An electrophotographic photosensitive member, in which occurrences of image defects are suppressed, and a method for manufacturing the electrophotographic photosensitive member are provided. In addition, a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus, which include the electrophotographic photosensitive member, are provided. The surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member contains a cured material, and the cured material is a copolymer of a hole transport compound having a chain-polymerizable functional group and a vinyl ester compound containing a long-chain alkyl group.

Provided is an image bearing member for electrophotography, the image bearing member being excellent in abrasion resistance, scratch resistance, and toner releasability, and being capable of preventing the occurrence of image defects due to cleaning failure for a long period. The image bearing member for electrophotography according to the present invention includes a surface layer formed of a polymerization-cured product of a radical polymerizable composition. The radical polymerizable composition contains a radical polymerizable perfluoropolyether compound (radical polymerizable PFPE), and the ratio of the average number of fluorine atoms to the average number of radical polymerizable functional groups in the radical polymerizable PFPE is 2.0 to 20.0.

An image forming apparatus (1) includes a photosensitive drum (50), a cleaning blade (81), and a drive mechanism (90). The cleaning blade (81) is in pressed contact with a circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum (50). The drive mechanism (90) causes one of the photosensitive drum (50) and the cleaning blade (81) to reciprocate in a rotational axis direction (D) of the photosensitive drum (50). The drive mechanism (90) for example causes the photosensitive drum (50) to reciprocate in the rotational axis direction (D). The photosensitive drum (50) includes a photosensitive layer (85). An outermost layer of the photosensitive layer (85) contains a plurality of particles.

An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a surface layer with a hexagonal boron nitride dispersed therein. The hexagonal boron nitride has a graphitization index (GI) of at least 3.0 and less than 15.0.

The present disclosure is drawn to apparatuses and methods that include a coated photoconductive substrate. The coated photoconductive substrate can include a photoconductive substrate with a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer, and can also have a coating adhered to the photoconductive substrate. The coating can have a thickness ranging from 1 nm to 200 nm.

The present disclosure is drawn to apparatuses and methods that include a coated photoconductive substrate. The coated photoconductive substrate can include a photoconductive substrate with a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer, and can also have a coating adhered to the photoconductive substrate. The coating can have a thickness ranging from 1 nm to 200 nm.

The present disclosure provides an electrophotographic photosensitive member that suppresses electric potential fluctuations in repeated use. The electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a support, a photosensitive layer and a protective layer, in this order, wherein the photosensitive layer includes a compound having a structure represented by formula (1), and the protective layer includes a resin having a structure represented by formula (2) and a structure represented by formula (3).

Provided are a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus each of which is reduced in fogging for reducing a toner consumption. Specifically, provided is a process cartridge, which is removably mounted onto a main body of an electrophotographic apparatus, the process cartridge including: a developing unit containing a toner; and an electrophotographic photosensitive member, wherein the toner is a toner including a toner particle, and has a polyvalent acid metal salt on at least part of a surface of the toner particle, wherein the polyvalent acid metal salt includes at least one kind of metal element selected from metal elements belonging to from Group 3 to Group 13, and wherein a surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member contains a resin including a siloxane segment.

In an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a circumferential surface has concave portions that are independent one another; each of the concave portions has an opening, a contour of the opening has an apex having an angle α of more than 0° and 90° or less on at least an upstream side of a rotational direction of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and has a largest width in an axial direction of the electrophotographic photosensitive member of 20 μm or more and 80 μm or less, a width of the contour in the axial direction of the electrophotographic photosensitive member decreasing from a portion having the largest width toward the apex, when viewing each of the concave portions in the axial direction, each of the concave portions has a depth that decreases from a deepest point of each of the concave portions toward the apex.

Provided are an electrophotographic photosensitive member which satisfies wear resistance and electrical characteristics, and in which image deletion is satisfactorily suppressed, and a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus each including the electrophotographic photosensitive member. The electrophotographic photosensitive member comprises a surface layer which includes a polymerized product of a hole transporting substance having a reactive functional group, in which a structure other than the reactive functional group of the hole transporting substance is one of: a structure consisting of a carbon atom and a hydrogen atom; and a structure consisting of a carbon atom, a hydrogen atom and an oxygen atom, and the structure other than the reactive functional group of the hole transporting substance comprises a specific conjugate structure.