Eastman-Kodak Company

Nexpress Solutions, Inc.

Paul M Borsenberger

Susan A Visser

Donald Saul Rimai

Michael T Regan

William J Staudenmayer

Suryadevara Vijayakumar Babu

Marie B O'Regan

Thomas Nathaniel Tombs

Michel Frantz Molaire

Jeanne Ellen Kaeding

Salvatore Leone

Louis J Sorriero

Tsang J Chen

Bruce J Murray

Hans R Grashof

Carl F Groner

James H Peters

A process for reducing image defects in an electrostatographic image resulting from particulate contamination. A primary imaging member, including a photoconductive element and an outermost layer of silicon carbide, is uniformly charged in an electrostatographic imaging apparatus subject to particulate contamination. The electrostatographic imaging apparatus includes a charging station, an exposing station, at least one developing station, and a transfer station comprising an electrically biased roller transfer assembly. The primary imaging member is exposed imagewise at the exposing station to form a latent image on the imaging member, which is thereafter developed with toner at the developing station to form a developed image on the imaging member. The primary imaging member bearing the developed image is passed through a charge erasing station to remove residual surface charge, then contacted with a receiver by the electrically biased roller transfer assembly, causing the developed image to transfer to the receiver. The silicon carbide layer protects the photoconductive element against damage by contaminant particles present in the apparatus.

Process for reducing image defects in an electrostatographic apparatus containing particulate contaminants

A method and an apparatus for producing, in a single pass, an electrophotographic image comprising at least two colors. The photoconductive element is bipolar, and has a single active layer and a protective layer of diamond-like carbon.

Apparatus with bipolar photoconductive element for making multicolor

A photoconductive element comprising an electrically conductive support and at least one active layer, said active layer comprising N-(p-(di-p-tolylamino)phenyl)-N'-(1,2-dimethylpropyl)-1,4,5,8-naphthalenet etracarboxylic diimide and one or more perylene dyes of structure I: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are, each independently, ##STR2## and R.sub.3, R.sub.4, R.sub.5, R.sub.6, R.sub.7, R.sub.8, R.sub.9, R.sub.10, R.sub.11 and R.sub.12 are, each independently, H, CH.sub.3, or C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 alkyl, linear or branched.

Bipolar electrophotographic elements

A bipolar electrophotographic element comprising a) a single active bipolar photoconductive layer on an electrically conductive support and b) a diamond-like carbon protective layer, having a fluorine content between 0 and 65 atomic percent based on the composition of the entire protective layer, and also having a thickness between 0.05 and 0.5 .mu.m. Also disclosed is a coating composition for a single bipolar photoconductive layer comprising: i) one or more binder polymers; ii) at least one aggregating dye salt; iii) at least one organic charge transport agent; and iv) a volatile coating solvent.

Single layer bipolar electrophotographic element

An electrophotographic apparatus with improved blue sensitivity comprises: a) a charging means; b) an exposure means, which includes light of a wavelength between 350 and 500 nanometers, and c) a photoconductive element comprising an electrically conductive base, two or more charge generation layers, at least one charge transport layer, and a protective layer comprising plasma-polymerized fluorocarbon, wherein the fluorine content of the protective layer is equal to or greater than 2.2 and less than 65 atomic percent. A method of making an image is also disclosed.

Electrophotographic apparatus with improved blue sensitivity

A bipolar charge transport material that is useful in electrophotography, said bipolar charge transport material N,N'-bis-�p-(di-p-tolylamino)phenyl!-1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic acid having the structure: ##STR1##

Bipolar charge transport materials useful in electrophotography

There is provided an electrophotographic element and method of making the electrophotographic element comprising a conductive support, a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer, said electrophotographic element having thereon a protective layer of a fluorinated diamond-like carbon wherein the fluorine content of the outermost surface of the fluorinated diamond-like carbon layer is between about 25 and about 65 atomic percent based on the total composition of the outermost surface of the protective layer. The protective layer provides for a low surface energy coating having a long process lifetime without causing latent image spread or degradation of photosensitivity.

Photoconductive element having an outermost layer of a fluorinated

A method of making a photoconductive element comprises the steps of: a) providing an electrically conductive base and depositing thereon, in any order, photoconductive layers comprising at least one charge transport layer and at least two charge generation layers; b) placing the layers formed in step a) in a reaction chamber with at least one feed gas selected from a hydrocarbon compound and a fluorocarbon compound in their gas phase; and c) decomposing the gas by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition thereby forming on the photoconductive layers an outermost protective layer comprising diamond-like carbon having a fluorine content of between 0 and 65 atomic percent of the protective layer.

Method of making multilayer electrophotographic elements

A photoconductive element comprising an electrically conductive base; two or more charge generation layers; at least one charge transport layer; and a protective layer comprising diamond-like carbon, having fluorine between 0 and 65 atomic percent of the protective layer.

Multilayer photoconductive elements having low dark decay

Unexpectedly good transfer of electrophotographically-produced images using small toner particles occurs when the image is developed on an electrostatographic recording member, preferably an organic photoconductive element, which has been overcoated with a thin (about 10 nm to about 10 .mu.m thick) layer of a material having a Young's modulus greater than 10 GPa and preferably greater than about 100 GPa. The image is then transferred to an intermediate member which is comprised of an elastomeric blanket between about 0.1 and about 3 cm thick, having a Young's modulus between about 0.5 MPa and about 50 MPa, and preferably between about 1 and about 10 MPa, and having an electrical resistivity between about 10.sup.6 ohm-cm and about 10.sup.12 ohm-cm, by applying an appropriate electrostatic potential between the transfer intermediate member and the photoconductive element. The toned image is transferred from the intermediate transfer member to the receiver by applying an electrostatic field between the receiver and the intermediate transfer member. The blanket material comprising the intermediate transfer member should be overcoated with a thin (between about 0.1 .mu.m and about 25 .mu.m thick) layer of a material having a Young's modulus greater than about 100 MPa and preferably greater than about 1 GPa.

Electrostatographic apparatus and method for improved transfer of small

An electrophotographic element comprising a high mobility charge transport layer. The layer binder is a polyester according to formula I: ##STR1## wherein Ar represents phenylene, terephthoyl, isophthoyl, 5-t-butyl-1,3-phenylene and phenylene indane;

Electrophotographic elements having charge transport layers containing

A photoconductive element of smooth surface comprises a single aggregate photoconductive layer which contains an aggregate photoconductor and at least three organic charge transport agents. In a preferred embodiment the aggregate photoconductive composition is formed from a high molecular weight alkylidene diarylene polycarbonate and is mixed with at least five organic charge transport agents and the element is overcoated with a thin, smooth, abrasion-resistant layer of silicon carbide. The smooth surface of the photoconductive element has a 20.degree. gloss greater than about 6 and is resistant to scumming by fine toner particles.

Aggregate photoconductive element and method of making same

Multi-layer photoconductive elements comprising one or more layers of hydrogenated amorphous silicon are provided with sensitizing and supersensitizing layers which function to alter the spectral sensitivity of the element and thereby enhance its usefulness in such applications as photovoltaic devices, thin film electronic devices, and electrophotographic photoreceptors. The sensitizing layer contains a phthalocyanine which serves as a spectral sensitizing agent and the supersensitizing layer contains an arylamine which serves as a chemical sensitizing agent. The sensitizing and supersensitizing layers serve by their conjoint action to inject charge into the hydrogenated amorphous silicon layer in response to photogeneration within the sensitizing layer that is activated by radiation to which the hydrogenated amorphous silicon layer exhibits a lower degree of sensitivity.

Spectral sensitization of amorphous silicon photoconductive elements

An electrophotographic process in which a photoconductive insulating element, comprising a layer of intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon in electrical contact with a layer of doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon, is electrostatically charged to a low level of surface voltage, such as, for example, a level of ten volts, provides an advantageous combination of very high electrophotographic sensitivity with minimal electrical noise.

Growing community of inventors

Hilton, NY, United States of America

Paul M Borsenberger