Patent ID: 7641973

Claim:
A conductive member, for use in an image-forming apparatus, which includes a conductive roller or a conductive belt, comprising a conductive layer formed of a conductive polymer composition containing an ionic-conductive addition salt capable of dissociating into cations and anions, said conductive layer comprising a continuous polymer phase and a discontinuous polymer phase which comprises a first discontinuous polymer phase and a second discontinuous polymer phase; said continuous polymer phase and said discontinuous polymer phase forming a sea-island structure; the polymer composing said first discontinuous polymer phase having a higher degree of affinity for said salt capable of dissociating into cations and anions than the polymer composing said continuous polymer phase; wherein said salt capable of dissociating into cations and anions is preferentially distributed in said first discontinuous polymer phase, and is only minimally distributed in said second discontinuous polymer phase and said continuous polymer phase; wherein an affinity between said salt and said polymer composing said first discontinuous polymer phase is higher than an affinity between said salt and said polymer composing said continuous polymer phase, and said affinity between said salt and said polymer composing said continuous polymer phase is higher than an affinity between said salt and said polymer composing said second discontinuous polymer phase; wherein a volume resistivity or electrical resistance of said first discontinuous polymer phase is lower than an electrical resistance or volume resistivity of said continuous polymer phase, and said electrical resistance of said continuous polymer phase is lower than an electrical resistance of said second discontinuous polymer phase; and wherein said conductive layer has a volume resistivity not less than 10 4 Ω·cm nor more than 10 12 Ω·cm, when said volume resistivity is measured at a voltage of 100V applied to said conductive polymer composition in accordance with the method specified in JIS K6911.