Electrophotographic photosensitive member, process cartridge, and electrophotographic apparatus

An electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising a support and a photosensitive layer formed on the support, wherein

• the photosensitive layer contains a copolymer having a repeating structural unit represented by the following formula (1) and a repeating structural unit represented by the following formula (2), or a copolymer having a repeating structural unit represented by the following formula (1) and a repeating structural unit represented by the following formula (3):
• Z1-A-Z2-E1 (1)
• Z3-A-Z4—W2—B2—W2 (2)
• Z5—B3—Z6-E4 (3)
• where, in the formulas (1), (2) and (3);
• Z1 to Z6 each independently represent a single bond, an alkylene group, an arylene group, or an arylene group substituted with an alkyl group;
• E1 represents a divalent group represented by
• —W1—B1—W1—, or a divalent group represented by the following formula (E11):
• wherein X1 represents a tetravalent group formed by removing four hydrogen atoms from a cyclic hydrocarbon;
• E4 represents a divalent group represented by
• —W3—B4—W3—, or a divalent group represented by the following formula (E41):
• wherein X4 represents a tetravalent group formed by removing four hydrogen atoms from a cyclic hydrocarbon;
• W1 to W3 each independently represent a single bond, a urethane linkage, a urea linkage or an imide linkage;
• A represents a divalent group represented by any of the following formulas (A-1) to (A-8):
• where, in the formulas (A-1) to (A-8);
• R101 to R104 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an aryl group, an aryl group substituted with a halogen atom, nitro group, cyano group, alkyl group or alkyl halide group, an alkyl group, or a cyano group, or represent a bonding site;
• and R105 and R106 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an aryl group, an aryl group substituted with an alkyl group or halogen atom, or an alkyl group, or represent a bonding site;
• provided that any two of R101 to R106 are bonding sites;
• R201 to R208 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an aryl group, an aryl group substituted with a halogen atom, nitro group, cyano group, alkyl group or alkyl halide group, an alkyl group, or a cyano group, or represent a bonding site;
• and R209 and R210 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an aryl group, an aryl group substituted with an alkyl group or halogen atom, or an alkyl group, or represent a bonding site;
• provided that any two of R201 to R210 are bonding sites;
• R301 to R308 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an aryl group, an aryl group substituted with a halogen atom, nitro group, cyano group, alkyl group or alkyl halide group, an alkyl group, a cyano group, or a nitro group, or represent a bonding site;
• R309 represents an oxygen atom or a dicyanomethylene group;
• and R310 and R311 each independently represent a carbon atom or a nitrogen atom, and, in the case of the nitrogen atom, R304 and R305 are not present;
• provided that any two of R301 to R308 are bonding sites;
• R401 to R406 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an aryl group, an aryl group substituted with a halogen atom, nitro group, cyano group, alkyl group or alkyl halide group, an alkyl group, a cyano group, or a nitro group, or represent a bonding site;
• and R407 represents an oxygen atom or a dicyanomethylene group;
• provided that any two of R401 to R406 are bonding sites;
• R501 to R508 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an aryl group, an aryl group substituted with a halogen atom, nitro group, cyano group, alkyl group or alkyl halide group, an alkyl group, a cyano group, or a nitro group, or represent a bonding site;
• R509 and R510 each independently represent an oxygen atom or a dicyanomethylene group;
• and R511 and R512 each independently represent a carbon atom or a nitrogen atom, and, in the case of the nitrogen atom, R501 and R505 are not present;
• provided that any two of R501 to R508 are bonding sites;
• R601 to R608 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an aryl group, an aryl group substituted with a halogen atom, nitro group, cyano group, alkyl group or alkyl halide group, an alkyl group, a cyano group, a nitro group, or a carboxylate group, or represent a bonding site;
• R610 and R611 each independently represent a carbon atom or a nitrogen atom, and, in the case of the nitrogen atom, R604 and R605 are not present;
• and R609 represents a dicyanomethylene group;
• provided that any two of R601 to R608 are bonding sites;
• R701 to R713 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an aryl group, an aryl group substituted with a halogen atom, nitro group, cyano group, alkyl group or alkyl halide group, an alkyl group, a cyano group, a nitro group, or a carboxylate group, or represent a bonding site;
• R714 and R715 each independently represent a carbon atom or a nitrogen atom, and, in the case of the nitrogen atom, R704 and R705 are not present;
• provided that any two of R701 to R713 are bonding sites;
• and
• R801 to R808 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an aryl group, an aryl group substituted with a halogen atom, nitro group, cyano group, alkyl group or alkyl halide group, an alkyl group, a cyano group, or a nitro group, or represent a bonding site;
• provided that any two of R801 to R808 are bonding sites;
• B1 and B4 each independently represent an arylene group, an alkylene group, an alkarylene group, an arylene group substituted with an alkyl group, halogen atom, cyano group or nitro group, an alkylene group substituted with a halogen atom, cyano group or nitro group, an alkarylene group substituted with an alkyl group, halogen atom, cyano group or nitro group, an arylene group interrupted by an ether or sulfonyl, or an alkylene group interrupted by an ether;
• and
• B2 and B3 each independently represent an arylene group substituted with a carboxyl group only, an arylene group substituted with a carboxyl group and an alkyl group only, or an alkylene group substituted with a carboxyl group only.