Abstract: A power converter includes a capacitor and a substrate on which a plurality of switching elements for power conversion are mounted. The power converter includes a cooler for cooling the plurality of switching elements and a housing that accommodates the capacitor, the substrate, and the cooler. The power converter includes a power connector exposed from the housing and an output connector exposed from the housing. The power converter includes a plurality of lines that include a plurality of power lines each electrically connected to the capacitor, given switching elements, and the power connector. The plurality of lines include a plurality of output lines each electrically connected to given switching elements and the output connector. At least one among the plurality of lines is a line that includes a conductive pattern formed on the substrate.

Abstract: A method for producing polytetrafluoroethylene, which includes polymerizing tetrafluoroethylene in an aqueous medium in the presence of a nucleating agent and a hydrocarbon anionic surfactant to obtain polytetrafluoroethylene. A total amount of the nucleating agent and the hydrocarbon anionic surfactant at the initiation of polymerization is more than 50 ppm based on the aqueous medium.

Abstract: A power converter includes a positive busbar electrically connected to a positive terminal and the first capacitor electrode, and includes a negative busbar electrically connected to a negative terminal and the second capacitor electrode. The power converter includes output busbars each electrically connected to a given output terminal among multiple output terminals, a given high-side switching element among a plurality of high-side switching elements, and a given low-side switching element among a plurality of low-side switching elements. The power converter includes a cooler that cools the high-side switching elements and the low-side switching elements. The power converter includes a housing that accommodates a supply tube and a discharge tube. The positive terminal, the negative terminal, the output terminals, the inlet port, and the outlet port are exposed on the housing. The inlet port, the outlet port, the supply tube, and the discharge tube are separate members from the housing.

Abstract: An image forming method comprising a fixing step of fixing a toner image to a recording material while nipping and conveying the recording material, on which the toner image has been formed, by a fixing nip portion, wherein the toner comprises a toner particle comprising a toner base particle and an organosilicon polymer on a surface thereof, the organosilicon polymer has a structure represented by R—SiO3/2, where R is an C1 to C6 alkyl group or a phenyl group, the organosilicon polymer has convex portions formed on an outer surface thereof, and the convex portions satisfy specific relationships, and a contact pressure ? (MPa) of the pressure member and the fixing film and a storage elastic modulus G (MPa) of the toner at a temperature of a surface of the fixing film when the recording material is nipped and conveyed by the fixing nip portion satisfy specific relationships.

Abstract: A toner comprising: a toner particle comprising a binder resin; and an external additive on a surface of the toner particle, wherein the binder resin comprises a resin having an ester bond, a peak corresponding to boric acid is detected in ATR-IR analysis of the toner particle in an ATR method using germanium as an ATR crystal, and when a dispersed solution obtained by dispersing the toner in an aqueous solution containing a surfactant is subjected to a detachment treatment A including shaking for 300 seconds using a shaker, and when an external additive detached from the toner by the detachment treatment A is denoted as external additive A, a charge amount of the external additive A using a standard carrier (F81) is ?0.5 ?C/g or less.

Abstract: A process cartridge includes a photosensitive member, a toner, and a developing roller, a surface layer of the photosensitive member has a Martens hardness of 245 to 300 N/mm2, the developing roller has a single-layered surface layer containing a substrate and a binder resin; when an elastic modulus of the binder resin in a first region is E1, and an elastic modulus of the binder resin in a second region is E2, E1?200 MPa and 10 MPa?E2?150 MPa are satisfied; the elastic modulus in the second region continuously decreases from that in the first region; the toner comprises a toner particle and an external additive A; the external additive A is a silica particle having a major diameter of 40 to 400 nm; and a coverage of the external additive A with respect to surface of the toner particle is 5.0% or more.

Abstract: A process cartridge includes a toner, a regulating member, and a developing roller including a conductive substrate, an elastic layer, and a surface layer which includes a binder resin, a first resin particle having an elastic coefficient of 100 to 10,000 MPa, and a second resin particle having an elastic coefficient of 2 to 50 MPa and in which the outer surface has a first protruded portion and a second protruded portion 5.0 ?m or more lower than the first protruded portion and has an average maximum height of 6 to 18 ?m. The toner includes a toner particle and an external additive A that is a silica particle having a major diameter of 40 to 400 nm, a surface coverage of the toner particle by the external additive A is 3.0% or more, and a dispersion degree evaluation index D of the external additive A is 2.0 or less.

Abstract: A toner including a toner particle including a binder resin, wherein fine particles A and B are present on a surface of the toner particle; the fine particles A are a fatty acid metal salt; the fine particles B have a specific volume resistivity; an average theoretical surface area of the toner particle, an amount of the fine particles A, and a coverage ratio of the toner particle surface by the fine particles A satisfy a specific relationship; the amount of the fine particles B is in a specific range; and a proportion F of an area occupied by a part of the fine particles B embedded in a surface vicinity region of the toner in a total area occupied by the fine particles B present in a cross section of one particle of the toner is 50% by area or more.

Abstract: A toner comprising a toner particle that comprises a core particle comprising a binder resin and a surface layer comprising inorganic fine particles and an organosilicon polymer, wherein the organosilicon polymer has T3 structure represented by R—Si(O1/2)3, in 29Si-NMR measurement of THF insoluble-matter of the toner particle, a proportion of a peak area assigned to the T3 structure relative to a total peak area for the organosilicon polymer is at least 5.0%, and in observation of a cross section of the toner particle using TEM, the toner has a prescribed surface layer thickness, a prescribed number of inorganic fine particles in contact with the core particle in the surface layer, and a prescribed number of inorganic fine particles present in the core particle and not in contact with the surface layer.

Abstract: A toner including a toner particle containing a binder resin, and an external additive, wherein the external additive contains an organosilicon polymer fine particle, the organosilicon polymer has a structure represented by at least one selected from the group consisting of RaSiO3/2 and Rb2SiO2/2 (wherein Ra and Rb represent organic groups), and in the number particle size distribution of the toner as measured within a particle size range of from 2 to 60 ?m, the number-average particle diameter T-D50n at which the accumulation from the smallest diameter is 50% is from 6 to 12 ?m, the number ratio of toner 4 ?m or less in size is from 2% to 5% of the total toner, and the number ratio of toner 3 ?m or less in size as a percentage of the total toner 4 ?m or less in size is from 25% to 50%.

Abstract: An image forming method comprising a fixing step of fixing a toner image to a recording material while nipping and conveying the recording material, on which the toner image has been formed, by a fixing nip portion, wherein the toner comprises a toner particle comprising a toner base particle and an organosilicon polymer on a surface thereof, the organosilicon polymer has a structure represented by R—SiO3/2, where R is an C1 to C6 alkyl group or a phenyl group, the organosilicon polymer has convex portions formed on an outer surface thereof, and the convex portions satisfy specific relationships, and a contact pressure ? (MPa) of the pressure member and the fixing film and a storage elastic modulus G (MPa) of the toner at a temperature of a surface of the fixing film when the recording material is nipped and conveyed by the fixing nip portion satisfy specific relationships.

Abstract: A process cartridge includes a seal member contacting an image bearing member upstream in the rotation direction of the image bearing member from a cleaning member and allowing the developer to move from upstream in the rotation direction from the contact part between the seal member and the image bearing to downstream from the contact part while regulating movement from downstream to upstream from the contact part. The developer has surface protrusions containing an organic silicon polymer, wherein either (i) the work function of the seal member is greater than the work function of the developer when the developer has a negative charging polarity and is smaller than the work function of the developer when the developer has a positive charging polarity, or (ii) the absolute value of the difference between the work function of the seal member and the work function of the developer is within a predetermined range.

Abstract: A toner including a toner particle containing a binder resin and an external additive, wherein the external additive contains composite particles of an organosilicon polymer fine particle and a fatty acid metal salt.

Abstract: Provided is a toner including a toner particle and an external additive, wherein the external additive includes a composite particle including a hydrotalcite particle covered on the surface with an organosilicon polymer fine particle, a coverage ratio of the hydrotalcite particle surface by the organosilicon polymer fine particle is from 1% to 50%, and given A (nm) as the number-average particle diameter of the primary particles of the organosilicon polymer fine particle and B (nm) as the number-average particle diameter of the primary particles of the hydrotalcite particle, the toner satisfies the following formula (I) and formula (II): A<B??(I) 20?A?350??(II).

Abstract: A toner containing: a toner particle that contains a binder resin and an external additive, wherein the external additive contains an organosilicon polymer fine particle, the binder resin contains an amorphous resin and a crystalline polyester resin, a content of the crystalline polyester resin in the binder resin is from 5 to 30 mass %, and the crystalline polyester resin contains from 5 to 25 mass % of a component having a molecular weight of not more than 2,500.

Abstract: A toner including a toner particle containing a binder resin and an external additive, wherein the toner particle contains a polyvalent metal compound, the polyvalent metal compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of aluminum compounds, iron compounds and magnesium compounds, a content of a metal element derived from the polyvalent metal compound in the toner particle is from 0.080 to 20.000 ?mol/g, the external additive contains an organosilicon polymer particle having a hydroxyl group, a ratio of a number-average particle diameter of the organosilicon polymer particle to a number-average particle diameter of the toner particle is from 0.0160 to 0.0650, and a content of the organosilicon polymer particle is at least 0.10 mass parts per 100.00 mass parts of the toner particle.

Abstract: A toner comprising a toner particle that contains a binder resin and a wax; in a microcompression test under a maximum load condition of 1.1×10?3 N, a force applied to the toner particle when a percentage deformation of the toner particle with reference to a number-average particle diameter of the toner particle at 25° C. reaches 15% is 0.10 to 1.00 mN and the force applied to the toner particle when the percentage deformation at 45° C. reaches 15% is 0.10 to 0.40 mN; and when the force applied to the toner particle is a variable and the percentage deformation of the toner particle is from 15 to 30%, the rate of increase in the percentage deformation of the toner particle at 25° C. and the rate of increase in the percentage deformation of the toner particle at 45° C. satisfy specific formula.

Abstract: A toner including a toner particle including a binder resin, wherein fine particles A and B are present on a surface of the toner particle; the fine particles A are a fatty acid metal salt; the fine particles B have a specific volume resistivity; an average theoretical surface area of the toner particle, an amount of the fine particles A, and a coverage ratio of the toner particle surface by the fine particles A satisfy a specific relationship; the amount of the fine particles B is in a specific range; and a proportion F of an area occupied by a part of the fine particles B embedded in a surface vicinity region of the toner in a total area occupied by the fine particles B present in a cross section of one particle of the toner is 50% by area or more.

Abstract: A process cartridge includes a seal member contacting an image bearing member upstream in the rotation direction of the image bearing member from a cleaning member and allowing the developer to move from upstream in the rotation direction from the contact part between the seal member and the image bearing to downstream from the contact part while regulating movement from downstream to upstream from the contact part. The developer has surface protrusions containing an organic silicon polymer, wherein either (i) the work function of the seal member is greater than the work function of the developer when the developer has a negative charging polarity and is smaller than the work function of the developer when the developer has a positive charging polarity, or (ii) the absolute value of the difference between the work function of the seal member and the work function of the developer is within a predetermined range.

Abstract: A toner having a toner particle including a binder resin and a wax, wherein the wax includes a specific diester compound; a proportion As of an area occupied by the wax in a region from a surface of the toner particle to 0.5 ?m is 15.0% or less; wax domains are observed in the cross section of the toner particle, and an average number of the domains per cross section of one toner particle is from 10 to 2000; when a mass concentration of a polyvalent metal element in the toner particle determined by fluorescent X-ray analysis is denoted by Mi (ppm), Mi is from 3.5 ppm to 1100 ppm; and when a mass concentration of a polyvalent metal element in the toner particle determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is denoted by Ms (ppm), Mi>Ms.