An electrophotographic photoconductor in which a surface layer of a photosensitive layer or an overcoat layer has a glass transition temperature Tg greater than 100° C. and a hardness greater than 0.22 GPa. An electrophotographic cartridge and an electrophotographic imaging apparatus include the electrophotographic photoconductor. Flipping-over of a cleaning blade that comes into contact with the electrophotographic photoconductor may be effectively suppressed or prevented, the degree of freedom in terms of cleaning blade selection may be increased, and the possibility of causing high-frequency noise due to friction may be reduced.

An electrophotographic photoconductor in which a surface layer of a photosensitive layer or an overcoat layer has a glass transition temperature Tg greater than 100° C. and a hardness greater than 0.22 GPa. An electrophotographic cartridge and an electrophotographic imaging apparatus include the electrophotographic photoconductor. Flipping-over of a cleaning blade that comes into contact with the electrophotographic photoconductor may be effectively suppressed or prevented, the degree of freedom in terms of cleaning blade selection may be increased, and the possibility of causing high-frequency noise due to friction may be reduced.

A conductive roll for electrophotographic device is provided. The conductive roll for electrophotographic device 10 includes a shaft body 12 and a non-foamed elastic body layer 14 formed on an outer periphery of the shaft body 12. The elastic body layer 14 is made of a cross-linked product of a silicone rubber composition containing the following (a) to (d), and a secondary particle diameter of the following (d) in the elastic body layer 14 is within a range of 100 to 500 nm. (a) is an organopolysiloxane, (b) is a crosslinking agent, (c) is a microcapsule catalyst made of fine resin particles which encapsulate a crosslinking catalyst by a resin other than a silicone resin, and (d) is silica with a BET specific surface area of 70 to 350 m.sup.2/g.

A process cartridge which allows any spot and stripe as image defects to be suppressed is provided. A process cartridge, in which an electroconductive layer of a charging member has a matrix including a first rubber, and domains dispersed in the matrix, the domains include a second rubber and an electron electroconductive agent, at least some of the domains are exposed on a surface of the charging member, when a volume resistivity of the matrix is 10.sup.5 times or more a volume resistivity of the domains, a protective layer of an electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a metal oxide particle, and when a number average primary particle size of the metal oxide particle is defined as Sm and an average value of equivalent circle diameters of the domains is defined as Sd, the Sd/Sm satisfies the following expression (1): 0.5<Sd/Sm<100 . . . expression (1).

A photoconductive drum includes an elongated support element with a shaped charge generation layer. The layer extends from the support element at various thicknesses along a length thereof. Thicker charge generation portions provides denser optical densities compared to thinner portions allowing tailoring the photoconductive drum to compensate for imperfect optical scanning systems. A charge transport layer overcoats the charge generation layer. Optionally, an oxidation layer underlies the charge generation layer as does a protective overcoat overlying the charge transport layer. Various thicknesses and shapes of the charge generation layer are also disclosed.

A method for producing a metal cylinder includes preparing a metal slug having a surface adjusted so that the crystal grain diameter at a depth of 10 m from the surface is smaller than that at a depth of 100 m from the surface, and the crystal grain diameter at a depth of 10 m from the surface is 30 m or more and 120 m or less; and forming a cylinder by impact pressing of the metal slug having the surface as a bottom.

There is provided an electrophotographic photosensitive member that can achieve both of an adequately high initial sensitivity as the electrophotographic photosensitive member and reduction in the fluctuation of a light portion potential at the time of repeated use. An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a support, an electroconductive layer and a photosensitive layer in this order, wherein the electroconductive layer contains a binder material and a metal oxide particle; the metal oxide particle has a core material containing a titanium oxide, and a covering layer which covers the core material and contains the titanium oxide; and when the oxygen deficiency ratio of the metal oxide particle is represented by A, the oxygen deficiency ratio of the core material is represented by B, and the oxygen deficiency ratio of the covering layer is represented by C, the Expressions (1) and (2) are satisfied: A2% (1) and 10B<C (2).

A tubular metal body includes a tubular part having an opening at one end in an axis direction; and a bottom part disposed at another end of the tubular part in the axis direction. The ratio (Rz1/Rz2) of a surface roughness Rz1 of an outer peripheral surface of the bottom part to a surface roughness Rz2 of an outer peripheral surface of a center portion of the tubular part in the axis direction is in a range of 2 or more and 4000 or less. A Vickers hardness HV1 of the outer peripheral surface of the bottom part is 5 HV or more and 27 HV or less smaller than a Vickers hardness HV2 of the outer peripheral surface of the center portion of the tubular part in the axis direction.

A support for dip coating, wherein the inner peripheral surface at an end in the axial direction of the support has an arithmetic average roughness Ra of 0.26 m or less and a maximum height roughness Rz of 2.3 m or less.

A support for dip coating, wherein the inner peripheral surface at an end in the axial direction of the support has an arithmetic average roughness Ra of 0.26 m or less and a maximum height roughness Rz of 2.3 m or less.