# US 9,040,214 B2 · Electrophotographic photosensitive member, process cartridge and electrophotographic apparatus, and method of manufacturing electrophotographic photosensitive member

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- Number: US 9,040,214 B2
- Document ID: US9040214B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/984,264
- Filed: 2012-03-01
- Published: 2013-12-05
- Granted: 2015-05-26
- Earliest claimed: 2011-03-03
- Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Atsushi Fujii; Hideaki Matsuoka; Haruyuki Tsuji; Kazuhisa Shida; Nobuhiro Nakamura
- Inventors: Atsushi Fujii; Hideaki Matsuoka; Haruyuki Tsuji; Kazuhisa Shida; Nobuhiro Nakamura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9040214B2

## CPC

- G03G 5/087: and being incorporated in an organic bonding material
- G03G 5/0525: {Coating methods}
- G03G 5/104: {comprising inorganic material other than metals, e.g. salts, oxides, carbon}
- G03G 5/142: {Inert intermediate layers}
- G03G 5/144: {comprising inorganic material}
- G03G 21/1814: {Details of parts of process cartridge, e.g. for charging, transfer, cleaning, developing (G03G21/1835 takes precedence)}
- G03G 5/0507: {Inorganic compounds}
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY

## Abstract

Provided are an electrophotographic photosensitive member in which leakage doesn't easily occur, a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus each including the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and a method of manufacturing the electrophotographic photosensitive member. The electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a conductive layer including titanium oxide particle coated with tin oxide doped with a hetero element. When an absolute value of a maximum current amount flowing through the conductive layer in a case of performing a test of applying −1.0 kV including DC voltage to the conductive layer is defined as Ia, and an absolute value of a current amount flowing through the conductive layer in a case where a decrease ratio of a current amount per minute reaches 1% or less for the first time is defined as Ib, the relations of Ia≦6000 and 10≦Ib are satisfied. A volume resistivity of the conductive layer before the test is 1.0×108 Ω·cm to 5.0×1012 Ω·cm.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electrophotographic photosensitive member, comprising:
a cylindrical support;
a conductive layer comprising a binder material and a metal oxide particle formed on the cylindrical support; and
a photosensitive layer formed on the conductive layer, wherein
the metal oxide particle is a titanium oxide particle coated with tin oxide doped with phosphorus;
when an absolute value of a maximum current amount flowing through the conductive layer in a case of performing a test of continuously applying a voltage of −1.0 kV comprising only a DC voltage to the conductive layer is defined as Ia [μA], and an absolute value of a current amount flowing through the conductive layer in a case where a decrease ratio of a current amount per one minute flowing through the conductive layer reaches 1% or less for the first time is defined as Ib [μA], the Ia and the Ib satisfy the following relations (i) and (ii); and
Ia≦6000 (i); and
10≦Ib (ii),
a volume resistivity of the conductive layer before the test is performed is from 1.0×108 to 5.0×1012 Ω·cm.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein the Ia and the Ib satisfy the following relations (iii) and (iv):
Ia≦5000 (iii); and
20≦Ib (iv).

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A process cartridge detachably attachable to a main body of an electrophotographic apparatus, wherein the process cartridge integrally supports:
the electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1; and
at least one device selected from the group consisting of a charging device, a developing device, a transferring device, and a cleaning device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

An electrophotographic apparatus, comprising:
the electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1,
a charging device,
an exposing device,
a developing device, and
a transferring device.

### Claim 5

A method of manufacturing an electrophotographic photosensitive member,
the method comprising:
the step of forming a conductive layer with a volume resistivity of 1.0×108 Ω·cm or more to 5.0×1012 Ω·cm or less on a cylindrical support; and
the step of forming a photosensitive layer on the conductive layer,
wherein,
the step of forming the conductive layer comprises:
preparing a coating liquid for the conductive layer by use of:
a solvent,
a binder material, and
a metal oxide particle with a powder resistivity of 1.0×103 to 1.0×105 Ω·cm, and
forming the conductive layer by use of the coating liquid for the conductive layer;
a mass ratio (P/B) of the metal oxide particle (P) to the binder material (B) in the coating liquid for the conductive layer, is from 1.5/1.0 to 3.5/1.0; and
the metal oxide particle is a titanium oxide particle coated with tin oxide doped with phosphorus.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of manufacturing an electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 5, wherein the powder resistivity of the metal oxide particle is from 3.0×103 to 5.0×104 Ω·cm.