A photoconductive drum includes an elongated support element with a shaped charge generation layer. The layer extends from the support element at a single thickness along about two-thirds of 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.

There is provided an electrophotographic photoreceptor including: a conductive support; and a photosensitive layer and a protective layer containing a cured product obtained by curing a curable compound, which are sequentially disposed on the conductive support. The photoreceptor has a Martens hardness of 255 N/mm.sup.2 or more. The photosensitive layer contains at least a hole transport material (HTM), and an energy difference between a HOMO level and a LUMO level of the hole transport material (HTM) is greater than 3.6 eV and 4.0 eV or less.

There is provided an electrophotographic photoreceptor including: a conductive support; and a photosensitive layer and a protective layer containing a cured product obtained by curing a curable compound, which are sequentially disposed on the conductive support. The photoreceptor has a Martens hardness of 255 N/mm.sup.2 or more. The photosensitive layer contains at least a hole transport material (HTM), and an energy difference between a HOMO level and a LUMO level of the hole transport material (HTM) is greater than 3.6 eV and 4.0 eV or less.

An electrophotographic member comprising a base layer and a surface layer, the surface layer including at least one of an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin, perfluoropolyether having a specified structure and a fluorine-containing copolymer, the fluorine-containing copolymer having a first polymerized unit of at least one of methyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate, and a second polymerized unit of at least one of methyl acrylate having a fluoroalkyl group and methyl methacrylate having a fluoroalkyl group, a molar ratio between the first polymerized unit and the second polymerized unit being 7 to 12, the fluorine-containing copolymer having Mw of 80000 or more and 150000 or less, and the ratio between Mn and Mw (Mw/Mn) being 3.0 or more and 6.5 or less.

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.

The present disclosure provides an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a surface layer in which an occurrence of the image deletion is suppressed; a process cartridge equipped with the electrophotographic photosensitive member; and an electrophotographic apparatus provided with the process cartridge. An electrophotographic photosensitive member has a surface layer that includes a copolymerized product of a composition including a metal oxide particle having a polymerizable functional group on a surface thereof and a polymerizable compound having a particular structure.

To provide a laminate including: a layer (1) including an organic material; a layer (2) including a siloxane compound and metal oxide, where the layer (2) is in contact with the layer (1); and a layer (3) including the metal oxide, where the layer (3) is in contact with the layer (2).

A method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member including: forming a photosensitive layer; and forming a protective layer, wherein the step of forming the photosensitive layer forms a photosensitive layer having an amount of residual solvent of a first solvent in the photosensitive layer of 0.05% to 2.50% and an amount of residual solvent of a second solvent in the photosensitive layer of 0.50% to 2.50%, and the step of forming the protective layer includes step (A) of forming a cured film and step (B) of forming the protective layer having wrinkle shapes, wherein, in step (A), the irradiated coating film is heated at a heating temperature lower than a boiling point of the first solvent and in step (B), the cured film is heated at a heating temperature higher than a boiling point of the first solvent.

A method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member including: forming a photosensitive layer; and forming a protective layer, wherein the step of forming the photosensitive layer forms a photosensitive layer having an amount of residual solvent of a first solvent in the photosensitive layer of 0.05% to 2.50% and an amount of residual solvent of a second solvent in the photosensitive layer of 0.50% to 2.50%, and the step of forming the protective layer includes step (A) of forming a cured film and step (B) of forming the protective layer having wrinkle shapes, wherein, in step (A), the irradiated coating film is heated at a heating temperature lower than a boiling point of the first solvent and in step (B), the cured film is heated at a heating temperature higher than a boiling point of the first solvent.