An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a cured outermost layer that includes a polymerized cured product including at least an inorganic filler and a phenol derivative. The inorganic filler is surface-modified with a surface modifier. The phenol derivative has a structure represented by Formula (1).

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In Formula (1), R.sub.1 and R.sub.3 each independently represent an alkyl group having three or more carbon atoms, R.sub.2 and R.sub.4 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and L.sub.1 represents a linking group having at least 10 atoms with an atomic number of 12 or more.

The electrophotographic photosensitive member includes an undercoat layer and a surface layer on or above a support in this order, in which the undercoat layer contains metal oxide particles and a specific binder resin, the surface layer contains a charge transporting substance, fluororesin particles, and a specific binder resin, an arithmetic average roughness Ra of a surface of the undercoat layer is 0.15 m or less, a refractive index (a) of the metal oxide particles and a refractive index (b) of the binder resin contained in the undercoat layer satisfy a specific relationship, and a refractive index (c) of the binder resin contained in the surface layer and a refractive index (d) of the fluororesin particles satisfy a specific relationship.

An imaging system includes a lubricant roller to transfer a lubricant to the image carrier, a solid lubricant in contact the lubricant roller to supply the lubricant to the lubricant roller, and a pressing member to urge the solid lubricant against the lubricant roller. The lubricant roller includes a foam that is in contact with the image carrier. The foam is selected to have a permeability of approximately 0.15 dm.sup.3/s to 1.4 dm.sup.3/s.

A method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a photosensitive layer and a protective layer above a support in this order includes: forming a coating film for a protective layer by coating a coating liquid for the protective layer for forming the protective layer on the photosensitive layer and curing the coating film for the protective layer, in which the coating liquid for the protective layer contains a solvent, a compound represented by a general formula (1), a compound represented by a general formula (2), and a compound represented by a general formula (3) at a specific ratio. In addition, in an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a photosensitive layer and a protective layer above a support in this order, the protective layer is obtained by curing a coating liquid for the protective layer.

Provided is an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a satisfactory suppressing effect on image smearing. The electrophotographic photosensitive member includes: a support; a photosensitive layer; and a surface layer, the surface layer containing at least one of melamine resin-containing particles and acrylic resin-containing particles, and a polymerized product of a composition containing a charge-transporting compound having a polymerizable functional group; and a compound represented by formula (1):

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An image forming apparatus including developing unit to develop electrostatic latent image with toner to form visible image, and cleaning unit including elastic member including surface layer and configured to remove the toner, wherein Martens hardness A and Martens hardness B of the surface layer measured by applying load of 1 N and load of 1,000 N, respectively, to position of the surface layer in thickness direction thereof using nanoindenter are both 2.5 N/mm.sup.2 or greater but 32.5 N/mm.sup.2 or less, and Martens hardness A and Martens hardness B satisfy inequality,
Martens hardness A>Martens hardness B
wherein coefficient of dynamic friction of the surface layer against polycarbonate is 0.5 or less, and the toner includes polyester resin insoluble to THF and Tg of THF-insoluble component of the toner determined from DSC curve of first heating of DSC is 60 C. or higher but 20 C. or lower.

The present invention provides an electrophotographic image forming method using an electrophotographic photoconductor. The electrophotographic photoconductor has a protective layer. The surface of the protective layer has a projection structure. The average distance between neighboring projections among a plurality of projections R is set within the range of 100 to 250 nm. A toner including titanate compound particles attached to toner base particles is used.

The present invention provides an electrophotographic image forming method using an electrophotographic photoconductor. The electrophotographic photoconductor has a protective layer. The surface of the protective layer has a projection structure. The average distance between neighboring projections among a plurality of projections R is set within the range of 100 to 250 nm. A toner including titanate compound particles attached to toner base particles is used.

An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes: a conductive substrate; an undercoating layer that contains inorganic particles surface-treated with a surface treatment agent, and is provided in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the conductive substrate; and a photosensitive layer provided on the undercoating layer, wherein, with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the conductive substrate, a proportion of an area being in contact with the inorganic particles is from 82% to 91%.

A photoreceptor for electrophotography, a method for manufacturing the photoreceptor, and an electrophotographic device including the photoreceptor are disclosed. The photoreceptor for electrophotography includes a conductive substrate; and a photosensitive layer that is provided on the conductive substrate and that has an outermost surface layer containing at least a resin binder and an electron transport material. The resin binder is composed of a polyarylate resin having a structural unit represented by a Chemical Structural Formula 1, and the electron transport material is composed of a compound having a structure represented by a Structural Formula (ET2-3). The photoreceptor has high sensitivity, low residual electric potential, no light fatigue and sufficient stain resistance.