A dispersant-attached polytetrafluoroethylene particle includes a polytetrafluoroethylene particle and a dispersant that attaches to a surface of the polytetrafluoroethylene particle and contains a fluorine atom. The particle size distribution index [D.sub.50-D.sub.10] is less than 50 nm and the electrical conductivity is 7 S/cm or less.

An electrophotographic photoreceptor that includes a conductive support; and at least a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer on the conductive support, where the charge transport layer includes at least two layers of a first charge transport layer which is an outermost layer and a second charge transport layer which is in contact with the first charge transport layer, such that the elastic deformation ratio of a binder resin A contained in the first charge transport layer is T1(%) and the elastic deformation ratio of a binder resin B contained in the second charge transport layer is T2(%) such that T1 and T2 satisfy a relationship of {0(T1T2)4}, the first charge transport layer contains a charge transport material having a molecular weight of 600 or more, and the binder resin A and the binder resin B have different monomer units from each other.

An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a photosensitive layer of a single layer. The photosensitive layer contains a charge generating material, a hole transport material, an electron transport material, and a binder resin. An optical response time is 0.05 milliseconds or longer and 0.85 milliseconds or shorter. The optical response time is a time from irradiation of a surface of the photosensitive layer charged to +800 V with pulse light having a wavelength of 780 nm to decay of a surface potential of the photosensitive layer from +800 V to +400 V. The pulse light has an intensity that allows the surface potential of the photosensitive layer to decay to +200 V from +800 V after 400 milliseconds elapse from the irradiation of the surface of the photosensitive layer charged to +800 V with the pulse light. The photosensitive layer has a Martens hardness at 50 C. of at least 160 N/mm.sup.2.

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member and a static elimination device. The static elimination device irradiates static elimination light onto a circumferential surface of the image bearing member. The image bearing member includes a conductive substrate and a single-layer photosensitive layer. The photosensitive layer contains a charge generating material, a hole transport material, an electron transport material, and a binder resin. The static elimination light has a wavelength of at least 600 nm and no greater than 800 nm. The photosensitive layer has an optical absorption coefficient of at least 600 cm.sup.1 and no greater than 1,500 cm.sup.1 with respect to light having a wavelength of 660 nm.

In an image forming apparatus, a cleaning member is pressed against a circumferential surface of an image bearing member and collects a toner remaining on the circumferential surface of the image bearing member. The toner has a number average roundness of 0.965 to 0.998. The toner has a D.sub.50 of 4.0 m to 7.0 m. A linear pressure of the cleaning member on the circumferential surface of the image bearing member is 10 N/m to 40 N/m. The image bearing member includes a single-layer photosensitive layer containing a charge generating material and a hole transport material. Ionization potential Ip.sub.HTM of the hole transport material and ionization potential Ip.sub.CGM of the charge generating material satisfy mathematical formula (1) Ip.sub.HTM5.30 eV, mathematical formula (2) Ip.sub.CGM5.30 eV, and mathematical formula (3) 0.09 eV|Ip.sub.HTMIp.sub.CGM|0.30 eV.

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a charger, and a cleaning member. The charger charges a circumferential surface of the image bearing member to a positive polarity. The cleaning member is pressed against the circumferential surface of the image bearing member and collects a toner remaining on the circumferential surface of the image bearing member. A linear pressure N of the cleaning member on the circumferential surface of the image bearing member is at least 14 N/m and no greater than 40 N/m. A rebound resilience R of the cleaning member at a temperature of 25 C. is at least 38%. The leaner pressure N and the rebound resilience R satisfy mathematical formula (1A). The image bearing member satisfies mathematical formula (1B)

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}R<13.771N^{0.4043}& \left(1.Math.A\right)\\ 0.60\frac{V}{\left(Q/S\right)\left(d/{\mathrm{.Math.}}_r.Math.{\mathrm{.Math.}}_0\right)}& \left(1.Math.B\right)\end{array}$

An electrophotographic photosensitive member (1) includes a conductive substrate (2) and a photosensitive layer (3). The photosensitive layer (3) is a single-layer photosensitive layer containing at least a charge generating material, an electron transport material, a hole transport material, and a binder resin. The electron transport material includes a naphthoquinone derivative represented by general formula (1). An amount of triboelectric charge of calcium carbonate as measured by charging the calcium carbonate through friction with the photosensitive layer (3) is at least +7 C/g. In general formula (1), R.sup.11 and R.sup.12 are respectively the same as R.sup.11 and R.sup.12 described in the description. ##STR00001##

Provided are a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus each suppressed in fluctuation in charging potential at the time of its long-term use. The process cartridge includes: an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a surface layer containing a resin and a charge-transporting substance; and a charging member configured to charge the electrophotographic photosensitive member, wherein an average of Martens hardnesses of the surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member measured at a pushing force of 7 mN is 245 N/mm.sup.2 or more, and wherein in a core defined by three-dimensional surface texture standards (ISO 25178-2:2012) of the surface of the charging member, an average of Martens hardnesses measured at a pushing force of 0.04 mN is 2 N/mm.sup.2 or more and 20 N/mm.sup.2 or less, and an average of adhesivenesses measured with a scanning probe microscope in a field of view of 2-micrometer square is 70 mV or less.

An image forming method includes forming an image with a toner using a photoconductor in which an intermediate layer and a photosensitive layer including a charge generating layer and a charge transport layer are formed overlying an electroconductive substrate, wherein the ionization potential of the surface of the photoconductor and the ionization potential of the surface of the toner satisfy the following relations 1 and 2,

|Ip (the surface of the photoconductor)Ip (the surface of the toner)|5.53 (eV) Relation 1

5.45 (eV)Ip (the surface of the photoconductor)5.53 (eV) Relation 2

where Ip (the surface of the photoconductor) represents the ionization potential of the surface of the photoconductor and Ip (the surface of the toner) represents the ionization potential of the surface of the toner.

Provided are an electrophotographic photosensitive member including a support and a photosensitive layer above the support, in which a surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a polymerization product of a composition containing a specific hole transporting compound, and an electrophotographic apparatus and a process cartridge including the electrophotographic photosensitive member. Also provided is a method of producing the electrophotographic photosensitive member, including (i) forming a coating film of a coating solution for a surface layer which is a composition containing a specific hole transporting compound, and (ii) forming the surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member by a polymerization reaction of the composition containing the specific hole transporting compound.