JP2002318472A - Single component developer and method for developing - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a single component developer which can form images with high image density and little image defects such as fog and to provide a method for developing by using the developer. SOLUTION: The single component developer is used for the method for developing by bringing an electrostatic latent image on a photoreceptor into contact with the developer supplied onto a developing roller while controlling the developer to satisfy the condition of 0.2<=|q d|<=10, wherein q (μC/g) is the charge amount of the developer and d (mm) is the layer thickness of the developer on the developing roller. The developer contains a calixarene compound expressed by formula (1) and the absolute value of q ranges from 1 to 40.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a one-component developer and a developing method, and more particularly, to a one-component developer used in an electrophotographic copying machine or an electrostatic recording apparatus and a developing method using the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a one-component developer capable of forming an image having a high image density and less image defects such as fog, and a developing method using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a developing method used in a copying machine or an electrostatic recording apparatus, a developer is transported by a transporting member, and an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor is visualized by the transported developer. The method of conversion is well known. In this development method,
In general, a one-component developer composed of only a toner or a two-component developer composed of a toner and a carrier is used.

[0003] In recent years, various types of development using a one-component developer (hereinafter, also referred to as a one-component developer) consisting only of toner have been proposed because of the advantages that the apparatus can be downsized and maintenance is easy. A method has been proposed (US Pat.
909,258, U.S. Patent No. 4,121,931). One-component developers include non-magnetic and magnetic ones.

Among them, a non-magnetic one-component developer (hereinafter, referred to as a one-component developer)
The developing method using (non-magnetic toner) is, for example,
The operation is performed as follows using the developing device shown in FIG.
That is, a developing roller 44 and a supply roller (toner replenishing roller) 43 are provided in pressure contact with the photoconductor 1 in a toner container 4 installed in the vicinity of the photoconductor 1.
4, a developing bias is applied from a power source 8. The toner container 4 contains a one-component developer T made of non-magnetic toner and is conveyed to a contact surface between the supply roller 43 and the developing roller 44. Here, the nonmagnetic toner particles T are regulated to an appropriate layer thickness by the regulating member 45, and form a thin layer on the surface of the developing roller 44. Further, the non-magnetic toner is carried to the photoconductor side with the rotation of the developing roller 44,
The electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 1 in contact with the surface of the photoreceptor 1 is developed.

A developing method using a magnetic one-component developer (hereinafter, also referred to as a magnetic toner) is performed as follows using, for example, a developing apparatus shown in FIG. That is, the developing roller 44 having the photosensitive member 1 and the fixed magnet 46 therein.
Rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The magnetic toner particles T supplied from the toner container 4 are regulated to an appropriate layer thickness by the regulating member 45, and form a thin layer on the surface of the developing roller 44. The magnetic toner particles T contain 10 to 70% by weight of a ferromagnetic material, and the toner particles come into contact with the surface of the support while being transported along the surface of the developing roller 44 toward the developing section, and have a sufficient triboelectric charge. Is given. Thus, the developing roller 4
The magnetic brush of the magnetic toner is formed by the magnetic poles in the magnetic field of the fixed magnet 46 included in 4, and the developing unit develops the electrostatic latent image with the magnetic toner in the magnetic field. At this time, an alternating bias is applied to the developing roller 44 from the power source 8 as necessary.

[0006]

The above-mentioned conventional developing method using a one-component developer has an inherent advantage as described above, but on the other hand, it generally has a uniform developing property. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to form an agent layer, sufficient triboelectricity does not occur, and a poor image having a low image density and a lot of fog tends to be formed.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a stable developer supply, a thin and uniform developer layer on a developing roller, and a good reproducibility of an electrostatic latent image on a photoreceptor. By transferring a sufficient amount of developer from the developing roller,
An object of the present invention is to provide a one-component developer capable of forming an image having a high image density and less image defects such as fog and a developing method using the developer.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems The present inventors have conducted intensive studies in order to solve the problems of the prior art, and as a result,
The present invention has been completed by finding that the above problem can be solved by combining a one-component developer containing a specific compound and having a specific chargeability with a specific control of the amount of the developer on the developing roller. did.

That is, the gist of the present invention is that the charge amount of the developer is q
(ΜC / g) and the layer thickness of the developer on the developing roller is d (m
m), the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor is brought into contact with the developer supplied on the developing roller while adjusting so that the condition of 0.2 ≦ | q · d | ≦ 10 is satisfied. A one-component developer used in a developing method comprising: a calixarene compound represented by the following structural formula (1); and an absolute value of q is 1 to 40. A one-component developer.

[0010]

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(Wherein, R ₁ and R ₂ are each a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms or — (CH ₂ ) xC
An OOR ₅ group (R ₅ represents a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, X represents an integer of 1 to 3), and R ₃ and R ₄ each represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, or a carbon number which may be branched; Represents an alkyl group or an aryl group of 1 to 12; m represents an integer of 4 to 8, n represents an integer of 0 to 4, and m +
n is 4-8. Further, another gist of the present invention is to contact an electrostatic latent image on a photoreceptor with a one-component developer supplied on a developing roller provided with a regulating member for regulating a layer thickness of the developer. Wherein the one-component developer contains a calixarene compound represented by the following structural formula (1), the absolute value of the charge amount q (μC / g) is 1 to 40, and Is performed while adjusting the layer thickness so that the condition 0.2 ≦ | q · d | ≦ 10 is satisfied, where d (mm) is the layer thickness of the developer on the developing roller. Development method.

[0012]

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(Wherein R ₁ and R ₂ are each a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, or — (CH ₂ ) xC
An OOR ₅ group (R ₅ represents a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, X represents an integer of 1 to 3), and R ₃ and R ₄ each represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, or a carbon number which may be branched; Represents an alkyl group or an aryl group of 1 to 12; m represents an integer of 4 to 8, n represents an integer of 0 to 4, and m +
n is 4-8. )

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail. The one-component developer of the present invention contains a binder resin, a colorant, and a charge control agent described below as essential components, and may contain wax, various fine particles, and other additives as required.

As the binder resin, various known resins suitable for a developer can be used. For example, styrene resin, vinyl chloride resin, rosin-modified maleic resin, phenol resin, epoxy resin, saturated polyester resin, unsaturated polyester resin, low molecular weight polyethylene, low molecular weight polypropylene, ionomer resin, polyurethane resin, silicone resin, ketone resin , An ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, a xylene resin, a polyvinyl butyral resin, and the like. Preferred resins used in the present invention include a styrene resin, a saturated polyester resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, and an epoxy resin. Can be. These resins may be used alone or in combination. These resins are used as a non-crosslinked resin, a crosslinked resin, or a mixture thereof according to the fixing method.

As the styrene resin, polystyrene,
Polychlorostyrene, poly-α-methylstyrene, styrene-chlorostyrene copolymer, styrene-propylene copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, styrene-
Vinyl chloride copolymer, styrene-vinyl acetate copolymer,
Styrene-maleic acid copolymer, styrene-acrylate copolymer (styrene-methyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-
Butyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-octyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-phenyl acrylate copolymer, etc.), styrene-methacrylate copolymer (styrene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-ethyl methacrylate) Copolymer, styrene-butyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-octyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-phenyl methacrylate copolymer), styrene-α-methyl methyl acrylate copolymer, and styrene-acrylonitrile-acryl And acid ester copolymers. These styrene resins can be used as a crosslinked resin by copolymerizing a crosslinkable monomer as needed. As a method for producing the binder resin, there are bulk polymerization, suspension polymerization, solution polymerization, emulsion polymerization, and the like, but any method can be used regardless of the polymerization method.

The polyester resin is a polycondensation of a divalent carboxylic acid monomer, a divalent alcohol monomer and, if necessary, a trivalent or higher polyvalent carboxylic acid monomer or polyhydric alcohol monomer. Alternatively, it can be obtained by increasing the molecular weight by urethanization or a crosslinking reaction. As the dihydric alcohol monomer, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol,
Diols such as triethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, neopentyl glycol, 1,4-butenediol, bisphenol A, polyoxyethylenated bisphenol A, Examples include etherified bisphenols such as polyoxypropylene-modified bisphenol A, and other dihydric alcohol monomers. Examples of the divalent carboxylic acid monomer include isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid,
Examples thereof include adipic acid, sebacic acid, diphenic acid, naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid, and anhydrides or lower alkyl esters of these acids as main components. Examples of the trivalent or higher polycarboxylic acid include trimellitic acid, cyclohexanetricarboxylic acid, naphthalenetricarboxylic acid, butanetricarboxylic acid, hexanetricarboxylic acid, octanetetracarboxylic acid, and anhydrides of these acids. Examples of the trihydric or higher polyhydric alcohol monomer include trimethylolethane, trimethylolpropane, glycerin, and pentaerythritol.

The molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of these binder resins may be adjusted for the purpose of conforming to a developing device and a fixing system. When a developer using these binder resins is used as a monochromatic developer, The storage elastic modulus in the dynamic viscoelasticity measurement at 150 ° C. is 1.0 × 10
² (Pa) ≦ G ′ _1% ≦ 1.0 × 10 ⁴ (Pa), and 1.0 ≦ G ′ _1% / G ′ _30% ≦ 10.0 (G ′
_1% is the storage modulus at 1% strain, G _'30% is the storage modulus at the strain of 30%), by weight,
When used as a full-color color developer, the storage elastic modulus in dynamic viscoelasticity measurement at 120 ° C. is preferably 1.0 × 10 ² (Pa) ≦ G ′ _1% ≦ 1.0 × 10 ⁴
(Pa), and 1.0 ≦ G ′ _1% / G ′ _30% ≦
10.0 (G ' _1% is the storage modulus at 1% strain and G' _30% is the storage modulus at 30% strain).

The dynamic viscoelasticity was measured by MR manufactured by UBM Co., Ltd.
According to -500, it is carried out on a parallel plate under the condition of a frequency of 1 Hz. As a coloring agent, carbon black,
Lamp black, iron black, ultramarine blue, nigrosine dye, aniline blue, phthalocyanine blue, phthalocyanine green, Hansa Yellow G, rhodamine dye, chrome yellow, quinacridone, benzidine yellow, rose bengal, triallylmethane dye, monoazo dye, disazo Any known dyes and pigments, such as dyes and condensed azo dyes, can be used alone or in combination. In the case of a full-color developer, yellow uses benzidine yellow, monoazo dyes and pigments, condensed azo dyes and pigments, magenta uses quinacridone, rhodamine dyes and monoazo dyes, cyan uses phthalocyanine blue, and black uses carbon black. Is preferred. The coloring agent is used in an amount of usually 1 to 20 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the binder resin.

The colorant may have magnetism. Magnetic
Toner contains magnetic particles, in which case, generally,
Uses the black or brown magnetic particles themselves as colorants. The present invention
Magnetic particles used in magnetic toners include copying machines
At the operating environment temperature (around 0 ° C to 60 ° C)
A ferromagnetic substance that exhibits magnetism or ferromagnetism,
For example, magnetite (Fe_ThreeO_Four), Maghematite
(Γ-Fe _TwoO_Three), Magnetite and maghematite
Intermediate, ferrite (M_xFe_{3- x} O_FourWhere M is M
n, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Mg, Zn, Cd, etc.
Is its mixed crystal type) such as spinel ferrite or BaO.6F
e_TwoO_Three, SrO.6Fe_TwoO_ThreeEtc. hexagonal ferrite
G, Y_ThreeFe_FiveO₁₂, Sm_ThreeFe_FiveO₁₂Garnet of etc.
Type oxide, CrO_TwoSuch as rutile oxides, Fe, Mn,
Metals such as Ni, Co, Cr and other ferromagnetic alloys
It shows ferromagnetism and ferrimagnetism around 0 ° C to 60 ° C
And magnetite, maghematiy, among others.
And the average of intermediates between magnetite and maghematite
Particle size 3 μm or less, more preferably about 0.05 to 1 μm
Are preferred in terms of both performance and cost.

The shape of the magnetic powder is hexahedral, octahedral, irregular,
There are spherical shapes and the like, and any of them can be used. Further, the magnetic fine particles are not limited to being used alone, and two or more kinds can be used in combination. Paraffin wax with relatively low melting point, higher fatty acid, fatty acid amide,
Ester wax, ketone wax, rice wax,
A low melting wax such as Fischer-Tropsch wax may be added in an amount of 0.1 to 30 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the binder resin. By adding these low melting point waxes, a developer having good fixability can be obtained. The preferred range of the melting point of the low-melting wax is from 50 to 100 ° C, more preferably from 60 to 90 ° C. Further, the half width of the endothermic peak corresponding to the melting point in the DSC measurement is preferably narrow. The half width is preferably 20 ° C. or less, more preferably 10 ° C. or less. The melting point was measured using DSC220U.
(Manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation), and is obtained from the intersection of the tangent having the largest slope and the baseline among the tangents on the low-temperature side of the endothermic curve measured at a heating rate of 10 ° C./min.

The crystalline form of these low-melting waxes in the developer is not particularly limited. Further, the dispersion diameter is preferably 3.0 μm or less in the major axis. Further, 0.1 to 30 parts by weight of a high molecular weight wax such as polypropylene wax, polyethylene wax, modified polypropylene wax, and modified polyethylene wax can be added.

Further, 0.01 to 20 parts by weight of various silicone oils, modified silicone oils, silicone varnishes and modified silicone varnishes can be added. Further, if necessary, magnetite, ferrite, cerium oxide, strontium titanate, barium titanate, talc, talcites, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, titanium nitride,
Various inorganic fine powders such as silica can be added.
These inorganic fine powders preferably have a hydrophobicity of 50 or more. More preferably, it is 60 or more. The hydrophobizing agent may be chemically fixed to the surface of the inorganic fine particles using a coupling agent or the like, or may be simply physically fixed. The degree of hydrophobicity is measured by a methanol titration method described later.

The pH shown when these inorganic fine particles are dispersed in water is not particularly limited, but is preferably in the range of 4 to 12. The addition amount of the inorganic fine particles is
The content is preferably 0.1 to 5.0 wt%, more preferably 0.1 wt%.
It is in the range of 1 to 3.0 wt%. By adding inorganic fine particles having a hydrophobicity of 50 or more, the charging characteristics of the blade are improved, the adhesion to the photoreceptor is reduced, and the transfer efficiency is improved.

A known method can be used for adding the inorganic fine particles, and is not particularly limited. For example, a Henschel mixer, a chemical mixer, a mechanofusion method, a surffusion method, or the like can be used. Further, the amount of the inorganic fine particles added to the developer is preferably 5.0 wt% or less. More preferably, the content is 3.0 wt% or less. The amount of free inorganic fine particles is measured with a particle analyzer manufactured by Yokogawa Electric Corporation. Hydrophobic degree 5
Other inorganic fine powders or organic fine powders can be added in combination with zero or more inorganic fine powders. As the organic fine powder, resin fine particles made of a styrene resin, an acrylic resin, a benzoguanamine resin, a melamine resin, or the like can be used as a fluidity adjusting agent or a charge control agent other than those described below. The addition amount is usually 0.05 to 10 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the developer.
Used to be parts by weight.

Further, a lubricant such as a metal soap or a metal stearate can be added internally or externally. These additives are usually used in an amount of 0.05 to 1 based on 100 parts by weight of the developer.
Used to be 0 parts by weight. The production of the developer according to the present invention from the above-described components can be carried out according to a conventional method. Usually, first, a binder resin, a colorant and a charge controlling agent, and wax, if necessary, various fine powders and other components are uniformly dispersed and mixed by a mixer, and the obtained mixture is then sealed in a closed kneader or Melt and knead with a single-screw or twin-screw extruder, and after cooling, coarsely crushed with a crusher, hammer mill, etc., finely crushed with a jet mill, high-speed rotor rotary mill, etc.
Classification is performed by an inertial classification type elbow jet, a centrifugal force classification type microplex, a DS separator, or the like.

The one-component developer of the present invention has the following structural formula (1) as a charge control agent:

[0028]

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(Wherein R ₁ and R ₂ each represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms or — (CH ₂ ) xC
An OOR ₅ group (R ₅ represents a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, X represents an integer of 1 to 3), and R ₃ and R ₄ each represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, or a carbon number which may be branched; Represents an alkyl group or an aryl group of 1 to 12; m represents an integer of 4 to 8, n represents an integer of 0 to 4, and m +
n is 4-8. ) Is contained. It is not particularly limited as long as it satisfies the above structural formula (1), but specific examples thereof include the following (2) to
Each compound of (20) is mentioned.

[0030]

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[0031]

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[0032]

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[0033]

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[0034]

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[0035]

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[0036]

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The calixarene compound represented by the structural formula (1) is usually 0.1 to 10 parts by weight, preferably 0.4 to 5.0 parts by weight, more preferably 100 to 100 parts by weight of the binder resin. Is contained in an amount of 0.7 to 4.0 parts by weight. If the content is too small, the toner is not provided with a sufficient charge amount and fog or toner scatter is liable to occur.On the other hand, if the content is too large, the toner is not provided with a sufficient charge amount and fog or toner In addition to scattering, the fixing performance tends to decrease.

A known charge control agent can be used in combination with the calixarene compound represented by the above structural formula (1). The particle size distribution of the one-component developer of the present invention includes a volume average particle size (Dv50) and a number average particle size (Dn5) of the developer.
0) and 1.0 ≦ Dv50 / Dn50 ≦ 1.3,
Is preferably within the range. More preferably, 1.0
≦ Dv50 / Dn50 ≦ 1.2. In addition, when the particle size distribution of the developer satisfies the following condition (21), more excellent performance is exhibited.

[0039]

Table 1 Particle size distribution conditions (21) 5 μm or less: 3 number% or more 8 to 12.7 μm: 40 number% or less 16 μm or more: 2 volume% or less D ₅₀ : 4 to 10 μm The particle size distribution in the present invention will be described later. It is measured by the following method.

The spherical degree of Wardell is 0.4-1.
0, more preferably 0.5-1.
0. The degree of Wardell's sphericity is measured by the method described below. Methods for spheroidization include spheroidization by applying mechanical or thermal energy to the developer obtained by the pulverization method such as mechanofusion or surffusion, and suspension polymerization, emulsion polymerization, and aggregation of the developer. And a so-called polymerized toner method.

The particle size distribution and the degree of sphericity of the developer are related to the uniformity of charge and the fluidity of the developer. A developer satisfying the above conditions has excellent chargeability and fluidity, and has excellent developability and transferability. Excellent. The one-component developer of the present invention is used for a specific developing method in which the amount of the developer on the developing roller is controlled, thereby achieving excellent image formation.

That is, when the charge amount of the developer is q (μC / g) and the layer thickness of the developer on the developing roller is d (mm), the absolute value of q is one component developer of the present invention. A relational expression of the following (22) between 1 and 40 and between q and d:

[0043]

## EQU1 ## This is used for the developing method under the condition that 0.2 ≦ | q · d | ≦ 10 (22) is satisfied. The measurement of the charge amount q and the layer thickness d of the developer is performed by a method described later.

When the amount of charge of the developer is high, the developer having a high charge amount adheres strongly to the developing roller due to electrostatic force and covers the roller surface when frictional charging is applied by the blade. And it is difficult to uniformly charge the entire developer layer. That is, the charge amount is high near the surface of the developing roller, and the charge amount tends to decrease as the distance from the surface of the developing roller increases. For this reason, when a developer having a high charge amount is used, when the layer thickness of the developer is increased, the charge amount of the developer existing in a portion distant from the developing roller, that is, the charge amount of the developer close to the photoconductor is reduced. It is considered that the developer causes fogging and non-uniform solid images.

On the other hand, when the charge amount of the developer is low, the developer does not strongly adhere to the surface of the developing roller when frictional charging is performed by the blade. Charge. However, when the charge amount of the developer is low and the layer thickness of the developer is thin, it causes ghosts and non-uniform solid images. That is, when the developer on the developing roller is developed under the condition that a large amount of the developer is developed at a time, if the developer layer thickness is small, the developer layer supplied to the developing roller can be charged even though the entire developer layer is uniformly charged. Is further reduced, and finally, the adhesive force between the developers or the developer and the developing roller due to van der Waals force or magnetic force becomes larger than the electrostatic force applied to the developer due to the developing electric field, and the image is not developed. . In order to prevent this phenomenon, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the developer layer and increase the supply amount of the developer to the electrostatic latent image.

For the above reasons, when the charge amount q of the developer is high, the layer thickness d of the developer must be set small, and when the charge amount q is low, the layer thickness d of the developer must be set thick. Therefore, an appropriate range is necessarily generated for q and | q · d |. The present inventors have conducted intensive studies and found that the absolute value of q is 1 to
40 and the thickness d (m) of the developer on the developing roller.
It has been found that a good image can be obtained by adjusting m) in the range of 0.2 ≦ | q · d | ≦ 10.

In order to adjust q and d to the above specific ranges, it is necessary to adjust the charging ability of the developer and the material of the layer pressure regulating blade and / or the blade pressing. By including the calixarene-based charge control agent represented by Structural Formula (1) in the developer, the charge amount q can be stably maintained in an appropriate range even when photographed for a long time.

In the developing method of the present invention, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor is developed by using the one-component developer of the present invention so that the above conditions relating to q and d are satisfied. While controlling the development,
Excellent image formation can be realized. The method for performing the developing method of the present invention is not particularly limited, and can be performed using a known image forming apparatus including an electrophotographic developing process.

The one-component developer of the present invention includes a case of a non-magnetic toner and a case of a magnetic toner, and the outline of the developing method of the present invention will be described for each case. First, an example of an embodiment in which the developing method of the present invention is performed using a non-magnetic toner will be specifically described using the image forming apparatus of FIG. In FIG. 1, a photosensitive member 1 is formed by applying a photosensitive conductive material to an outer peripheral surface of a conductor such as aluminum to form a photosensitive layer. A charging device 2, an exposure device 3, a toner container 4, a transfer device 5, and a cleaning device 6 are arranged along the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 1.

The charging device 2 comprises, for example, a well-known scorotron charger, roller charger, etc., and uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor 1 to a predetermined potential. The exposure device 3 forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive surface of the latent image holding member 1 by exposing the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive member 1 with an LED, a laser beam, or the like. The toner container 4 is responsible for a developing process, and includes an agitator 42, a supply roller 43, a developing roller 44, and a regulating member 45, and a one-component developer (in this case, the non-magnetic toner of the present invention) T Is stored. A replenishing device 4 for replenishing the developer T to the toner container 4 as necessary.
1 (not shown) may be attached, and the replenishing device 41 can replenish the developer T from a container such as a bottle or a cartridge.

The supply roller 43 is made of a conductive sponge or the like, and is in contact with the developing roller 44. The developing roller 44 is disposed between the photoconductor 1 and the supply roller 43, and receives a developing bias from the power supply 8.
The supply roller 43 and the developing roller 44 are rotated by a rotation drive mechanism. The supply roller 43 carries the stored developer T and supplies it to the developing roller 44. The developing roller 44 carries the developer T supplied by the supply roller 43 and contacts the surface of the photoconductor 1 to develop the electrostatic latent image.

The developing roller 44 is made of a metal roll of iron, stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, or the like, or a resin roll in which a metal roll is coated with a silicone resin, a urethane resin, a fluororesin, or the like. The surface of the developing roll may be smoothed or roughened as necessary.
The regulating member 45 is formed of a resin blade such as a silicone resin or a urethane resin, a metal blade such as stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass, phosphor bronze, or the like, or a metal blade coated with a resin. Has a function of regulating the layer thickness of the developer T. The regulating member 45 is in contact with the developing roller 44 and is pressed against the developing roller 44 with a predetermined force (a general blade linear pressure is 5 to 500 g / cm) by a spring or the like. May be provided with a function of charging the developer T by frictional charging with the developer T.

The agitator 42 is rotated by a rotary drive mechanism, and agitates the developer T and conveys the developer T to the supply roller 43 side. A plurality of agitators 42 may be provided with different blade shapes and sizes. The transfer device 5 includes a transfer charger, a transfer roller, a transfer belt, and the like that are arranged to face the photoconductor 1. The transfer device 5 applies a predetermined voltage value (transfer voltage) having a polarity opposite to the charged potential of the developer T, and transfers an image formed of the developer formed on the photoconductor 1 to the recording paper P. is there. The cleaning device 6 includes a blade such as urethane,
The cleaning member is composed of a cleaning member such as a fur brush, and the residual developer adhered to the photosensitive member (latent image holding member) 1 is scraped off by the cleaning member to recover the residual developer.

The fixing device 7 includes an upper fixing member 71 and a lower fixing member 72, and has a heating device 73 inside the upper or lower fixing member. As the fixing member, a known heat fixing member such as a fixing roll in which a metal tube such as stainless steel or aluminum is coated with a silicone resin, a fixing roll in which a fluorine resin is coated, and a fixing sheet can be used. Further, a releasing agent such as silicone oil may be supplied to the fixing member in order to improve releasability. Further, a mechanism for forcibly applying pressure to the upper fixing member and the lower fixing member by a spring or the like may be used.

The developer T transferred onto the recording paper P is supplied to the upper fixing member 71 and the lower fixing member 72 heated to a predetermined temperature.
When the developer T passes through, the developer T is heated to a molten state, cooled after the developer T is fixed on the recording paper P, and the image formation is completed. Next, an example of an embodiment in which the developing method of the present invention is performed using a magnetic toner will be specifically described using the image forming apparatus of FIG.

In FIG. 2, a photosensitive member 1 is formed by applying a photosensitive conductive material to an outer peripheral surface of a conductor such as aluminum to form a photosensitive layer. A charging device 2, an exposure device 3, a toner container 4, and a transfer device 5 along the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 1.
And a cleaning device 6 are arranged respectively. The charging device 2 includes, for example, a well-known scorotron charger, roller charger, and the like, and uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor 1 to a predetermined potential. The exposure device 3 includes an LED on the photosensitive surface of the photoconductor 1,
Exposure is performed with a laser beam or the like to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive surface of the latent image holding member 1.

The toner container 4 stores therein a one-component developer (in this case, the magnetic toner of the present invention) T, and the developer T is placed on the surface of a developing roller 44 having a fixed magnet 46 therein.
Supply. The developing roller 44 includes the toner container 4 and the photoconductor 1.
, And a developing bias is applied from a power supply 8. The developing roller 44 is formed of a metal roll of iron, stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, or the like, or a resin roll in which a metal roll is coated with a silicone resin, a urethane resin, a fluororesin, or the like. The surface of the developing roll may be smoothed or roughened as necessary.

The regulating member 45 is formed of a resin blade such as a silicone resin or a urethane resin, a metal blade such as stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass, phosphor bronze, or the like, and a metal blade coated with a resin. It has a function of regulating the layer thickness of the developer T on the roller 44. The regulating member 45 comes into contact with the developing roller 44 and is pressed against the developing roller 44 by a predetermined force by a spring or the like (a general blade linear pressure is 5 to 500 g / cm).
The toner T may be provided with a function of charging the developer T by frictional charging with the developer T as necessary.

The magnetic toner T is supplied from the toner container 4 to the surface of the developing roller 44 while being regulated by the regulating member 45, and is conveyed toward the developing section in contact with the photosensitive member 1 with the rotation of the developing roller 44. During this time, sufficient frictional charge is provided by contact with the surface of the developing roller. Thus, in the magnetic field of the fixed magnet 46 built in the developing roller 44, a magnetic brush of magnetic toner is formed by the magnetic pole, and the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor 1 is developed in the developing unit by the magnetic brush. Developed with magnetic toner.

The transfer device 5 includes a transfer charger, a transfer roller, a transfer belt, and the like, which are arranged to face the photosensitive member 1. The transfer device 5 applies a predetermined voltage value (transfer voltage) having a polarity opposite to the charged potential of the developer T, and transfers an image formed of the developer formed on the photoconductor 1 to the recording paper P. . The cleaning device 6 is composed of a cleaning member such as a urethane blade or a fur brush. The cleaning device 6 scrapes the residual developer adhered to the photoconductor (latent image holding member) 1 with the cleaning member and collects the residual developer. It is.

The fixing device 7 includes an upper fixing member 71 and a lower fixing member 72, and has a heating device 73 inside the upper or lower fixing member. As the fixing member, a known heat fixing member such as a fixing roll in which a metal tube such as stainless steel or aluminum is coated with a silicone resin, a fixing roll in which a fluorine resin is coated, and a fixing sheet can be used. Further, a releasing agent such as silicone oil may be supplied to the fixing member in order to improve releasability. Further, a mechanism for forcibly applying pressure to the upper fixing member and the lower fixing member by a spring or the like may be used.

The developer T transferred onto the recording paper P is supplied to the upper fixing member 71 and the lower fixing member 72 heated to a predetermined temperature.
When the developer T passes through, the developer T is heated to a molten state, cooled after the developer T is fixed on the recording paper P, and the image formation is completed.

[0063]

EXAMPLES Next, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples unless it exceeds the gist thereof. In addition, various physical property values are measured by the following methods. 1. Measurement of Charge Amount and Layer Thickness of Developer (1) An appropriate amount of developer is charged into a developing tank, and 30 sheets are actually photographed with a real machine under the condition of 5% printing rate.

(2) Powder charge amount measuring device 210HS (T
(manufactured by Rek Co., Ltd.) to suck the toner on the developing roll. (3) The charge amount q and the layer thickness d of the developer are obtained from the following measured values and the following formula.

[0065]

[Table 2] Suction weight A (g): Weight of suction part after suction (g)-
Suction part weight before suction (g) Charge amount B (μC): Readout value of powder charge amount measurement device Suction diameter C (cm): Measured with calipers from developing tank after suction Charge amount q = B / A Developer 1. Layer thickness d = measured by micrometer Measurement of Particle Size Distribution of Developer (1) Use Coulter Counter Multisizer II (manufactured by Coulter). The aperture diameter is 100 μm.

(2) A surfactant (preferably an alkylbenzene sulfonate) as a dispersant in the electrolytic solution Isoton II
, And then subjected to a dispersion treatment with an ultrasonic disperser for 30 to 60 seconds, and the particle size distribution is measured using the Coulter Counter Multisizer II.

3. Measurement of sphericity (1) Coulter Counter Multisizer II (manufactured by Beckman Coulter, Inc.), finding a volume average particle diameter D _50. (2) The BET specific surface area is obtained by a nitrogen adsorption method using a flow soap Model 2300 (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation).

(3) The degree of Wardel's sphericity is obtained by the following equation.

[0069]

[Number 2] [Production Example A developer] Polyester 100 parts by weight of a specific surface area / BET specific surface area when it is assumed spherical than sphericity = volume average particle diameter D _50, a cyan pigment master batch (Pig Blue15: 3 / 4
10 parts of a 0% master batch), 1 part by weight of a charge controlling agent (the structural formula (2)), and paraffin wax 5 having a melting point of 80 ° C.
After dispersing and mixing parts by weight, the mixture was melt-kneaded using a twin-screw extruder. After cooling, coarsely pulverized by a hammer mill,
It was pulverized with a supersonic jet mill pulverizer. The obtained powder was classified with an air classifier to obtain a portion having a particle size of 5 to 30 μm. Further, 1.6 parts of silica (“R974” manufactured by Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd.) was externally added using a Henschel mixer to obtain Toner A.

[Production Example B of Developer] A toner B was obtained in the same manner as in Production Example A of the developer except that 1 part by weight of the charge controlling agent (the structural formula (4)) was used. [Developer Production Example C] Charge Control Agent (Structural Formula (3))
A toner C was obtained in the same manner as in Production Example A of the developer except that 2 parts by weight was used.

[Developer Production Example D] A master batch was used as a magenta pigment master batch (Pig Red 122 /
A toner D was obtained in the same manner as in Production Example A of the developer except that the amount was changed to 12 parts (40% master batch). [Developer Production Example E] Toner E was obtained in the same manner as in Developer Production Example A, except that the masterbatch was changed to 10 parts of a yellow pigment masterbatch (Pig Yellow 74).

[Developer Production Example F] Toner F was obtained in the same manner as in Developer Production Example A, except that 2 parts of a charge control agent ("Bontron E-88" manufactured by Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.) was used. . [Production Example G of Developer] Using 2 parts of a charge control agent (“Bontron E-84” manufactured by Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.), melting point 8
A toner G was obtained in the same manner as in Production Example A of the developer except that paraffin wax at 0 ° C. was not used.

[Development Example H] A developer example except that 2 parts of a charge control agent ("Bontron E-81" manufactured by Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.) is used and no paraffin wax having a melting point of 80 ° C. is used. A toner H was obtained in the same manner as in A. [Examples and Comparative Examples] The above toners A to H were applied to the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.
Table 1 shows the results of actual shooting evaluation in an environment of% RH.

In this test, a urethane rubber blade was used as the material of the regulating member, and the adjustment of the charge amount q and the thickness d of the toner layer were adjusted by pressing and angle of the regulating member. The actual shooting evaluation (image quality) of the image was performed by an integrated judgment on image characteristics such as image density, resolution, and gradation by an evaluation panel usually composed of 10 persons, and the results were displayed according to the following criteria.

[0075]

[Table 3] Image quality ：: 9 or more judged good Δ: 5 to 8 judged good ×: 4 or less judged good

[0076]

[Table 4]

[0077]

According to the present invention, there is provided a one-component developer excellent in image characteristics such as image density, resolution and gradation, and a developing method using the developer.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an example of an image forming apparatus for a non-magnetic one-component developer used in a developing method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an example of an image forming apparatus for a magnetic one-component developer used in the developing method of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 photoconductor 2 charging device 3 exposure device 4 toner container 5 transfer device 6 cleaning device 7 fixing device 8 power supply 42 agitator 43 supply roller 44 developing roller 45 regulating member 46 fixed magnet 71 upper fixing member 72 lower fixing member 73 heating device T toner P Recording paper

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Teruki Senokuchi 1 Fukudacho, Joetsu-shi, Niigata Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation Naoetsu Office (72) Inventor Masakazu Sugihara 1 Fukudacho, Joetsu-shi, Niigata Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Ltd. 2H005 AA06 CA14 CA30 DA01 EA01 EA03 FA05 2H077 AB03 AB14 AC04 AD06 AD13 AD17 AD23 AD35 AE03 EA13 EA14 EA15 FA03 FA04 FA13

Claims (4)

[Claims] When the charge amount of the developer is q (μC / g) and the layer thickness of the developer on the developing roller is d (mm), the charge amount is set to 0.1.
It is used in a developing method that includes bringing an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductor into contact with a developer supplied on a developing roller while adjusting so that the condition of 2 ≦ | q · d | ≦ 10 is satisfied. A one-component developer, wherein the developer has the following structural formula (1)
A one-component developer containing a calixarene compound represented by the formula (1), and having an absolute value of q of 1 to 40. Embedded image (Wherein, R ₁ and R ₂ each represent a hydrogen atom,
5 or — (CH ₂ ) x COOR ₅ group (R
₅ represents a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group;
Wherein R ₃ and R ₄ are each a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, or a branched carbon atom having 1 to 1 carbon atoms.
Represents 12 alkyl groups or aryl groups. m is 4 to 8
And n represents an integer of 0 to 4, and m + n is 4 to 8. ) 2. The composition according to claim 1, which contains a low melting point wax.
2. The one-component developer according to item 1. 3. A developing method comprising: bringing an electrostatic latent image on a photoreceptor into contact with a one-component developer supplied on a developing roller provided with a regulating member for regulating a layer thickness of the developer; The one-component developer contains the calixarene compound represented by the following structural formula (1) and has a charge amount q (μC /
g) is an absolute value of 1 to 40, and the contact is defined as 0.2 ≦≦ d, where d (mm) is the layer thickness of the developer on the developing roller.
| Q · d | ≦ 10, wherein the development is carried out while adjusting the layer thickness such that the condition of | q · d | ≦ 10 is satisfied. Embedded image (Wherein, R ₁ and R ₂ each represent a hydrogen atom,
5 or — (CH ₂ ) x COOR ₅ group (R
₅ represents a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group;
Wherein R ₃ and R ₄ are each a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, or a branched carbon atom having 1 to 1 carbon atoms.
Represents 12 alkyl groups or aryl groups. m is 4 to 8
And n represents an integer of 0 to 4, and m + n is 4 to 8. ) 4. The developer contains a low melting point wax,
The developing method according to claim 3.