a one-component developing unit employing a one-component jumping developing method as a developing unit, a corona charger as a transferring unit, and a blade cleaning unit. And a pre-charging exposure unit. The photosensitive member charger, cleaning means, and photosensitive member are an integrated unit. The process speed is 150 mm / s.

The digital copying machine was modified as follows and the electrophotographic apparatus No. It was set to 1.

First, the transfer means using a corona charger was modified to a roller transfer method, the resolution was set to 1400 dpi, the process speed was set to 180 mm / s, and the pre-charge exposure means was removed. In this example, the photoconductor and the developer were used as they were.

The charging means of the photoreceptor was changed from a corona charger to a non-contact blade charger, and the blade 1 was used as the blade charger. Here, as a charging bias, a DC voltage of 750 V and an AC component of 2 kVpp / 1.5 were applied.
A sine wave of KHz superimposed is applied.

Under these conditions, durability was performed up to 2,000 sheets, and the state of the image was checked every 500 sheets from the beginning. As a result, good images were obtained from the initial to 2,000 sheets.

Thereafter, when the blade surface was observed, almost no adhesion of foreign matter was recognized.

Evaluation mode: 3% character original, A4 landscape feed, continuous paper passing Durability environment: 25 ° C./relative humidity 60%.

[Example 2] The length of a portion having a diameter of 15 mm was 350 mm.
m) is coated with an epichlorohydrin rubber coating to obtain a rubber roller having a rubber layer having a thickness of 500 μm.

Next, 8 parts by mass of dipentadecyl ketene dimer was added to 100 parts by mass of the silicone resin paint,
After sufficiently stirring and mixing at room temperature, the mixture was cooled to room temperature to prepare a surface coating material.

The rubber roller was coated on the surface paint by dipping, heated at 200 ° C. for 1 hour, and then heated at 20 ° C.
Roller 1 was obtained by leaving it to cool for 3 days in an atmosphere of 0% RH. When the ratio of the surface area of the surface formed by the uneven structure of the roller 1 to the surface area of the flat surface and the fractal dimension of the surface were determined, the ratio of the surface area was 1.10 and the fractal dimension of the surface was 2.35. .

Further, a roller made of stainless steel having a diameter of 30 mm was brought into contact with the roller 1, and the end of each roller was 250 g (total of 0.5 g).
The volume resistivity was determined by the same method as in Example 1 except that a load of (kg) was applied, and it was 8.7 × 10 ⁵ Ωcm.

Next, a digital copying machine (GP55, manufactured by Canon Inc.) using a laser beam was prepared as an electrophotographic apparatus in the same manner as in Example 1, and used after being modified as follows.

First, the resolution was changed to 1400 dpi and the process speed was changed to 180 mm / s.
The charging means of the photoconductor is changed from a corona charger to a non-contact type conductive roller (roller 1), and a DC voltage of 1350 V is applied to the charging roller as a charging bias.

Further, the development portion was modified from one-component jumping development to use of a two-component developer. The developing bias is 100
A rectangular wave of 0 Vpp / 3 KHz is superimposed.

Further, the transfer means using a corona charger was changed to a roller transfer method, and the pre-charge exposure means was removed.

Under these conditions, durability was performed up to 2,000 sheets, and the state of the image was checked every 500 sheets from the beginning. At the time that 2,000 images were output, only a halftone image had very light density unevenness at the edges. But there were no other problems.

Thereafter, when the roller surface was observed, slight adhesion of the developer was observed at the portion corresponding to the density unevenness.

Evaluation mode: 3% character original, A4 landscape feed, continuous paper feeding Endurance: 25 ° C./relative humidity 60%.

In this embodiment, the photosensitive member was used as it is, but the developer used was prepared according to the following procedure. First, 92 parts by mass of styrene, 8 parts by mass of n-butyl acrylate, 6 parts by mass of low molecular weight polypropylene, 5.8 parts by mass of carbon black, 1.9 parts by mass of a metal-containing azo dye, and 3.2 parts by mass of an azo initiator. Disperse and mix. Next, 500 parts by mass of a dispersion liquid having a ratio of 1.2 parts by mass of calcium phosphate to 100 parts by mass of pure water was prepared, and the dispersion mixture was added thereto, and the mixture was dispersed well by a homomixer and polymerized at 80 ° C. for 15 hours. The obtained polymer was filtered, washed, and then dried and classified to obtain a toner red matter. 2. Titanium oxide that has been subjected to a hydrophobic treatment to the toner composition. Owt% was externally added to prepare a spherical toner having a weight average diameter of 7.5 μm.

A toner obtained by coating the toner obtained by coating an acrylic-modified silicone resin on nickel zinc ferrite having an average diameter of 60 μm and mixing 100 parts by weight of the toner with 7 parts by weight was obtained.

Comparative Example 1 A blade 2 was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that an aluminum plate not subjected to anodic oxidation was used. In the blade 2, the ratio of the surface area of the surface formed by the uneven structure to the surface area of the flat surface is 1.05, the fractal dimension of the surface is 1.95, and the body resistance is 1.3 × 10 ⁶ Ωcm. Was.

The image evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the blade 2 was used as the charging member. At the time when 1,000 images were output, the halftone image and the image including the black and white repetitive pattern were evident. Density unevenness occurred. When the blade 2 was observed, it was found that the developer was considerably adhered to the portion corresponding to the image unevenness, and that the unevenness of the image due to the uneven adhesion to the surface of the blade 2 was found.

[0063]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a conductive member, an electrophotographic apparatus, and a process cartridge having excellent conductive properties over a long period of time by simple means.

That is, by increasing the surface area of the surface formed by the fine uneven structure on the surface and using a material having a high water repellency, the water repellency of the obtained surface can be dramatically increased. Water repellency, release properties,
It is possible to provide a conductive member having a small amount of deposits and a device using the same.

The present invention is particularly applicable to high resolution (especially 1400d)
pi or more) and high speed (especially, the process speed is 180
mm / sec or more) or an electrophotographic apparatus that outputs a color image or a graphic image. Furthermore, when a conductive member is used as a charging member, it is used in any electrophotographic apparatus in which only a DC voltage is applied as a charging bias or a voltage in which an AC voltage is superimposed on a DC voltage is applied. However, the present invention is particularly suitable for an electrophotographic apparatus that uses only a DC voltage that easily reflects conductive unevenness on an image as a charging bias.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1A and 1B are partial cross-sectional views showing an example of the configuration of a conductive member according to the present invention. FIG. 1A is an enlarged view of a case where minute irregularities are formed near the surface, and FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a case where the shape is the same as the shape of the surface of the formed support.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are examples of a cross-sectional shape for obtaining a ratio of a surface area of a surface formed by an uneven structure to a surface area of a flat surface.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the conductive member of the present invention, wherein (a) and (b) show a roller shape, (c) shows a blade shape, and (d) shows a belt shape. .

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of an electrophotographic apparatus using the conductive member of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example of an electrophotographic apparatus using the conductive member of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an example of an electrophotographic apparatus using the conductive member of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing an example of an electrophotographic apparatus using the conductive member of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing an example of an electrophotographic apparatus using the conductive member of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing an example of an electrophotographic apparatus using the conductive member of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing an example of an electrophotographic apparatus using the conductive member of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 photoconductor 2 charging member 2a conductive support 2b conductive base layer 2c first coating layer 2d second coating layer 3 image exposure 4 developing device 5 transfer paper 6 transfer device 7 fixing device 8 cleaning device

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroyoshi Suzuki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hiroshi Inoue 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Seiji Tsuru 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo F-term in Canon Inc. (reference) 2H003 BB11 BB13 BB16 CC05 2H032 AA05 2H071 BA04 DA06 DA08 DA13 DA15 2H077 AD06 BA09 FA13 FA16 FA25

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A conductive member having a fine uneven structure on a surface, wherein an area of a reference surface at an arbitrary position on the surface (hereinafter, referred to as a flat surface area) is defined as S ₀ , the actual surface area in a plane that (hereinafter, the surface area of the surface formed by the fine uneven structure, and referred) when the S ₁ and their ratio (S ₁ / S _0), is 1.1 or more Characteristic conductive member. 2. The conductive member according to claim 1, wherein the fine uneven structure has a self-similarity or a fractal structure. 3. 1 × 10 ² Ωcm or more and 1 × 10 ¹⁰ Ωcm or more
2. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition has the following volume resistance value.
3. The conductive member according to 2. 4. A charging device for charging a photosensitive member to a predetermined polarity and potential by bringing a conductive member to which a voltage has been applied into contact with or approaching a photosensitive member, wherein the conductive member is provided.
A charging device using the conductive member according to any one of the preceding claims. 5. A charging device for charging a photoreceptor with a charging device to which a voltage is applied, a device for forming an electrostatic latent image by image exposure, and a developing device for converting the electrostatic latent image with toner. An electrophotographic apparatus having a developing means for visualizing and a transfer means for transferring the same to a material to be transferred, wherein the conductive member according to claim 1 is used as at least one of a charging means, a developing means and a transfer means. An electrophotographic apparatus, comprising: 6. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said toner is produced by a polymerization method and has a spherical shape. 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of a charging device, an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a developing device, and a cleaning device is supported by one body, and at least one of the charging device and the developing device is provided. A process cartridge detachable from an electrophotographic apparatus, wherein the process cartridge uses the conductive member described in the above.