Abstract: Provided is a cleaning member, comprising an elastic member that includes polyurethane, wherein: when tan ? of a test piece sampled from the elastic member is measured in the temperature range of ?20° C. to +60° C., the peak temperature of a peak indicating the maximum value of tan ? is at 15.0° C. or below; the maximum value of tan ? is 0.20 to 0.55; tan ? at a temperature of 55° C. is 0.13 or larger; and where the detected quantity of all ions obtained when the test piece is heated at a rate of temperature increase of 10° C./second to 1000° C. using a direct-sampling mass spectrometer is M1 and the integrated intensity of a peak in a derived ion thermogram that corresponds to a range of m/z values originating in multifunctional isocyanate with at least three isocyanate groups is M2, M2/M1 is at least 0.001.

Abstract: A vehicle windshield wiper blade comprising: a blade support portion; and a lip portion, wherein the lip portion has a tapered portion having a cross section that is taken along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade and that has a width that gradually decreases from a side closer to the blade support portion towards a direction farthest away from the blade support portion, the lip portion has a tip surface and first and second tapered surfaces constituting the tapered portion, and, in a specific observation region of the first and second tapered surfaces, the average value of the elastic modulus measured at a 0.1 ?m pitch is 15-470 MPa and the coefficient of variation of the elastic modulus is at most 17.6%.

Abstract: A vehicle wiper blade comprises a blade support part and a lip part coupled swingably with the blade support part via a neck. The lip part comprises polyurethane. The polyurethane comprises a reactant of a composition including an isocyanate compound which includes diisocyanate and tri- or higher functional polyfunctional isocyanate, and an alcohol which includes tri- or higher functional polyfunctional alcohol. The diisocyanate has an aromatic ring in a molecule. When a molecule of the polyurethane is ionized with a mass spectrometer of a direct sample injection system, then obtained M1, M2 and M3 satisfy the following relation: M2/M1 is 0.001 to 0.028, M3/M1 is 0.020 to 0.110, and M2/M3 is 0.013 to 0.300, and a concentration of the polyfunctional alcohol in the polyurethane is 0.12 mmol/g to 0.65 mmol/g.

Abstract: A cleaning wiper blade comprises a hand grip part and an elastic part. The elastic part comprises a polyurethane. The polyurethane comprises a reactant of a composition including an isocyanate compound which includes diisocyanate and polyfunctional isocyanate, and an alcohol which includes polyfunctional alcohol. The diisocyanate has an aromatic ring in a molecule. When a molecule of the polyurethane is ionized with a mass spectrometer of a direct sample injection system, then obtained M1, M2 and M3 satisfy the is 0.013 to 0.300, and a concentration of the polyfunctional alcohol in the polyurethane is 0.12 mmol/g to 0.65 mmol/g.

Abstract: A vehicle windshield wiper blade comprising: a blade support portion; and a lip portion, wherein the lip portion has a tapered portion having a cross section that is taken along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade and that has a width that gradually decreases from a side closer to the blade support portion towards a direction farthest away from the blade support portion, the lip portion has a tip surface and first and second tapered surfaces constituting the tapered portion, and, in a specific observation region of the first and second tapered surfaces, the average value of the elastic modulus measured at a 0.1 ?m pitch is 15-470 MPa and the coefficient of variation of the elastic modulus is at most 17.6%.

Abstract: A wiper blade comprising: a hand grip portion; and an elastic portion supported by the hand grip portion and that is pressed against a surface to be cleaned; the elastic portion having, on a tip side, a main surface opposing a member to be cleaned, and a tip surface that forms a tip side edge together with the main surface, and in a specific observation region of the tip surface and the main surface, the average value of elastic modulus values obtained through measurement at a 0.1 ?m pitch being 15 MPa to 470 MPa, and the coefficient of variation of the elastic modulus being 17.6% or less.

Abstract: Provided is a charging member capable of suppressing the occurrence of an image defect due to the non-uniform abrasion of a photosensitive member and a stain, in a long-term use. The charging member includes an electro-conductive elastic layer as a surface layer. The electro-conductive elastic layer contains a binder and a bowl-shaped resin particle having an opening. The surface of the charging member has a concavity and a protrusion derived from the bowl-shaped resin particle. The relations represented by the following formulae are satisfied, 0.2 ? S = ? S ? ? 5 - S ? ? 1 ? S ? ? 1 ? 0.5 0.15 ? d = ? d ? ? 5 - d ? ? 1 ? d ? ? 1 ? 0.

Abstract: Provided is a charging member capable of suppressing the occurrence of an image defect due to the non-uniform abrasion of a photosensitive member and a stain, in a long-term use. The charging member includes an electro-conductive elastic layer as a surface layer. The electro-conductive elastic layer contains a binder and a bowl-shaped resin particle having an opening. The surface of the charging member has a concavity and a protrusion derived from the bowl-shaped resin particle. The relations represented by the following formulae are satisfied, 0.2 ? S = ? S ? ? 5 - S ? ? 1 ? S ? ? 1 ? 0.5 0.15 ? d = ? d ? ? 5 - d ? ? 1 ? d ? ? 1 ? 0.

Abstract: A roller for electrophotography including a mandrel and an elastic layer on the mandrel is provided. The elastic layer contains a hollow particle in a region from the surface of the elastic layer to a depth of 100 ?m. A cross-section of the hollow particle intersected by a first plane and a cross-section of the hollow particle intersected by a second plane each have a ratio of the length of the long axis to the length of the short axis of 1.2 or more and 1.9 or less.

Abstract: The present invention directs to provide a charging member having a protrusion to which smear is difficult to adhere even in a long-term used, and as a result being capable of exhibiting stable charging performance. The charging member has an electro-conductive substrate and an electro-conductive surface layer, wherein the surface layer includes a binder resin and a resin particle including a plurality of electro-conductive domains inside thereof, the surface layer has a protrusion derived from the resin particle, and the electro-conductive domains are localized in the vicinity of the surface of the resin particle.

Abstract: The electrophotographic member includes an electro-conductive substrate and an electro-conductive resin layer as the surface layer on the substrate. The electro-conductive resin layer contains a binder and a bowl-shaped resin particle; the surface of electrophotographic member has a concavity derived from the opening of the bowl-shaped resin particle, a protrusion derived from the edge portion of the opening and the electro-conductive resin layer; and when the surface of the member is observed using a scanning electron microscope at an accelerating voltage (1 kV) and a magnification (×2000) while applying a DC voltage (50 to 100 V) between an electrode disposed opposite to the electrophotographic member and the substrate, the brightness of the protrusion, K1, the brightness of the bottom of the concavity, K2, and the brightness of the exposed surface of the electro-conductive resin layer, K3, satisfy K2<K1, K3<K1 and 0.8?K2/K3?1.2.

Abstract: A roller for electrophotography including a mandrel and an elastic layer on the mandrel is provided. The elastic layer contains a hollow particle in a region from the surface of the elastic layer to a depth of 100 ?m. A cross-section of the hollow particle intersected by a first plane and a cross-section of the hollow particle intersected by a second plane each have a ratio of the length of the long axis to the length of the short axis of 1.2 or more and 1.9 or less.

Abstract: The electrophotographic member includes an electro-conductive substrate and an electro-conductive resin layer as the surface layer on the substrate. The electro-conductive resin layer contains a binder and a bowl-shaped resin particle; the surface of electrophotographic member has a concavity derived from the opening of the bowl-shaped resin particle, a protrusion derived from the edge portion of the opening and the electro-conductive resin layer; and when the surface of the member is observed using a scanning electron microscope at an accelerating voltage (1 kV) and a magnification (×2000) while applying a DC voltage (50 to 100 V) between an electrode disposed opposite to the electrophotographic member and the substrate, the brightness of the protrusion, K1, the brightness of the bottom of the concavity, K2, and the brightness of the exposed surface of the electro-conductive resin layer, K3, satisfy K2<K1, K3<K1 and 0.8?K2/K3?1.2.

Abstract: There are provided an image forming apparatus in which the generation of lateral streak images due to a decrease in the in-nip discharge intensity is suppressed while at the same time the generation of spot-like images due to abnormal discharge caused by smudges on the surface of a charging member is suppressed, and a process cartridge. The image forming apparatus and the process cartridge each has: a charging member containing a resin particle having a plurality of pores inside thereof; and a toner in which the coverage ratio X1 of a surface of the toner with silica fine particles is 50.0 area % or more and 75.0 area % or less, and when a theoretical coverage ratio with the silica fine particles is X2, a diffusion index represented by formula 1 satisfies formula 2. diffusion index=X1/X2??(formula 1) diffusion index??0.0042×X1+0.

Abstract: A charging member includes an electro-conductive substrate and an electro-conductive resin layer. The electro-conductive resin layer contains a binder, a plurality of bowl-shaped resin particles, and a plurality of hollow particles. The charging member has a surface having recesses due to openings of the bowl-shaped resin particles and protrusions due to edges of the openings of the bowl-shaped resin particles, where the positional relationship between one bowl-shaped resin particle and the hollow particles lying in the vicinity of the bowl-shaped resin particle is that the number of the hollow particles being in the space under the bowl-shaped resin particle in a predetermined depth is at least four in average.

Abstract: There are provided an image-forming apparatus that inhibit the occurrence of a longitudinal streak image attributed to a cleaning failure, and a process cartridge. The image-forming apparatus and the process cartridge each have a charging member with a surface having a concavities derived from an opening of the bowl-shaped resin particle, and a protrusions derived from an edge of the opening of the bowl-shaped resin particle, the coverage ratio X1 of a surface of the toner with the silica fine particles is 50.0 area % or more and 75.0 area % or less, and when a theoretical coverage ratio of the toner by the silica fine particles is X2, a diffusion index represented by the formula 1 satisfies the formula 2: diffusion index=X1/X2??(formula 1) diffusion index??0.0042×X1+0.

Abstract: A charging member includes an electro-conductive substrate and an electro-conductive resin layer. The electro-conductive resin layer contains a binder, a plurality of bowl-shaped resin particles, and a plurality of hollow particles. The charging member has a surface having recesses due to openings of the bowl-shaped resin particles and protrusions due to edges of the openings of the bowl-shaped resin particles, where the positional relationship between one bowl-shaped resin particle and the hollow particles lying in the vicinity of the bowl-shaped resin particle is that the number of the hollow particles being in the space under the bowl-shaped resin particle in a predetermined depth is at least four in average.

Abstract: Uneven charging is improved, and production of a banding image attributed to a slip between the charging member and the electrophotographic photosensitive member is suppressed. An electrophotographic process cartridge including a charging member and an electrophotographic photosensitive member which is electrically charged upon being brought into contact with the charging member, wherein the charging member includes a electro-conductive substrate and a surface layer formed on the electro-conductive substrate; the surface layer contains at least a binder resin, an electron conductive agent, and a resin particle having a plurality of pores inside thereof; the surface of the surface layer has a protrusion derived from the resin particle; the electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a support and a photosensitive layer formed on the support; and the surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member contains a specific component.

Abstract: Provided an electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising an electrophotographic photosensitive member and a charging member. The electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a charge transport layer as a surface layer having a matrix-domain structure including specific resins. The charging member comprises an electro-conductive substrate, and an electro-conductive elastic layer. The electro-conductive elastic layer comprises a binder, and holding a bowl-shaped resin particle having an opening, so that at least a part of the bowl-shaped resin particle is exposed, and the charging member has a concavity derived from the opening of the bowl-shaped resin particle on the surface thereof, and a protrusion derived from an edge of the opening of the bowl-shaped resin particle on the surface thereof.

Abstract: Provided is an electrophotographic member for an electrophotographic apparatus, which suppresses the occurrence of a banding image caused by uneven charging. The electrophotographic member includes: an electroconductive substrate; and a surface layer, in which: the surface layer includes a binder resin and an aggregate of at least one crystal particle selected from the group consisting of a flaky crystal particle of magnesium carbonate and a flaky crystal particle of calcium carbonate; an edge face of a card house structure formed of the crystal particle is exposed at a surface of the aggregate; a surface of the surface layer includes a convex portion derived from the aggregate; and a surface of the convex portion has unevenness reflecting a shape of the edge face of the card house structure exposed at the surface of the aggregate.