An electrophotographic photoconductor is provided. The electrophotographic photoconductor includes a conductive substrate, a photosensitive layer, and a surface layer containing fluororesin particles, non-fluororesin particles, and a cured resin. The fluororesin particles have an average particle diameter of from 0.01 to 0.3 m in a cross-sectional image of the surface layer as observed by a scanning electron microscope with a magnification of 5,000 times, and when the cross-sectional image is segmented into uniform regions each being 1 m4 m, a standard deviation of areas each of which is occupied by the fluororesin particles and the non-fluororesin particles in each of the regions is 0.2 m.sup.2 or less.

Provided is an electrophotographic photosensitive member that is reduced in exposure memory and is excellent in electrical characteristics and durability. The electrophotographic photosensitive member includes in this order: a support; a photosensitive layer; and a protective layer, wherein the protective layer contains a resin having a structure represented by the following general formula (1) and a structure represented by the following general formula (2). ##STR00001##

An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes an electroconductive support member and a photosensitive layer. The uppermost layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member defines a surface layer, and the surface layer contains polytetrafluoroethylene particles, a charge transporting material, and polyvinyl acetal. The proportion of the polyvinyl acetal content to the polytetrafluoroethylene particles content in the surface layer is in the range of 0.1% by mass to 15.0% by mass, and the charge transporting material content in the surface layer is 35% by mass or more relative to the total mass of the surface layer.

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that includes a conductive substrate, and a photosensitive layer and a surface protection layer; a developing device that includes an electrostatic image developer containing a toner, and develops the electrostatic image to form a toner image. The toner contains an amorphous polyester resin and has a weight average molecular weight Mw in a range of from 25,000 to 60,000, and a ratio of the weight average molecular weight Mw to a number average molecular weight Mn (Mw/Mn) is in a range of from 5 to 10. In the toner, a ratio of an absorbance for a wavelength of 1500 cm.sup.1 to an absorbance for a wavelength of 720 cm.sup.1 is 0.6 or less, and a ratio of an absorbance for a wavelength of 820 cm.sup.1 to the absorbance for a wavelength of 720 cm.sup.1 is 0.4 or less.

An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a support and a surface layer, in which the surface layer contains a copolymer of a composition which contains at least a compound represented by the following general formula (1) and a compound represented by the following general formula (2), a content of the compound represented by the general formula (1) in the composition is 25 mass % or more and 70 mass % or less with respect to a total content of the compound represented by the general formula (1) and the compound represented by the general formula (2), and the total content of the compound represented by the general formula (1) and the compound represented by the general formula (2) is 55 mass % or more with respect to a total mass of the composition.

An electrophotographic photosensitive member suppressing potential variation due to repeated use is provided. The electrophotographic photosensitive member is an electrophotographic photosensitive member including a support, a photosensitive layer and a protective layer in this order, wherein the protective layer contains: a resin including a structure represented by a general formula (1) and a structure represented by a general formula (2); and a compound represented by a general formula (3), the molar ratio of the proportion of the structure represented by the general formula (2) to the proportion of the structure represented by the general formula (1) in the resin is 0.0002 to 0.1000 in a molar ratio, and the molar ratio of the content of the compound represented by the general formula (3) to the content of the structure represented by the general formula (1) in the resin in the protective layer is 0.0002 to 0.1000 in a molar ratio.

Provided is a process cartridge including: an electrophotographic photoreceptor; a charging unit configured to charge the electrophotographic photoreceptor through abutment against the electrophotographic photoreceptor; a developing unit configured to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photoreceptor with a toner to form a toner image; and a cleaning unit configured to remove the toner on the electrophotographic photoreceptor by bringing a blade into abutment against the electrophotographic photoreceptor, wherein the toner includes a toner base containing a coloring agent and a binder resin, and has a surface layer containing an organosilicon polymer having a specific sticking ratio to a toner base, and wherein the electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a supporting member and a surface layer, and the surface layer has a specific universal hardness value and a specific elastic deformation ratio (We).

Provided is an electrophotographic photosensitive member that is reduced in exposure memory and is excellent in electrical characteristics and durability. The electrophotographic photosensitive member includes in this order: a support; a photosensitive layer; and a protective layer, wherein the protective layer contains a resin having a structure represented by the following general formula (1) and a structure represented by the following general formula (2).

##STR00001##

Provided is an electrophotographic photosensitive member, wherein a surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member contains a copolymer of a hole-transportable compound having a polymerizable functional group and a compound represented by the following general formula (1).
Ar.sup.1L.sup.1-P.sup.1).sub.m(1)

An image forming apparatus includes: a transferer that transfers a toner image formed on a surface of a photo-conductor onto an image carrier; and an irradiator that irradiates the surface of the photo-conductor before transfer with light such that a potential of an image area where the toner image has been formed and a potential of a non-image area where the toner image has not been formed in the photo-conductor before transfer satisfy formula (1):
0|Va||Vb|200 [V](1) where |Va| represents the potential of the image area after the surface of the photo-conductor before transfer is irradiated with light, and |Vb| represents the potential of the non-image area after the surface of the photo-conductor before transfer is irradiated with light.