Process for preparing an electrophotographic element

Abstract

An electrophotographic element that comprises an electrically conductive support and a photoconductive layer containing a photosensitive azo-compound dispersed in a film-forming polymeric binder is prepared by synthesizing the photosensitive azo-compound in situ, by reaction between a diazonium compound and an azo-coupling component, in the film-forming polymeric layer on the support. The azo-compounds thus synthetized are distributed in the binder layer in an almost perfectly homogeneous form. Under an electron microscope screen scan they are not distinguishable as separate particles, even at a ten thousand fold magnification. By forming a very thin photoconductive layer in this way and coating it with a charge transporting top layer, especially useful electrophotographic elements are obtained. The invention relates also to electrophotographic elements prepared according to the process.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.