1. Aqueous microemulsion comprising a perfluorinated alkane sulphonic or carboxylic acid or salt thereof, a liquid fluorinated monomer comprising a cure-site and optionally an inert liquid and highly fluorinated hydrocarbon compound.
2. Aqueous microemulsion according to claim 1 wherein the perfluorinated alkane sulphonic or carboxylic acid or salt thereof corresponds to the following formula:
(YRf-Z)n-M (I)
wherein Y represents Cl or F; Rf represents a linear or branched perfluorinated alkylene having 3 to 15 carbon atoms; Z represents COO or SO3M represents a cation including monovalent and multivalent cations, and n corresponds to the valence of M.
3. Aqueous microemulsion according to claim 1 wherein said liquid fluorinated monomer is selected from the group of fluorinated vinyl ethers having one or more nitrite groups, fluorinated olefins having one or more nitrile groups, fluorinated olefins having one or more halogen atoms selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine and iodine, fluorinated vinyl ethers having one or more halogen atoms selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine and iodine and mixtures thereof.
4. Aqueous microemulsion according to claim 1 wherein the liquid fluorinated monomer corresponds to one of the following formulas:
CF2CFCF2ORfCN CF2CFO(CF2)lCN CF2CFOCF2CF(CF3)Og(CF2)vOCF(CF3)CN CF2CFOCF2CF(CF3)kO(CF2)uCN
wherein, l represents an integer of 2 to 12; g represents an integer of 0 to 4; k represents 1 or 2; v represents an integer of 0 to 6; u represents an integer of 1 to 6, Rf is a perfluoroalkylene or a bivalent perfluoroether group.
5. Aqueous microemulsion according to claim 1 wherein the inert liquid and highly fluorinated hydrocarbon compound comprises a perfluorinated hydrocarbon compound.
6. Method of making an aqueous micro-emulsion according to claim 1 comprising mixing together water, a perfluorinated alkane sulphonic or carboxylic acid or salt thereof, optionally an inert liquid and highly fluorinated hydrocarbon compound and a liquid fluorinated monomer having a cure-site.
7. Process of making a fluoropolymer capable of being cured to a fluoroelastomer, the process comprising an aqueous emulsion polymerization of one or more fluorinated monomers and one or more liquid fluorinated monomers having a cure-site, characterized in that at least part of the liquid fluorinated monomers is provided as an aqueous microemulsion as defined in claim 1 during at least the initial stage of the aqueous emulsion polymerization process.
8. Process according to claim 7 wherein at least 2% by weight of the liquid fluorinated monomer having a cure-site based on the total weight of liquid fluorinated monomer having a cure-site is provided during the initial stage of the polymerization.
9. Process according to claim 7 wherein the polymerization is initiated with an initiator system selected from a combination of a fluoroaliphatic sulfinate and an oxidizing agent capable of oxidizing the sulfinate to a sulfonyl radical and a combination of a free radical initiator and a water soluble chloride salt.
10. Process according to claim 9 wherein the fluoropolymer is a perfluoropolymer and the initiator system and amount thereof is selected such that the amount of ionic end group in the resulting perfluoropolymer is such that the absorbance ratio determined by calculating the integrated peak intensity within the range of 1840 cm1-1620 cm1 to the integrated peak intensity in the range 2740 cm1-2220 cm1 in a Fourier transform infrared spectrum of the perfluoropolymer, is less than 0.1.
11. Process according to claim 7 further comprising the step of isolating the fluoropolymer from the aqueous dispersion obtained at the end of the polymerization process.
12. Process for making a curable fluoroelastomer composition comprising the steps of providing a fluoropolymer according to the process of claim 11 and mixing the fluoropolymer with a cure composition comprising one or more compounds capable of effecting curing of the fluoropolymer through the cure site components contained in said fluoropolymer.
13. Process according to claim 12 wherein the cure composition further comprises a polyunsaturated coagent.
14. Process for making a fluoroelastomer comprising the steps of providing a curable fluoroelastomer composition according to the process as defined in claim 12 and curing the thus obtained curable fluoroelastomer composition.
15. A cured fluoropolymer derivable from curing a fluoropolymer comprising units deriving from a liquid fluorinated monomer having a cure-site, wherein the amount of organic components extractable from the cured fluoropolymer with perfluoro benzene during Soxhiet extraction for 20 h is less than 5% by weight based on the weight of the cured fluoropolymer.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A photosensitive cartridge attachable todetachable from a main body of an image forming apparatus, comprising:
a photosensitive member;
an attachment unit configured to removably attach a developing cartridge including a developing member that develops a latent image formed on the photosensitive member to the photosensitive cartridge; and
a locking member configured to prevent disengaging of the developing cartridge from the attachment unit when the developing cartridge is attached to the attachment unit,
wherein the locking member comes into contact, when the photosensitive cartridge to which the developing cartridge has been attached is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, with a main body contact member provided to the main body and electrically connects the main body contact member and the developing cartridge.
2. The photosensitive cartridge according to claim 1,
wherein the locking member is movable between a regulation position of preventing the disengaging of the developing cartridge from the attachment unit and a permission position of permitting attachingdetaching of the developing cartridge tofrom the attachment unit, and wherein the photosensitive cartridge includes an urging unit configured to urge the locking member to move from the permission position to the regulation position.
3. The photosensitive cartridge according to claim 2, further comprising:
a frame configured to rotatably support the photosensitive member,
wherein the urging unit is provided to the frame.
4. The photosensitive cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the locking member is made of a conductive resin material.
5. The photosensitive cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a pressing member configured to press the developing member toward the photosensitive member.
6. The photosensitive cartridge according to claim 1,
wherein the locking member is movable between a regulation position of preventing the disengaging of the developing cartridge from the attachment unit and a permission position of permitting attachingdetaching of the developing cartridge tofrom the attachment unit, and
wherein the locking member moves from the regulation position to the permission position by coming into contact with the developing cartridge when the developing cartridge is attached to the attachment unit.
7. The photosensitive cartridge according to claim 1,
wherein the locking member is movable between a regulation position of preventing the disengaging of the developing cartridge from the attachment unit and a permission position of permitting attachingdetaching of the developing cartridge tofrom the attachment unit, and
wherein the locking member includes a force reception unit that receives a force for moving the locking member from the regulation position to the permission position.
8. The photosensitive cartridge according to claim 1,
wherein the developing cartridge includes a roller,
wherein the locking member includes a first abutment unit capable of coming into contact with the main body contact member and a second abutment unit capable of coming into contact with a shaft of the roller, and
wherein the locking member electrically connects the main body contact member and the roller.
9. A process cartridge attachable todetachable from a main body of an image forming apparatus, comprising:
a developing cartridge including a developing member that develops a latent image formed on a photosensitive member;
a photosensitive cartridge including the photosensitive member and an attachment unit that removably attaches the developing cartridge to the photosensitive cartridge; and
a locking member configured to prevent disengaging of the developing cartridge from the attachment unit when the developing cartridge is attached to the fitting unit,
wherein the locking member comes into contact, when the process cartridge is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, with a main body contact member provided to the main body, and electrically connects the main body contact member and the developing cartridge.
10. The process cartridge according to claim 9,
wherein the locking member is movable between a regulation position of preventing the disengaging of the developing cartridge from the attachment unit and a permission position of permitting attachingdetaching of the developing cartridge tofrom the attachment unit, and
wherein the photosensitive cartridge includes an urging unit that urges the locking member to move from the permission position to the regulation position.
11. The process cartridge according to claim 10, further comprising:
a frame configured to rotatably support the photosensitive member,
wherein the urging unit is provided to the frame.
12. The process cartridge according to claim 9, wherein the locking member is made of a conductive resin material.
13. The process cartridge according to claim 9, further comprising a pressing member configured to press the developing member toward the photosensitive member.
14. The process cartridge according to claim 9,
wherein the locking member is movable between a regulation position of preventing the disengaging of the developing cartridge from the attachment unit and a permission position of permitting attachingdetaching of the developing cartridge tofrom the attachment unit; and
the locking member moves from the regulation position to the permission position by coming into contact with the developing cartridge when the developing cartridge is attached to the attachment unit.
15. The process cartridge according to claim 9,
wherein the locking member is movable between a regulation position of preventing the disengaging of the developing cartridge from the attachment unit and a permission position of permitting attachingdetaching of the developing cartridge tofrom the attachment unit, and
wherein the locking member includes a force reception unit that receives a force for moving the locking member from the regulation position to the permission position.
16. The process cartridge according to claim 9,
wherein the developing cartridge includes a roller,
wherein the locking member includes a first abutment unit capable of coming into contact with the main body contact member and a second abutment unit capable of coming into contact with a shaft of the roller, and
wherein the locking member electrically connects the main body contact member and the roller.
17. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, comprising:
a developing cartridge including a developing member that develops a latent image formed on a photosensitive member;
a photosensitive cartridge including the photosensitive member and an attachment unit that removably attaches the developing cartridge to the photosensitive cartridge;
a locking member configured to prevent disengaging of the developing cartridge from the attachment unit when the developing cartridge is attached to the attachment unit;
an apparatus main body to which the photosensitive cartridge is attached; and
a main body contact member provided to the apparatus main body,
wherein the locking member comes into contact, when the photosensitive cartridge to which the developing cartridge has been attached is attached to the apparatus main body, with the main body contact member, and electrically connects the main body contact member and the developing cartridge.
18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17,
wherein the locking member is movable between a regulation position of preventing the disengaging of the developing cartridge from the attachment unit and a permission position of permitting attachingdetaching of the developing cartridge tofrom the attachment unit; and
wherein the photosensitive cartridge includes an urging unit that urges the locking member to move from the permission position to the regulation position.
19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:
a frame configured to rotatably support the photosensitive member,
wherein the urging unit is provided to the frame.
20. A developing cartridge attachable todetachable from a photosensitive cartridge including a photosensitive member and an attachment unit, comprising:
a developing member configured to develop a latent image formed on the photosensitive member; and
a locking member configured to prevent disengaging of the developing cartridge from the attachment unit when the developing cartridge is attached to the fitting unit,
wherein the locking member comes into contact, when the developing cartridge in a state where the photosensitive cartridge has been attached to the developing cartridge is attached to a main body of an image forming apparatus, with a main body contact member provided to the main body, and electrically connects the main body contact member and the developing cartridge.