Abstract: Provided is a lubricant levelling blade (104) including an elastic member (1042) configured to contact a surface of an image bearer (3) to apply a lubricant to the surface of the image bearer. A contact surface (104c) of the elastic member with the image bearer is a polyurethane elastomer. A Martens hardness HM of the contact surface of the elastic member with the image bearer is 1.5 N/mm2 or higher but 30.0 N/mm2 or lower.

Abstract: Provided is a cleaning blade including an elastic blade having a strip shape, and a supporting member supporting the elastic blade. The cleaning blade is configured to bring a leading end ridgeline portion of the elastic blade into contact with a cleaning target member that is moving, and remove a residual matter from a surface of the cleaning target member. At least a surface layer portion of the elastic blade including the leading end ridgeline portion is formed of a rubber having a hysteresis loss ratio of 15% or less.

Abstract: A cleaning blade for an intermediate transfer medium is provided. A cleaning target of the cleaning blade is an intermediate transfer medium. The cleaning blade includes an edge layer and a coating layer. The coating layer provided on a forefront end of the edge layer at which the edge layer contacts the intermediate transfer medium contains a first fluorine-based resin and a second fluorine-based resin incompatible with the first fluorine-based resin. The cleaning blade for an intermediate transfer medium has a Martens hardness of 0.5 N/mm2 or greater and 3 N/mm2 or less at a location having a distance of 20 ?m from a ridgeline of the forefront end of the edge layer.

Abstract: A cleaning blade is provided. The cleaning blade includes an elastic body having a contact edge to contact a surface of a cleaning target to remove a residue on the surface. The elastic body includes a coating layer on at least a part of the contact edge. The coating layer contains fluorine-based particles and a binder comprising a fluorine-based oil.

Abstract: A cleaning blade is provided. The cleaning blade includes an elastic body having a contact edge to contact a surface of a cleaning target to remove a residue on the surface. The elastic body includes a coating layer on at least a part of the contact edge. The coating layer contains fluorine-based particles and a binder comprising a fluorine-based oil.

Abstract: Provided is a silicone-containing polyurethane resin composition including: an isocyanate group-terminated, NCO-terminated modified silicone prepolymer obtained by allowing a first polyisocyanate to undergo reaction with a modified silicone containing at least one hydroxyl group at a terminal; a silicone oil; and an isocyanate group-terminated, NCO-terminated urethane prepolymer obtained by allowing a second polyisocyanate to undergo reaction with polyol, wherein reactivity of the first polyisocyanate with a curing agent is higher than reactivity of the second polyisocyanate with a curing agent.

Abstract: A cleaning blade includes an elastic member to contact a surface of a cleaning target member. The elastic member includes a base material and a surface layer on at least a part of a lower surface of the base material including a contact part. Martens hardness of the surface layer has a gradient of decrease from a surface of the surface layer toward the lower surface of the base material in a film thickness direction. The Martens hardness is 2.5 to 32.5 N/mm2 in a range from a vicinity of the surface (with a load of 1 ?N) to a deepest part in the film thickness direction (with a load of 1000 ?N). An average film thickness of the surface layer is 10 ?m or more to 500 ?m or less. A content of a siloxane-based compound in the surface layer is 4 to 15% by mass.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearer and a cleaning blade is provided. The cleaning blade comprises an elastic member configured to contact a surface of the image bearer to remove toner particles remaining thereon. The elastic member comprises a substrate and a surface layer comprising a cured product of a curable composition and a siloxane compound. The surface layer is disposed on at least a part of a lower surface of the substrate. The surface layer has a hardness gradient in which a Martens hardness HM measured using a nanoindenter decreases from a surface of the surface layer toward the lower surface of the substrate in a thickness direction, and the Martens hardness HM measured in a region extending from a vicinity of the surface (with a load of 1 ?N) to a deepest part in the thickness direction (with a load of 1,000 ?N) ranges from 2.5 to 32.5 N/mm2. The toner has a tensile breaking force F of from 200 to 450 gf (from 1.96 to 4.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including developing unit to develop electrostatic latent image with toner to form visible image, and cleaning unit including elastic member including surface layer and configured to remove the toner, wherein Martens hardness A and Martens hardness B of the surface layer measured by applying load of 1 ?N and load of 1,000 ?N, respectively, to position of the surface layer in thickness direction thereof using nanoindenter are both 2.5 N/mm2 or greater but 32.5 N/mm2 or less, and Martens hardness A and Martens hardness B satisfy inequality, Martens hardness A>Martens hardness B wherein coefficient of dynamic friction of the surface layer against polycarbonate is 0.5 or less, and the toner includes polyester resin insoluble to THF and Tg of THF-insoluble component of the toner determined from DSC curve of first heating of DSC is ?60° C. or higher but 20° C. or lower.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearer and a cleaning blade is provided. The cleaning blade comprises an elastic member configured to contact a surface of the image bearer to remove toner particles remaining thereon. The elastic member comprises a substrate and a surface layer comprising a cured product of a curable composition and a siloxane compound. The surface layer is disposed on at least a part of a lower surface of the substrate. The surface layer has a hardness gradient in which a Martens hardness HM measured using a nanoindenter decreases from a surface of the surface layer toward the lower surface of the substrate in a thickness direction, and the Martens hardness HM measured in a region extending from a vicinity of the surface (with a load of 1 ?N) to a deepest part in the thickness direction (with a load of 1,000 ?N) ranges from 2.5 to 32.5 N/mm2. The toner has a tensile breaking force F of from 200 to 450 gf (from 1.96 to 4.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including developing unit to develop electrostatic latent image with toner to form visible image, and cleaning unit including elastic member including surface layer and configured to remove the toner, wherein Martens hardness A and Martens hardness B of the surface layer measured by applying load of 1 ?N and load of 1,000 ?N, respectively, to position of the surface layer in thickness direction thereof using nanoindenter are both 2.5 N/mm2 or greater but 32.5 N/mm2 or less, and Martens hardness A and Martens hardness B satisfy inequality, Martens hardness A>Martens hardness B wherein coefficient of dynamic friction of the surface layer against polycarbonate is 0.5 or less, and the toner includes polyester resin insoluble to THF and Tg of THF-insoluble component of the toner determined from DSC curve of first heating of DSC is ?60° C. or higher but 20° C. or lower.

Abstract: A cleaning blade includes a support and an elastic member with a flat shape. The elastic member has a secured end secured to the support and a free end. A ridgeline of the free end contacts a cleaning target to remove substances adhering to a surface of the cleaning target. The elastic member includes a base and a surface layer made of a cured product of a curable composition. The surface layer is disposed on at least a part of an opposite face disposed to oppose a downstream side of the cleaning target downstream from a contact portion of the elastic member with the cleaning target in a direction of movement of the cleaning target. A thickness of the surface layer progressively decreases toward the secured end along a cross section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the surface layer.

Abstract: A cleaning blade including an elastic member configured to be in contact with a surface of a cleaning-target member to remove deposited matter deposited on the surface of the cleaning-target in member, wherein the elastic member includes a base and a surface layer formed of a cured product of a curable composition, the surface layer is formed on at least part of a bottom surface of the base including a contact part to be in contact with the cleaning-target member, where the bottom surface of the base is a surface of the base facing a downstream side along a traveling direction of the cleaning-target member relative to the contact part, and an average film thickness of the surface layer at the contact part is 10 ?m or greater but 100 ?m or less.

Abstract: A cleaning blade includes a support and an elastic member with a flat shape. The elastic member has a secured end secured to the support and a free end. A ridgeline of the free end contacts a cleaning target to remove substances adhering to a surface of the cleaning target. The elastic member includes a base and a surface layer made of a cured product of a curable composition. The surface layer is disposed on at least a part of an opposite face disposed to oppose a downstream side of the cleaning target downstream from a contact portion of the elastic member with the cleaning target in a direction of movement of the cleaning target. A thickness of the surface layer progressively decreases toward the secured end along a cross section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the surface layer.

Abstract: A composition for seamless belt includes a thermoplastic resin; and a conductive agent. A liquid extracted from the composition with methanol has an intensity not greater than 7×108 in a total ion chromatogram.

Abstract: Provided is a developing roller including a shaft body, an elastic layer formed on an external circumference of the shaft body, and a surface layer formed on an external circumference of the elastic layer. The surface layer is formed of polyurethane containing a reaction product of a fluoroethylene vinyl ether copolymer and an isocyanurate form of isocyanate and having a film thickness of from 0.5 ?m through 2.0 ?m. The developing roller has grooves in a surface of the developing roller. The angle of the grooves from a circumferential direction is from 0 degrees through 30 degrees.

Abstract: A semiconductive resin composition includes at least two thermoplastic resins and a conductive filler. Each of the two thermoplastic resins has a sea-island structure, and 40% to 75% of the conductive filler are present in the thermoplastic resin in an island portion of the sea-island structure at an areal ratio of a cross section observed with a scanning electron microscope.

Abstract: A semiconductive resin composition includes a plurality of thermoplastic resins forming a sea-island structure including a sea portion and an island portion; and a plurality of conductive fillers. The sea portion includes at least two of the thermoplastic resins, at least one of the at least two of the thermoplastic resins is a copolymer, and the content of the copolymer is from 20% to 60% by weight per 100% by weight of the thermoplastic resins in the sea portion, and the following relation is satisfied: 1.5?B/A?10 wherein A represents an average primary particle diameter of one of the conductive fillers having the smallest average primary particle diameter and B represents an average primary particle diameter of one of the conductive fillers having the largest average primary particle diameter.

Abstract: A cleaning blade including an elastic member configured to be in contact with a surface of a cleaning-target member to remove deposited matter deposited on the surface of the cleaning-target in member, wherein the elastic member includes a base and a surface layer formed of a cured product of a curable composition, the surface layer is formed on at least part of a bottom surface of the base including a contact part to be in contact with the cleaning-target member, where the bottom surface of the base is a surface of the base facing a downstream side along a traveling direction of the cleaning-target member relative to the contact part, and an average film thickness of the surface layer at the contact part is 10 ?m or greater but 100 ?m or less.

Abstract: A developing roller includes a conductive axis body; a conductive elastic layer overlying the conductive axis body; and a toner bearing layer overlying the conductive elastic layer and having a surface dispersed with particles having an average particle diameter of from 11 nm to 40 nm. The rotary torque is from 2.5 N to 3.5 N.