Electrophotographic photoconductor, electrophotography method, electrophotographic apparatus, eletrophotographic apparatus process cartridge using a specific outermost surface layer coating solution for the photoconductor

摘要

An electrophotographic photoconductor comprises an organic compound having an acid value of 10-400 mg potassium hydroxide/g in its outermost surface. An electrophotographic photoconductor comprises a conductive support (31); and photosensitive layer (33) disposed above the support. The photoconductor, in an outermost surface layer, comprises a filler; organic compound having an acid value of 10-400 mg potassium hydroxide (KOH)/g; and compound(s) of structures (I) or (II). [Image] [Image] R1>, R2>optionally substituted alkyl or aromatic hydrocarbon rings or may be bonded to form optionally substituted heterocycle containing nitrogen atom; R3>-R5>optionally substituted alkyl, alkoxy or halo; Ar : optionally substituted aromatic hydrocarbon ring or aromatic heterocycle; n : 2-4; k, l, m : 0-3; and X : oxygen or sulfur. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) an electrophotographic method comprising uniformly charging an electrophotographic photoconductor; exposing the charged photoconductor imagewise with light to form a latent electrostatic image; supplying a developer to the formed latent electrostatic image so that a toner image is formed by visualizing the latent electrostatic image; and transferring the toner image formed by the developing step to a transfer material; (2) an electrophotographic apparatus comprising the electrophotographic photoconductor; a charger configured to uniformly charge a surface of the electrophotographic photoconductor; exposure unit configured to expose the charged photoconductor by the charger with imagewise light to form a latent electrostatic image on the photoconductor; developing unit configured to supply a developer to the latent electrostatic image so that a toner image is formed to visualize the latent electrostatic image; and a transfer unit configured to transfer the formed toner image by the developing unit to a transfer material; and (3) an electrophotographic process cartridge comprising the electrophotographic photoconductor; charger configured to charge a surface of the electrophotographic photoconductor; cleaning unit configured to clean the surface of the electrophotographic photoconductor; and a developing unit configured to supply a developer to a latent electrostatic image formed on the electrophotographic photoconductor so that a toner image is formed to visualized the latent electrostatic image, where the electrophotographic process cartridge is formed in a one-piece construction such that the electrophotographic process is freely replaceable from an electrophotographic apparatus.