Electrophotographic photoconductor and method of manufacturing the same

Abstract

An electrophotographic photoconductor includes an electrically conductive substrate in the form of a cylindrical tube, the substrate having an outer surface roughened by dry-blasting to a maximum surface roughness of about 5 .mu.m or less, and a photoconductive layer on the substrate. Preferably, the substrate is aluminum or an aluminum alloy and has an inner diameter and a thickness related to each other in a ratio of inner diameter to thickness of 75 or less. The substrate preferably has not been preliminarily finished by cutting. Preferably, the electrophotographic photoconductor comprises an oxide film between the substrate and the photoconductive layer, the oxide film covering 75% or more of the outer surface of the substrate. In a preferred embodiment, the electrophotographic photoconductor further comprises an undercoating layer between the oxide film and the photoconductive layer, the undercoating layer composed substantially of an organic resin and having a thickness of about 5 .mu.m or less. According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an electrophotographic photoconductor, the electrophotographic photoconductor comprising an electrically conductive substrate in the form of a cylindrical tube, the method including the steps of: roughening by dry-blasting the outer surface of the substrate to a maximum surface roughness of about 5 .mu.m or less using abrasives with a grain size of about #500 or finer; and forming a photoconductive layer on the roughened outer surface.