Lexmark International, Inc.

Jennifer Kaye Neely

Kasturi Rangan Srinivasan

Ronald Harold Levin

Catherine Mailhe Randolph

Mark Thomas Bellino

Dat Quoc Nguyen

Scott Thomas Mosier

Scott Moreland Broce

Catherine Mailh&eacute; Randolph

Gregory Walter Haggquist

Laura Lee Kierstein

Mark Stephen Weisman, Jr

James Craig Minor

Johnathan Lee Barnes

Paul Dwight Kemmesat

Sterritt R Fuller, Jr

Sterritt Ray Fuller, Jr

A process for preparing fuser belts in electrophotographic devices is disclosed. In this process the belt is coated, preferably using a vertical dip coating technique, with an aqueous solution containing a fluorocarbon polymer, such as Teflon, and a water-soluble polymer additive. Preferred additives include pectin, polyacrylic acid, and pectin/polyacrylic acid mixtures. This method provides efficient and effective vertical dip coating of the topcoat onto the fuser belt, particularly in terms of the uniformity of the coating, the stability of the coating dispersion, and the minimization of cracking when the coating is dried and sintered at high temperatures.

Method of dip coating fuser belts using polymer binders

A process for dip coating, particularly vertical dip coating, the topcoat layer onto fuser belts used in electrophotographic processes is disclosed. In this process, a C -C alkanol, such as isopropyl alcohol is added to the solvent system for the fluorocarbon topcoat layer. The use of alcohols in this way provides an efficient and effective method and a topcoat layer which is smooth, uniform and has a good finish.

Method of dip coating fuser belt using alcohol as a co-solvent

Methods of forming a conductive aluminum substrate comprise anodizing a surface of an aluminum substrate to form a porous alumina surface layer, contacting the alumina surface layer with a liquid dispersion or solution of a polymer or at least one polymer-forming component, under conditions sufficient for the polymer to seal pores of the alumina surface layer, and removing excess polymer from the alumina surface layer. The resulting sealed conductive aluminum substrate is useful in photoconductors, for example of the dual layer type.

Methods for treating aluminum substrates and products thereof

Controlled sensitivity of a photoconductor is obtained employing both type I and type IV titanyl phthalocyanine in a charge generation layer. The type I titanyl phthalocyanine is preferably premilled before milling the mixture.

Charge generation layers comprising type I and type IV titanyl phthalocyanines

Methods of making a charge generation layer comprise premixing a charge generation compound, a charge transport compound and solvent to form a premix essentially free of polymeric binder, mixing the premix with at least one polymeric binder to form a dispersion, and coating the dispersion on a substrate. Photoconductors comprising a substrate, a charge transport layer and a charge generation layer formed by such a method exhibit improved electrical sensitivity.

Methods of making charge generation layers containing charge transport

The invention described in the specification provides an improved coating for an electrophotographic photoconductor printing system. In particular, a blend of polycarbonate-A and polycarbonate-Z binders according to the formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 is selected from the group consisting of CH.sub.2 an alkylidene group, a cycloalkyl group and a substituted cycloalkyl group, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen and an a CH.sub.3 group provides increased durability and wear properties to a charge transport layer coated onto a charge generation layer of a photoreceptor drum. The polycarbonate blend may be used with amine and hydrazone charge transport materials and the charge transport layer may include additional additives which further improve the wear properties of the photoconductor coatings in a laser printer.

Electrophotographic photoconductors

Photoconductors comprise a substrate, a charge transport layer and a charge generation layer, wherein the charge transport layer comprises binder and a first charge transport compound and the charge generation layer comprises binder, a charge generation compound and a second charge transport compound. The first and second charge transport compounds may be the same or different. In a first embodiment, the second charge transport compound is effective as a dopant in the charge generation layer and the weight ratio of the charge generation compound to the second charge transport compound in the charge generation layer is not less than about 1:3. In a second embodiment, the charge generation layer is formed on the substrate and the charge transport layer is formed on the charge generation layer. In a third embodiment, the charge generation layer comprises at least about 15 weight percent, based on the weight of the charge generation layer, of the charge generation compound.

Dual layer photoconductors with charge generation layer containing

Type I titanyl phthalocyanine is mixed with a solution of one part dihaloacetic acid and four parts methylene chloride by volume. This is then added to a solution of equal parts by volume of water and methanol, and the recovered phthalocyanine is washed. The resulting polymorph has improved photoresponsive speed. A photoconductor employing the polymorph can be an anodized aluminum drum having a coating of the polymorph in a resin binder, with a further coating of a known charge transport material in a resin binder.

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Erie, CO, United States of America

Jennifer Kaye Neely