Image forming apparatus and unit for image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an electrophotographic photoreceptor that includes a conductive substrate, a photosensitive layer, and an inorganic surface layer arranged in that order, the inorganic surface layer containing a group 13 element and oxygen;
• a charging unit that charges a surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor;
• an electrostatic image-forming unit that forms an electrostatic image on the charged surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor;
• a developing unit that supplies an electrostatic image developer to develop the electrostatic image on the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor so as to form a toner image;
• a transfer unit that transfers the toner image on the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor onto a surface of a recording medium;
• a cleaning unit that performs cleaning by causing a cleaning blade to contact the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor;
• and
• a supply unit that supplies a fatty acid metal salt to a position where the cleaning blade in the cleaning unit contacts the electrophotographic photoreceptor,
• wherein, when the fatty acid metal salt is supplied, a portion of the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor downstream of the supply unit and upstream of the cleaning unit in a rotating direction of the electrophotographic photoreceptor is covered with a metal derived from the fatty acid metal salt at a coverage of about 40% or more.