A fusing apparatus includes: a pressing roller to be axially rotated; a fusing belt to rotate by receiving a rotational force from the pressing roller; a pressing member to press toward the pressing roller from the inside of the fusing belt to form a nip in which the printing paper is nipped between the fusing belt and the pressing roller; on the fusing belt or the pressing member, a sliding layer to reduce friction between the fusing belt and the pressing member; and an adhesive layer to adhere the sliding layer to the fusing belt or the pressing member.

A fixing film includes a cylindrical base layer, an elastic layer formed on an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical base layer, and a separation layer formed on an outer peripheral surface of the elastic layer. The separation layer includes fluororesin, and a degree of orientation of the fluororesin is greater than or equal to 40% and smaller than or equal to 59%.

Provided is an endless belt that can be used for fusing a toner image or enhancing the gloss of a toner image, the endless belt including a substrate later and a release layer on the substrate layer. The release layer can include a coating layer that includes an inorganic-organic nanocomposite material in which inorganic nanoparticles are dispersed in a siloxane polymer matrix.

An electrothermal heating device for heating a print medium includes an endless belt, a first electrode and a second electrode. The endless belt rotates in a rotational direction about a rotation axis that defines an axial direction, so as to generate heat when the endless belt rotates and is supplied with power. The endless belt includes a base portion made of a nanocomposite material having a carbon filler. The first and second electrodes are in contact with the base portion of the endless belt. The first and second electrodes extend in the axial direction of the endless belt, and are spaced apart in the rotational direction of the endless belt. A volume resistivity of the base portion of the endless belt in the rotational direction is less than a volume resistivity of the base portion in the axial direction.

A fixing device includes a movable belt; and a planar heat-generating section that is in contact with the belt and in which, among plural heat-generating portions provided in a movement direction of the belt, a heat-generating portion on an upstream side in the movement direction of the belt has a larger heat generation amount than a heat-generating portion on a downstream side.

A fixing device includes a tubular body that forms a nip with a pressure member to fix a recording material onto a recording medium, a heater inside the tubular body and facing a heated region of the tubular body in a first direction, and a heat conductive member that has a thermal conductivity larger in a second direction crossing the first direction and parallel to an axial direction of the tubular body than in the first direction. The heat conductive member includes an end portion and a central portion along the second direction, and the end portion has a higher density than the central portion.

Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a heater, comprising an insulator substrate, a first member, a plurality of electrodes, and a second member. The first member is configured to generate heat on an upper surface of the insulator substrate across a first direction. The first member has a first end opposite a second end. The plurality of electrodes are formed on both the first end and the second end of the first member, respectively, and each electrode is disposed in a direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second member is configured to store heat. The second member comprises a latent heat material having latent heat in a target temperature zone. Furthermore, the latent heat material is fixed to a side surface or a bottom surface of the insulator substrate.

Provided is an electrophotographic belt having an endless shape including a base layer, wherein the base layer includes a polyimide film containing polyimide serving as a binder resin and a carbon nanotube, wherein the polyimide has an imidization ratio of 80% or more, wherein the carbon nanotube has at least one resin selected from the group consisting of: polyphenylsulfone; polysulfone; and polyethersulfone present on at least part of a surface thereof. The base layer has a tensile strength of 200 MPa or more in each of a peripheral direction thereof and a direction perpendicular to the peripheral direction.

Provided is an electrophotographic belt of an endless shape including a substrate, wherein the substrate contains a polyimide resin and carbon nanotubes, wherein a content of the carbon nanotubes in the substrate is 15 vol % or less with respect to a total volume of the polyimide resin, wherein the substrate has a tensile strength of 200 MPa or more in each of a peripheral direction thereof and a direction perpendicular to the peripheral direction, and wherein the substrate has a thermal conductivity of 0.9 W/(m.Math.K) or more in a thickness direction thereof.

A belt includes a resin and an aggregate in which plural fibrous carbons are entangled with each other, in which a maximum diameter of the aggregate is 50% or less of a belt film thickness.