A method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a photosensitive layer and a protective layer above a support in this order includes: forming a coating film for a protective layer by coating a coating liquid for the protective layer for forming the protective layer on the photosensitive layer and curing the coating film for the protective layer, in which the coating liquid for the protective layer contains a solvent, a compound represented by a general formula (1), a compound represented by a general formula (2), and a compound represented by a general formula (3) at a specific ratio. In addition, in an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a photosensitive layer and a protective layer above a support in this order, the protective layer is obtained by curing a coating liquid for the protective layer.

A coating film of a coating liquid for a surface layer, the coating liquid containing a hole transporting compound having a chain-polymerizable functional group and a compound having a specified structure, is cured to thereby form a surface layer of an electrophotographic photosensitive member.

An electrophotographic photosensitive member with suppressed potential variation even in the case that a protective layer including a cured material of a composition having a polymerizable functional group is used is provided. An electrophotographic photosensitive member including a support, a charge generation layer, a charge transport layer containing a charge transporting material, and a protective layer, in the order presented, wherein the charge transport layer contains a polycarbonate resin having a structure selected from a group A and a structure selected from a group B, and the protective layer includes a cured material of a composition containing a compound having at least a functional group selected from chain-polymerizable functional groups and sequential polymerizable functional groups.

An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a conductive support and a single-layer photosensitive layer. The conductive support has an outer peripheral surface with a maximum surface roughness height (Rmax) of about 4.0 m or less, and the outer peripheral surface has a recess with a depth-to-aperture size ratio (depth/aperture size) of about 0.03 or more and about 0.12 or less. The single-layer photosensitive layer is disposed on the conductive support and has a thickness of about 20 m or more and a modulus of elasticity of about 4.5 GPa or more.

An electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising at least a photosensitive layer on a conductive substrate, wherein the photosensitive layer is a laminate having a charge transport layer and a charge generation layer, the charge transport layer contains four or more types of compounds each having a maximum absorption wavelength falling within a wavelength range of from 300 nm to 600 nm in a tetrahydrofuran solution at 25? C., and maximum absorption wavelengths falling within the wavelength range of at least four types of the compounds of said four or more types of the compounds are separated from each other by 10 nm or more.

Provided is a process cartridge having a charging member and an electrophotographic photosensitive member to be charged by being in contact with the charging member, wherein the electrophotographic photosensitive member has a support and a photosensitive layer in this order, and a surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member has a Martens hardness of 230 N/mm.sup.2 or less.

An electrophotographic image forming system forms an electrostatic latent image on at least a photoreceptor, develops an image using an electrostatic charge image developing toner, and removes the toner using a cleaning blade. A tip ridge of the cleaning blade is pressed against a surface of the photoreceptor. The system includes a photosensitive layer of the photoreceptor and a surface protecting layer that is provided on a surface of the photosensitive layer. The surface protecting layer includes a polymerizable monomer having at least two polymerizable groups in a molecule and a polymer of a hole transporting compound having a polymerizable group represented by General formula (1). The tip ridge of the cleaning blade has an edge angle that is obtuse and less than 120? and is pressed against the surface of the photoreceptor at an effective contact angle that is in a range of 8 to 20?. ##STR00001##

A coating film of a coating liquid for a surface layer, the coating liquid containing a hole transporting compound having a chain-polymerizable functional group and a compound having a specified structure, is cured to thereby form a surface layer of an electrophotographic photosensitive member.

An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a conductive support and a single-layer photosensitive layer. The conductive support has an outer peripheral surface with a maximum surface roughness height (Rmax) of about 4.0 m or less, and the outer peripheral surface has a recess with a depth-to-aperture size ratio (depth/aperture size) of about 0.03 or more and about 0.12 or less. The single-layer photosensitive layer is disposed on the conductive support and has a thickness of about 20 m or more and a modulus of elasticity of about 4.5 GPa or more.

An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes at least one photosensitive layer on which a first photosensitive layer disposed on an outermost side thereof. The first photosensitive layer contains a charge generating material, a binder resin including a polyarylate resin with repeating units (1), (2), (3), and (4), an electron transport material, and a hole transport material.

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The electron transport material includes a compound represented by formula (10), (11), or (12). The hole transport material includes compounds represented by formulas (21) and (22):

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A percentage content of a number of repeats of the repeating unit (3) to the total number of repeats of the repeating units (1) and (3) is greater than 0% and less than 50%. A percentage content of a number of repeats of the repeating unit (4) to the total number of repeats of the repeating units (2) and (4) is at least 35% and less than 70%.