Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.

Fuji Electric., Ltd.

Tadashi Mimura

Shinichi Tamura

Youichi Tei

Teruaki Kobayashi

Seishi Terasaki

Hiroshi Kimura

Yoji Yamada

Tadashi Asakawa

The present invention relates to photoconductors which exhibit excellent electrical properties which are not appreciably affected by environmental changes or by repeated use. Having excellent durability during repeated printing, these photoconductors can be used to obtain large quantities of high-quality output images. The photoconductor according to the invention includes a conductive substrate and a photoconductive film on the conductive substrate. The photoconductive film includes a plurality of charge generation and transport layers, wherein each layer contains a phthalocyanine compound described in the specification by chemical formula (I) as a charge generation agent and a charge transport agent dispersed or dissolved into a binder. The concentration of the charge generation agent in an upper layer is higher than in a lower layer.

Photoconductor for electrophotography

Phthalonitrile, an alkali metal or an alkali metal compound, and a hydrogen donor compound are heated in an organic solvent to synthesize a partially hydrogenated alkali metal phthalocyanine, which is then brought into contact with a dealkalizing agent to effect substitution with hydrogen of the partially hydrogenated alkali metal phthalocyanine to thereby obtain high-purity metal-free phthalocyanine. FX-type metal-free phthalocyanine as obtained according to the foregoing procedure may be used as a charge-generating substance to produce an electrophotographic photoconductor of high image quality which is highly sensitive to near infrared rays.

Process for preparing a metal-free phthalocyanine

An electrophotographic photoconductor, includes metal-free phthalocyanine as a charge-generating substance, wherein the X-ray diffraction spectrum of said metal-free phthalocyanine as measured using CuK.alpha. as a radiation source includes intense diffraction peaks at Bragg angles (2.theta..+-.0.2.degree.) of 7.5.degree., 9.0.degree., 16.6.degree., 17.2.degree., 21.5.degree., 22.2.degree., 23.8.degree., and 28.5.degree., and wherein the infrared absorption spectrum of said metal-free phthalocyanine includes four absorption bands with the maximum absorption intensity at a wavenumber of 716 cm.sup.-1 between a wavenumber of 700 cm.sup.-1 and a wavenumber of 760 cm.sup.-1 and a characteristic absorption band at a wavenumber of 3,291.+-.2 cm.sup.-1.

Electrophotographic photoconductor including a metal-free phthalocyanine

Metal-free phythalocyanine, process for preparing the same, and

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Kawasaki, Japan

Tadashi Mimura