Electrophotographic photoreceptor
An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes an electroconductive substrate; and at least a photosensitive layer provided on the electroconductive substrate, wherein the electrophotographic photoreceptor has an outermost layer which contains microcapsules having a lubricating oil encompassed therein. The microcapsules may be composed of an inorganic porous particle or an organic polymer material, and the lubricating oil may be a silicone oil or a fluoro oil. Such a photoreceptor has a surface with excellent lubricity and is less susceptible to surface damage and filming from toner or the like while exhibiting good reuseability of toner.
1. An electrophotographic photoreceptor, comprising:
an electroconductive substrate; and
at least a photosensitive layer provided on the electroconductive substrate,
wherein the electrophotographic photoreceptor has an outermost layer which contains microcapsules having a lubricating oil encompassed therein.
2. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the microcapsules comprise inorganic porous particles.
3. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the inorganic porous particles are hollow.
4. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the inorganic porous particles are porous silica particles.
5. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the microcapsules comprise an organic polymer material.
6. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the organic polymer material is one of a melamine resin or a polystyrene resin.
7. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the lubricating oil is a silicone oil.
8. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the silicone oil is one of a dimethyl silicone oil or a methyl phenyl silicone oil.
9. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the lubricating oil is a fluorine oil.
10. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the fluorine oil is a fluoroether oil.
11. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a surface protective layer provided as the outermost layer on the photosensitive layer.
12. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the surface protective layer contains a hardening resin.
13. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the hardening resin is one of an epoxy resin, a urethane resin, or a hardened product of a cyanate ester.
14. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the epoxy resin is an alkoxy group-containing silane-modified epoxy resin.
15. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the alkoxy group-containing silane-modified epoxy resin has a structure represented by general formula (1) or (2):
wherein R 1 represents CH 2 , C(CH 3 ) 2 , CH(CH 3 ), C(CF 3 ) 2 , O, SO 2 or S; R 2 and R 3 each independently represents an alkoxy group having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms or an alkyl group having 1 or 2 carbon atoms; R 4 represents an alkyl group having 1 or 2 carbon atoms; n represents an integer of from 0 to 100; and m represents an integer of from 1 to 20,
wherein R 5 represents CH 2 , C(CH 3 ) 2 , CH(CH 3 ), C(CF 3 ) 2 , O, SO 2 or S; R 6 and R 7 each independently represents an alkoxy group having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms or an alkyl group having 1 or 2 carbon atoms; R 8 represents an alkyl group having 1 or 2 carbon atoms; p represents an integer of from 0 to 100; and q represents an integer of from 1 to 20.
16. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the alkoxy group-containing silane-modified epoxy resin is a hardened product of a hybrid material of an epoxy resin with an alkoxysilane, and wherein the hybrid material contains from 10 to 50% by weight of the alkoxysilane.
17. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the hardened product of a cyanate ester is a polymer obtained by hardening a cyanate ester compound represented by the following general formula (3):
wherein R 9 represents an aromatic organic group; and r represents an integer of 2 or 3.
18. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the urethane resin contains a fluorine-containing polyol.
19. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the surface protective layer contains at least one of a reinforcing filler and a conductivity adjusting agent.
20. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the photosensitive layer comprises a plurality of layers including a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer laminated together, and wherein the charge transport layer is the outermost layer of the electrophotographic photoreceptor.
21. The electrophotographic photoreceptor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the photosensitive layer comprises a single layer containing a charge generating substance and a charge transporting substance, and wherein the photosensitive layer is the outermost layer of the electrophotographic photoreceptor.