Electrophotographic photoconductor, electrophotography method using the same, electrophotographic apparatus, electrographic apparatus process cartridge and electrophotographic photoconductor outermost surface layer coating solution

An electrophotographic photoconductor outermost surface layer coating solution, comprising:

• a filler;
• an organic compound having an acid value of 10 mgKOH/g to 400 mgKOH/g;
• at least one selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by the following general formulas 1 and 2:
• where R1, R2 are substituted or unsubstituted alkyl groups or aromatic hydrocarbon rings, and may be identical or different;
• R1, R2 may also be bonded together to form a substituted or unsubstituted heterocycle containing a nitrogen atom;
• R3, R4, R5 are substituted or unsubstituted alkyl or alkoxy groups, or halogen atoms;
• Ar is a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbon ring or aromatic heterocycle;
• n is a integer in the range 2 to 4;
• k, l, m are respectively integers in the range 0 to 3;
• and X is, in the general formula 1, an oxygen atom, or a sulfur atom;
• and
• an antioxidant.

An electrophotographic method, comprising the steps of:

• charging an electrophotographic photoconductor;
• exposing the charged photoconductor with an imagewise light so as to form an latent electrostatic image thereon;
• supplying a developer to the formed latent electrostatic image so that a toner image is formed, thereby visualizing the latent electrostatic image;
• and
• transferring the toner image formed by the developing step to a transfer material,
• wherein the toner graphic photoconductor, in an outermost surface layer of the electrophotographic photoconductor, comprises:
• a filler,
• an organic compound having an acid value of 10 mgKOH/g to 400 mgKOH/g, and
• at least one selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by the following general formulas 1 and 2:
• where R1, R2 are substituted or unsubstituted alkyl groups or aromatic hydrocarbon rings, and may be identical or different;
• R1, R2 may also be bonded together to form a substituted or unsubstituted heterocycle containing a nitrogen atom;
• R3, R4, R5 are substituted or unsubstituted alkyl or alkoxy groups, or halogen atoms;
• Ar is a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbon ring or aromatic heterocycle;
• n is an integer in the range 2 to 4;
• k, l, m are respectively integers in the range 0 to 3;
• and X is, in the general formula 1, an oxygen atom, or a sulfur atom.

An electrophotographic apparatus, comprising:

• an electrophotographic photoconductor;
• a charger configure to uniformly charge a surface of the electrophotographic photoconductor;
• an exposure unit configured to expose the charged photoconductor by the charger with an imagewise light so as to form an latent electrostatic image on the photoconductor;
• a developing unit configured to supply a developer to the latent electrostatic image so that a toner image is formed, thereby visualizing the latent electrostatic image;
• and
• a transfer unit configured to transfer the formed toner image by the developing unit to a transfer material,
• wherein the electrophotographic photoconductor, in an outermost surface layer of the electrophotographic photoconductor, comprises:
• a filler,
• an organic compound having an acid value of 10 mgKOH/g to 400 mgKOH/g, and
• at least one selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by the following general formulas 1 and 2:
• where, in the general formulas 1 and 2, R1, R2 are substituted or unsubstituted alkyl groups or aromatic hydrocarbon rings, and may be identical or different;
• R1, R2 may also be bonded together to form a substituted or unsubstituted heterocycle containing a nitrogen atom;
• R3, R4, R5 are substituted or unsubstituted alkyl or alkoxy groups, or halogen atoms;
• Ar is a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbon ring or aromatic heterocycle;
• n is an integer in the range 2 to 4, and k, l, m are respectively integers in the range 0 to 3;
• and X is, in the general formula 1, an oxygen atom, or a sulfur atom.

An electrophotographic process cartridge, comprising:

• an electrophotographic photoconductor;
• and
• at least one selected from the group consisting of
• a charger configured to uniformly charge a surface of the electrophotographic photoconductor,
• a cleaning unit configured to clean the surface of the electrophotographic photoconductor, and
• a developing unit configured to supply a developer to a latent electrostatic image formed on the electrophotographic photoconductor so that a toner image is formed, thereby visualizing the latent electrostatic image,
• wherein the electrophotographic process cartridge is formed in a one-piece construction such that the electrophotographic process cartridge is freely replaceable from an electrophotographic apparatus, and wherein the electrophotographic photoconductor, in an outermost surface layer of the electrophotographic photoconductor, contains:
• a filler,
• an organic compound having an acid value of 10 mgKOH/g to 400 mgKOH/g, and
• at least one selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by the following formulas 1 and 2:
• where R1, R2 are substituted or unsubstituted alkyl groups or aromatic hydrocarbon rings, and may be identical or different;
• R1, R2 may also be bonded together to form a substituted or unsubstituted heterocycle containing a nitrogen atom;
• R3, R4, R5 are substituted or unsubstituted alkyl or alkoxy groups, or halogen atoms;
• Ar is a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbond ring or aromatic heterocycle;
• n is an integer in the range 2 to 4;
• k, l, m are respectively integers in the range 0 to 3;
• and X is, in the general formula 1, an oxygen atom, or a sulfur atom.