US 12,259,674 B2
Electroconductive member, process cartridge, and electrophotographic image formation device
Kenji Takashima, Kanagawa (JP); Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Shizuoka (JP); Satoru Nishioka, Shizuoka (JP); Yuichi Kikuchi, Shizuoka (JP); Takumi Furukawa, Shizuoka (JP); and Masaki Yamada, Shizuoka (JP)
Assigned to CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Apr. 11, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/658,696.
Application 17/658,696 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2020/039037, filed on Oct. 16, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-191551 (JP), filed on Oct. 18, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0244673 A1, Aug. 4, 2022
Int. Cl. G03G 15/00 (2006.01); C08G 18/42 (2006.01); C08G 18/44 (2006.01); C08K 3/04 (2006.01); C08L 9/06 (2006.01); C09D 175/06 (2006.01); F16C 13/00 (2006.01); H01B 1/24 (2006.01)
CPC G03G 15/751 (2013.01) [C08G 18/42 (2013.01); C08G 18/44 (2013.01); C08K 3/04 (2013.01); C08L 9/06 (2013.01); C09D 175/06 (2013.01); F16C 13/00 (2013.01); H01B 1/24 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An electrophotographic electroconductive member, comprising:
a support having an electroconductive outer surface;
an electroconductive layer on the outer surface of the support, the electroconductive layer having a matrix containing a cross-linked product of a first rubber and domains each containing a cross-linked product of a second rubber and electroconductive particles; and
a surface layer in which an electronic electroconductive agent is dispersed, the surface layer being on an outer surface of the electroconductive layer, wherein
an impedance of 1.0×103 to 1.0×108Ω is obtained when a platinum electrode is provided directly on an outer surface of the electrophotographic electroconductive member, and an alternating current voltage is applied between an outer surface of the support and the platinum electrode at an amplitude of 1 V and a frequency of 1.0 Hz under an environment of a temperature of 23° C. and a relative humidity of 50%, and
when L is a length of the electroconductive layer in a longitudinal direction and T is a thickness of the electroconductive layer, and when a 15-micrometer square observation region is placed at three arbitrary positions in a thickness region from an outer surface of the electroconductive layer to a depth of 0.1 to 0.9T on each of cross sections in a thickness direction of the electroconductive layer at three positions: a center of the electroconductive layer in the longitudinal direction, and points from both ends of the electroconductive layer to the center by L/4, among the domains observed in each of the observation regions whose total number of 9, at least 80% by number of the domains satisfy
(1) a proportion of sectional areas of the electroconductive particles contained in the domain with respect to a sectional area of the domain is 20% or more, and
(2) A/B is 1.00 to 1.10 when A is a perimeter, and B is an envelope perimeter.