Electrostatic latent image developing toner, electrostatic latent image developer, toner cartridge, process cartridge and image forming apparatus

1. An electrostatic latent image developing toner comprising:

a mother particle that contains a coloring agent, a release agent and a binder resin and

an inorganic particle that is added to the surface of the mother particle,

wherein:

a relation between a relaxation time t and a relaxation modulus G(t) that are determined from the dynamic viscoelasticity measurement made on the toner satisfies the following equations (1) and (2);

G ( t 1)<100 Pa  (1)

515<( G ( t 2)− G ( t 1))/(log( t 1)−log( t 2))<1,230  (2)

and t 1 represents the maximum relaxation time and t 2 represents the minimum relaxation time, the relaxation time t and relaxation modulus G(t) are determined with a sine-wave vibration technique with measurements initiated at a temperature of 100° C. and being made continuously up to 160° C. while sine-wave vibrations are applied at vibration frequency ranging from 0.1 rad/sec to 100 rad/sec, and the toner being contacted with a carrier having a cross-linked melamine resin particle.

2. The electrostatic latent image developing toner as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a value of loss tangent tan δ at temperature from about 80° C. to about 140° C. is in a range from about 1.10 to about 1.40.

3. The electrostatic latent image developing toner as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the binder resin comprises a crystalline polyester resin and Al element is detected in an amount of about 2.0 atomic % or below when the mother particle is subjected to 10-second argon etching by means of photoelectron spectroscopic apparatus.

4. The electrostatic latent image developing toner as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the binder resin comprises a crystalline polyester resin.

5. The electrostatic latent image developing toner as claimed in claim 4 , wherein one of polymerizable monomer elements constituting the crystalline polyester resin has a straight-chain aliphatic component.

6. The electrostatic latent image developing toner as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the crystalline polyester resin has a melting temperature in a range from about 50° C. to about 100° C.

7. The electrostatic latent image developing toner as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the crystalline polyester resin has an acid value (quantity of KOH required for neutralization of 1 g of the resin, expressed in mg) in a range from about 3.0 mg KOH/g to about 30.0 mg KOH/g.

8. The electrostatic latent image developing toner as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the crystalline polyester resin has a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) in a range from about 6,000 to about 35,000.

9. The electrostatic latent image developing toner as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the crystalline polyester resin is contained in an amount of about 3 mass % to about 40 mass % with respect to the toner.

10. The electrostatic latent image developing toner as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the release agent has a melting temperature in a range from about 50° C. to about 100° C.

11. The electrostatic latent image developing toner as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the release agent is contained in an amount of about 0.5 mass % to about 15 mass % with respect to the toner.

12. The electrostatic latent image developing toner as claimed in claim 1 , which has a volume-average particle diameter in a range from about 4 μm to about 9 μm.

13. The electrostatic latent image developing toner as claimed in claim 1 , which has an average roundness in a range from about 0.95 to about 0.985.

14. An electrostatic latent image developer, comprising the electrostatic latent image developing toner as claimed in claim 1 and the carrier comprising a resin coating.

15. The electrostatic latent image developer as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the resin coating comprises carbon black.