Hydrophilic composition and hydrophilic member

A hydrophilic member comprising:

• a substrate;
• a hydrophilic film formed by heating and drying a hydrophilic composition;
• and
• an undercoat layer comprising a nonvolatile catalyst between the substrate and the hydrophilic film,
• wherein the hydrophilic composition comprises:
• (A) a hydrophilic polymer represented by the following general formula (I);
• (B) an alkoxide compound of an element selected from Si, Ti, Zr and Al;
• and
• (C) a catalyst that promotes the reaction of (A) the hydrophilic polymer and (B) the alkoxide compound:
• wherein R1 to R8 each independently represents a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group having 8 or less carbon atoms,
• L2 represents a single bond, or a polyvalent organic linking group having at least one structure selected from the group consisting of —CONH—, —NHCONH—, —OCONH—, —SO,NH— and —SO3—,
• m represents an integer of from 1 to 3,
• x and y represent a polymerization ratio by mol of the repeating units of the formula (I) and the polymerization molar ratio x/y is within a range of from 99/1 to 10/90, and
• wherein
• (a) L1 represents a polyvalent organic linking group comprising from 1 to 200 carbon atoms, provided that at least one —CH2— group is present, and X represents —OH, or
• (b) L1 represents a single bond or a polyvalent organic linking group, and X represents —CON(Rs)(Rb), —NHCORd, —NHCO2Ra, —OCON(Ra)(Rb), —NHCON(Ra)(Rb), —SO3Re, —OSO3Re, —SO2Rd, —NHSO2Rd, —SO2N(Ra)(Rb), —PO3H2, —OPO3H2 or —PO3(Rd)(Re),
• wherein Ra and Rb each independently represents a hydrogen atom or a linear, branched or cyclic alkyl group having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms,
• Rd represents a linear, branched or cyclic alkyl group having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms, and
• Re represents a hydrogen atom, or a linear, branched or cyclic alkyl group having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms, or an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, or an onium,
• wherein said hydrophilic film has a surface free energy of 79-85 mN/m.