Intermediate transfer belt and image forming apparatus using the same

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image bearing member configured to form a latent image thereon and bear a toner image;
• a developing unit configured to develop with a toner the latent image formed on the image bearing member to form the toner image;
• an intermediate transfer belt onto which the toner image developed with the developing unit is primarily transferred;
• and
• a transfer unit configured to secondarily transfer onto a recording medium the toner image transferred onto the intermediate transfer member;
• wherein the intermediate transfer belt comprises:
• a base layer;
• and
• an elastic layer,
• the elastic layer being laid on the base layer to form a laminated structure,
• wherein the elastic layer is an acrylic rubber-elastic layer with flame retardancy where the acrylic rubber-elastic layer has VTM-0 grade according to the UL94VTM burning test,
• wherein the elastic layer has a Martens hardness of 0.2 N/mm2 to 0.8 N/mm2 when indented to a depth of 10 μm,
• wherein the elastic layer has a uniform concavo-convex pattern in a surface thereof, and the uniform concavo-convex pattern is formed by arranging individual spherical resin particles in the surface of the elastic layer in a plane direction thereof, and
• wherein the intermediate transfer belt is configured to receive the toner image formed by developing, with the toner, the latent image on the image bearing member.