Surface-treated fumed silica, with a tribo-electro static charge of −500 μC/g to +500 μC/g, a ratio of the tribo-electro static charge to BET surface area of −3.5 μC/m.sup.2 to +3.5 μC/m.sup.2, a methanol wettability of at least 20% by volume methanol in methanol/water mixture, a ratio of carbon content to BET surface area of at most 0.020 wt. %*g/m.sup.2, a process for its preparation and the use thereof.

A carrier for developing electrostatic latent images is provided. The carrier includes a magnetic core particle and a resin layer coating a surface of the magnetic core particle. The resin layer includes a particulate material A having a volume average particle diameter (a) and a particulate material B having a volume average particle diameter (b). The volume average particle diameter (a) of the particulate material A is the largest among volume average particle diameters of all particulate materials included in the resin layer, and an inequation 100≧(a)/(b)≧5 is satisfied. The particulate material A is barium sulfate.

A magnetic carrier is provided which can suppress a decrease in glossiness even in a long term use for POD which requires high glossiness. A magnetic carrier includes a filled core particle in which a silicone resin is filled in pores of a porous magnetic core particle and a vinyl resin coating a surface of the filled core particle. In a pore distribution of the porous magnetic core particle measured by a mercury intrusion method, a cumulative pore volume in a pore diameter range of 0.1 to 3.0 μm is 35.0 to 95.0 mm.sup.3/g, and in a pore distribution of the filled core particle measured by a mercury intrusion method, a cumulative pore volume in a pore diameter range of 0.1 to 3.0 μm is 3.0 to 15.0 mm.sup.3/g. The magnetic carrier includes 1.2 to 3.0 parts by mass of the vinyl resin to 100.0 parts by mass of the filled core particle.

A magnetic carrier includes a magnetic core and a coating resin that covers a surface of the magnetic core. The coating resin includes a resin A and a resin B. A content of the resin A is 1 to 50% by mass, and a content of the resin B is 50 to 99% by mass, with respect to the coating resin. The resin A has a particular unit Y1 and a particular unit Y2, and the resin B contains 0.1% by mass or less of the particular unit Y2. When a mass of the resin A is represented by X, a mass of the unit Y1 is represented by Ma, and a mass of the unit Y2 is represented by Mb, 0.90≤(Ma+Mb)/X≤1.00 and 1.00≤Ma/Mb≤30.0 are satisfied, and also 0≤|SPa−SPb|≤2.0 is satisfied.

A magnetic carrier including a magnetic core and a coating resin configured to coat the surface of the magnetic core. The coating resin contains a graft resin A and a graft resin B. The coating resin (i) contains 1.0 mass % or more and 50.0 mass % or less of the graft resin A, and (ii) contains 50.0 mass % or more and 99.0 mass % or less of the graft resin B. The graft resin A has a unit Y1 represented by formula (1) and a unit Y2 represented by formula (2). The graft resin B (i) is a comb-shaped polymer having, as a branch, at least one moiety selected from, for example, a styrene-based polymer moiety and a (meth)acrylate-based polymer moiety, and (ii) contains the polysiloxane structure moiety at a content of 0.1 mass % or less.

##STR00001##

A magnetic carrier including: a magnetic core; and a coating resin that coats a surface of the magnetic core, wherein the resin coating layer has a thickness of 50 nm or more, a coating resin, which forms the resin coating layer, contains a resin S having an organosilicon polymer moiety, and when a surface and a position at a depth of 20 nm from the surface of the magnetic carrier are analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, an amount of silicon element as determined by the analysis has a ratio within a specific range at respective positions.

A carrier for forming an electrophotographic image is provided. The carrier comprises a core particle and a coating layer coating the core particle. The coating layer contains chargeable particles and a dispersant. The carrier has an apparent density of from 2.0 g/cm.sup.3 or greater but less than 2.5 g/cm.sup.3.

The present disclosure provides a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus in which fogging is reduced so as to reduce an amount of toner consumed. A process cartridge configured to be detachably attachable to a main body of an electrophotographic apparatus includes a developing unit containing a toner, and an electrophotographic photosensitive member, wherein the toner is a toner that has a toner particle, and has a metal salt of a polyvalent acid at least on a part of a surface of the toner particle; wherein the metal salt of the polyvalent acid includes at least one kind of metal element selected from metal elements belonging to from Group 3 to Group 13, and a surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member contains an acrylic resin or a methacrylic resin.

A method for producing a carrier for developing an electrostatic charge image, the method includes: adding a coating liquid containing a resin, conductive particles, and a solvent and magnetic particles to a mixer having a stirring blade, and mixing the coating liquid and the magnetic particles to obtain a mixture; and evaporating and drying the solvent from the mixture to produce a carrier having a resin coating layer on surfaces of the magnetic particles, wherein a viscosity μ of the coating liquid when being added to the mixer is more than 60 mPa.Math.s and 1,000 mPa.Math.s or less, and a value of a ratio μ/W of the viscosity μ(mPa.Math.s) to an amount W (parts by mass) of the resin coating layer with respect to 100 parts by mass of the magnetic particles in the carrier is 20 or more and 500 or less.

A carrier for developing an electrostatic charge image includes magnetic particles and a resin coating layer covering the magnetic particles, the resin coating layer containing aggregates of inorganic particles. The arithmetic mean diameter of the aggregates of inorganic particles on the carrier surface is 30 nm or more and 150 nm or less, and the percentage surface exposure of the magnetic particles is 0% by area or more and 5% by area or less.