Abstract: Provided an electrophotographic electro-conductive member that can stably suppress an occurrence of fogging in an electrophotographic image. The member comprises a support having an electro-conductive outer surface, and an electro-conductive layer on the outer surface of the support, the electro-conductive layer having a matrix including a cross-linked product of a first rubber, and domains dispersed in the matrix, the domains each includes a cross-linked product of a second rubber and an electro-conductive particle, at least some of the domains is exposed to the outer surface of the electro-conductive member to constitute protrusions on an outer surface of the member, the outer surface of the electro-conductive member is constituted by the matrix and the domains exposed to the outer surface of the electrophotographic electro-conductive member, the electrophotographic electro-conductive member has an impedance of 1.0×103? or more and 1.0×108? or less, and some of the domains satisfy two specific requirements.

Abstract: A cured product of a silanol composition comprising a cyclic silanol containing a silanol group and having a cyclic structure formed by a siloxane bond, and a dehydration condensation product thereof, wherein an area ratio of a peak derived from SiO—H stretching observed at 2600 to 3800 cm?1 to an area of a peak derived from Si—O—Si stretching observed at 960 to 1220 cm?1 (SiO—H stretching/Si—O—Si stretching area ratio) is 0.01 or more in an IR spectrum.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrophotographic member having excellent deformation recovery even when stored or used under a high temperature and high humidity environment, which is useful in forming a high-quality electrophotographic image; a process cartridge; and an electrophotographic apparatus. The electrophotographic member of the present invention includes a conductive mandrel and an electro-conductive layer; the electro-conductive layer including a resin synthesized from an ion conducting agent and a compound being able to react with the ion conducting agent; the ion conducting agent including a specific anion and a cation having at least three hydroxyl groups; the compound being able to react with the hydroxyl group.

Abstract: An active oxygen supply device that is a plasma actuator equipped with a plasma generator and an ultraviolet light source in a housing having at least one opening, the plasma generator being provided with a first electrode and a second electrode with a dielectric in-between and creating an induced flow that contains ozone by applying a voltage between the two electrodes, in which the plasma actuator is positioned so that the induced flow flows outside the housing from an opening, and the ultraviolet light source irradiates the induced flow with ultraviolet rays and generates active oxygen in the induced flow; a device for conducting treatment by active oxygen; and a method for conducting treatment by active oxygen.

Abstract: A sterilization device or the like is equipped with a plasma generator and an ultraviolet light source, wherein the plasma generator is a plasma actuator provided with a first electrode and a second electrode with a dielectric in-between, and in which an induced flow including ozone is generated by application of a voltage between the two electrodes, the ultraviolet light source is arranged so as to be able to irradiate the surface of an object to be sterilized, and the plasma actuator is arranged so that the induced flow is supplied to said surface.

Abstract: Provided is an electrophotographic electroconductive member including an electroconductive support and an electroconductive layer on the support, an electroconductive member is used, in which an electroconductive layer has a matrix comprising a first rubber, and domains dispersed in the matrix, the domains each comprising a second rubber and an electronic electroconductive agent, and for impedance measured by applying an AC voltage with an amplitude of 1 V to the electroconductive layer while varying frequencies between 1.0×10?2 Hz to 1.0×107 Hz under a specific environment, when a double logarithmic plot with a frequency on an abscissa and an impedance on an ordinate is obtained, a slope on a high frequency side is ?0.8 or more and —0.3 or less, and the impedance a low frequency side is from 1.0×103 to 1.0×107?.

Abstract: Provided is an electrophotographic electro-conductive member including a support having an electro-conductive outer surface, and an electro-conductive layer. The electro-conductive layer has a matrix containing a crosslinked product of a first rubber and domains containing a crosslinked product of a second rubber and an electron conductive agent. When measuring an impedance by applying alternating voltage between the outer surface of the support and a platinum electrode on an outer surface of the electro-conductive layer while changing a frequency, a slope at specific frequencies is ?0.8 to ?0.3 in a double logarithmic plot, and an impedance at specific frequency range is 1.0×104? to 1.0×1011?. When measuring an impedance by applying alternating voltage between the outer surface of the support and a platinum electrode on an outer surface of the electrophotographic electro-conductive member while changing a frequency, an impedance at specific frequency range is 1.0×105? to 1.0×1011?.

Abstract: An electrophotographic apparatus having an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a charging unit, and a developing unit for forming a toner image on a surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, wherein the charging unit has a conductive member disposed to be contactable with the electrophotographic photosensitive member; a conductive layer at the surface of the conductive member has a matrix and a plurality of domains dispersed in the matrix; at least a portion of the domains is exposed at the outer surface of the conductive member; the outer surface of the conductive member is constituted of at least the matrix and the domains; a volume resistivity R1 of the matrix is greater than 1.00×1012 ?·cm; a volume resistivity R2 of the domains is smaller than R1; the developing unit contains the toner; and a dielectric loss tangent of the toner is at least 0.0027.

Abstract: Provided is an electrophotographic electroconductive member including an electroconductive support and an electroconductive layer on the support, an electroconductive member is used, in which an electroconductive layer has a matrix comprising a first rubber, and domains dispersed in the matrix, the domains each comprising a second rubber and an electronic electroconductive agent, and for impedance measured by applying an AC voltage with an amplitude of 1 V to the electroconductive layer while varying frequencies between 1.0×10?2 Hz to 1.0×107 Hz under a specific environment, when a double logarithmic plot with a frequency on an abscissa and an impedance on an ordinate is obtained, a slope on a high frequency side is ?0.8 or more and —0.3 or less, and the impedance a low frequency side is from 1.0×103 to 1.0×107?.

Abstract: An electrophotographic apparatus including an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a charging unit, and a developing unit, wherein the charging unit includes a conductive member disposed to be contactable with the electrophotographic photosensitive member, a conductive layer of the conductive member has a matrix-domain structure, at least some of the domains are exposed at the outer surface of the conductive member, the volume resistivity RI of the matrix is greater than 1.00×1012 ?·cm and not greater than 1.00×1017 ?·cm, the matrix volume resistivity R1 is at least 1.0×105-times the domain volume resistivity R2, and the developing unit includes a toner, the toner includes a binder resin-containing toner particle and an external additive, and the external additive contains fine particles of a hydrotalcite compound.

Abstract: An electrophotographic apparatus having an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a charging unit, and a developing unit for forming a toner image, wherein the charging unit has a conductive member disposed to be contactable with the electrophotographic photosensitive member, a conductive layer at the surface of the conductive member has a matrix-domain structure, at least a portion of the domains is exposed at the outer surface of the conductive member, the outer surface of the conductive member is constituted at least of the matrix and these domains, a volume resistivity R1 of the matrix is greater than 1.00×1012 ?·cm, a volume resistivity R2 of the domains is less than R1, Martens hardness G1 of the matrix and Martens hardness G2 of the domains satisfy a prescribed relationship, and an onset temperature T(A) for a storage elastic modulus E? of the toner is not more than 80.0° C.

Abstract: Provided is an electrophotographic electroconductive member, including: an electroconductive support; an electroconductive layer; and a surface layer in order, wherein an impedance is 1.0×103? to 1.0×108? at an outer surface of the electroconductive member, in the surface layer, an electronic electroconductive agent is dispersed, the electroconductive layer has 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 wherein, and wherein among the domains observed in specified observation regions, 80% by number or more of the domains satisfy (1) and (2): (1) a proportion of sectional areas of the electroconductive particles with respect to the domain is 20% or more; (2) A/B is 1.00 to 1.10 when A is a perimeter of the domain and B is an envelope perimeter.

Abstract: Provided is an electrophotographic electro-conductive member including a support having an electro-conductive outer surface, and an electro-conductive layer. The electro-conductive layer has a matrix containing a crosslinked product of a first rubber and domains containing a crosslinked product of a second rubber and an electron conductive agent. When measuring an impedance by applying alternating voltage between the outer surface of the support and a platinum electrode on an outer surface of the electro-conductive layer while changing a frequency, a slope at specific frequencies is ?0.8 to ?0.3 in a double logarithmic plot, and an impedance at specific frequency range is 1.0×104? to 1.0×1011?. When measuring an impedance by applying alternating voltage between the outer surface of the support and a platinum electrode on an outer surface of the electrophotographic electro-conductive member while changing a frequency, an impedance at specific frequency range is 1.0×105? to 1.0×1011?.

Abstract: A process for producing an electrophotographic electroconductive member having an electroconductive support and an electroconductive layer in the order mentioned. The electroconductive layer has a matrix including a crosslinked product of a first rubber, and a domain including a crosslinked product of a second rubber and an electroconductive particle, the process including the steps of: providing a rubber mixture for forming the domain, including carbon black and the second rubber by kneading the carbon black and the second rubber; providing a rubber mixture for forming the matrix, including the first rubber; kneading the rubber mixture for forming the domain and the rubber mixture for forming the matrix to prepare a rubber composition having a matrix-domain structure; forming a layer of the rubber composition on a surface of the electroconductive support; and curing the layer of the rubber composition on the surface of the electroconductive support to form the electroconductive layer.

Abstract: Used is an electro-conductive member for electrophotography including: a support having an electro-conductive outer surface; and an electro-conductive layer on the outer surface of the support, wherein the electro-conductive layer includes: a matrix containing a first crosslinked rubber product and having a volume resistivity greater than 1.0×1012 ?cm; and domains dispersed in the matrix, wherein the domain includes a second crosslinked rubber product and an electron conductive agent; and the electro-conductive layer includes a region T in which the volume resistivity of the matrix decreases in a depth direction from the outer surface of the electro-conductive member.

Abstract: A process cartridge which allows any spot and stripe as image defects to be suppressed is provided. A process cartridge, in which an electroconductive layer of a charging member has a matrix including a first rubber, and domains dispersed in the matrix, the domains include a second rubber and an electron electroconductive agent, at least some of the domains are exposed on a surface of the charging member, when a volume resistivity of the matrix is 105 times or more a volume resistivity of the domains, a protective layer of an electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a metal oxide particle, and when a number average primary particle size of the metal oxide particle is defined as Sm and an average value of equivalent circle diameters of the domains is defined as Sd, the Sd/Sm satisfies the following expression (1): 0.5<Sd/Sm<100 . . . expression (1).

Abstract: Provided is an electrophotographic electroconductive member including an electroconductive support and an electroconductive layer on the support, an electroconductive member is used, in which an electroconductive layer has a matrix comprising a first rubber, and domains dispersed in the matrix, the domains each comprising a second rubber and an electronic electroconductive agent, and for impedance measured by applying an AC voltage with an amplitude of 1 V to the electroconductive layer while varying frequencies between 1.0×10?2 Hz to 1.0×107 Hz under a specific environment, when a double logarithmic plot with a frequency on an abscissa and an impedance on an ordinate is obtained, a slope on a high frequency side is ?0.8 or more and ?0.3 or less, and the impedance a low frequency side is from 1.0×103 to 1.0×107?.

Abstract: A process cartridge is provided, which is configured to recover, with a developing member, developer remaining on an image bearing member after transfer of a developer image to a transfer receiving member, wherein a charging member has a shaft that is conductive and an elastic layer supported on the shaft and being in contact with the image bearing member; the elastic layer has a matrix containing a first rubber, and a plurality of domains containing a second rubber and an electron-conductive agent and interspersed within the matrix. The electric resistance of the domains is lower than the electric resistance of the matrix. The matrix is exposed on an outer surface of the elastic layer and forms multiple depressed portions, and the domains include a domains exposed at a bottom section of the depressed portion.

Abstract: There is provided a process cartridge detachably attachable to a main body of an electrophotographic apparatus, the process cartridge including an electrophotographic photosensitive member and a charging member, wherein an outer surface of the charging member is composed of at least a matrix and at least a part of domains, a volume resistivity of the matrix is 1.0×105 times or more of a volume resistivity of the domain, an average value Sd of circle equivalent diameters of the domains observed on the outer surface of the charging member is in a predetermined range, the electrophotographic photosensitive member contains a support, a photosensitive layer, and a protective layer in this order and when a surface roughness of the protective layer is measured, each of a protruding valley portion Rvk, a load length ratio Mr2, and Sd/Rvk is in a predetermined range.

Abstract: A cured product of a silanol composition comprising a cyclic silanol containing a silanol group and having a cyclic structure formed by a siloxane bond, and a dehydration condensation product thereof, wherein an area ratio of a peak derived from SiO—H stretching observed at 2600 to 3800 cm?1 to an area of a peak derived from Si—O—Si stretching observed at 960 to 1220 cm?1 (SiO—H stretching/Si—O—Si stretching area ratio) is 0.01 or more in an IR spectrum.