PROTECTING AGENT FOR IMAGE BEARING MEMBER AND PRODUCTION METHOD THEREFOR, PROTECTION LAYER FORMING APPARATUS, IMAGE FORMING METHOD, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND PROCESS CARTRIDGE

Abstract

To provide an image bearing member protecting agent that includes at least a hydrophobic organic compound and an amphiphile organic compound. Preferred embodiments are that the hydrophobic organic compound is a hydrocarbon wax, and the hydrocarbon wax is at least a wax selected from normal paraffins, isoparaffins, and cycloparaffins; and that the amphiphile organic compound is an polyalcohol esterified compound including a nonionic surface active surfactant, and the nonionic surface active surfactant is an alkyl carboxylic acid represented by a structural formula, CnH2n+1COOH.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the protection layer forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the process cartridge of the present invention.

Claims

1. An image bearing member protecting agent, comprising: a hydrophobic organic compound and an amphiphile organic compound.

2. The image bearing member protecting agent according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic organic compound is a hydrocarbon wax, andthe hydrocarbon wax is at least a wax selected from normal paraffins, isoparaffins, and cycloparaffins.

3. The image bearing member protecting agent according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic organic compound comprises a normal paraffin.

4. The image bearing member protecting agent according to claim 1, wherein the weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of the hydrophobic organic compound is in the range of from 350 to 850.

5. The image bearing member protecting agent according to claim 1, wherein the amphiphile organic compound comprises a nonionic surface active surfactant.

6. The image bearing member protecting agent according to claim 5, wherein the nonionic surface active surfactant is an esterified compound of an alkyl carboxylic acid represented by the following structural formula (1) and a polyalcohol: Cn H2n+1COOH   structural formula (1)where “n” represents an integer of 15 to 35.

7. The image bearing member protecting agent according to claim 6, wherein the alkyl carboxylic acid is a straight-chain alkyl carboxylic acid.

8. The image bearing member protecting agent according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophile-lipophile balance value of the amphiphile organic compound is in the range of 1.0 to 6.5.

9. The image bearing member protecting agent according to claim 1, wherein the mass ratio of the mixture of the hydrophobic organic compound (A) to the amphiphile organic compound (B), or (A):(B), is in the range of 10:90 to 97:3.

10. The image bearing member protecting agent according to claim 1, wherein the total content of the hydrophobic organic compound and the amphiphile organic compound is in the range of 75% by mass to 100% by mass to the total mass of the image bearing member protecting agent.

11. The image bearing member protecting agent according to claim 1, wherein the image bearing member protecting agent has at least one endothermic peak temperature in the range of from 50° C. to 130° C.

12. The image bearing member protecting agent according to claim 1, wherein the image bearing member protecting agent has at least one endothermic peak temperature in the range of from 40° C. to 70° C. and at least one in the range of from 80° C. to 130° C.

13. A method for producing an image bearing member protecting agent, comprising: pouring a molten image bearing member protecting agent into a metal mold,cooling the image bearing member to a temperature equal to or below a phase transition temperature thereof, andreheating the image bearing member to a temperature equal to the phase transition temperature thereof,wherein the image bearing member protecting agent comprises a hydrophobic organic compound and an amphiphile organic compound.

14. A protection layer forming apparatus, comprising: an image bearing member protecting agent, anda protection layer forming unit configured to supply the image bearing member protecting agent on a surface of an image bearing member and to form a protection layer thereon, andwherein the image bearing member protecting agent comprises a hydrophobic organic compound and an amphiphile organic compound.

15. The protection layer forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the protection layer forming unit comprises: a protecting agent supply member used for supplying the image bearing member protecting agent onto the surface of the image bearing member,a suppress pressure application member used for bringing the image bearing member protecting agent into contact with the protecting agent supply member, anda protection layer forming member used for thinning the image bearing member protecting agent supplied on the surface of the image bearing member to thereby form a protection layer thereon.

16. An image forming method, comprising: forming a latent electric field image on an image bearing member,forming a visible image by developing the latent electric field image using a toner,transferring the visible image onto a recording medium to form a transferred image thereon,forming a protection layer on a surface of the image bearing member by supplying an image bearing member protecting agent thereto after the visible image has been transferred thereof, andfixing the transferred image,wherein the image bearing member protecting agent comprises a hydrophobic organic compound and an amphiphile organic compound.

17. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image bearing member,a latent electric field image forming unit configured to form a latent electric field image on the image bearing member,a developing unit configured to form a visible image through developing the latent electric field image using a toner,a transfer unit configured to transfer the visible image onto a recording medium to form a transferred image thereon,a protection layer forming unit configured to supply an image bearing member protecting agent on a surface of the image bearing member after the visible image has been transferred thereof to form a protection layer thereon, anda fixing unit configured to fix the transferred image,wherein the image bearing member protecting agent comprises a hydrophobic organic compound and an amphiphile organic compound.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising: a cleaning unit configured to remove remnant toner particles remaining on the surface of the image bearing member to the downstream side of the transfer unit and the upstream side of the protection layer forming apparatus.

19. A process cartridge, comprising: an image bearing member, anda protection layer forming unit for supplying an image bearing member protecting agent on a surface of the image bearing member to thereby form a protection layer thereon,wherein the process cartridge can detachably be attached to the body of an image forming apparatus, andwherein the image bearing member protecting agent comprises a hydrophobic organic compound and an amphiphile organic compound.