Patent ID: 8750762

Claim:
A charging member comprising a conductive support and an elastic-material layer, wherein the elastic-material layer comprises a vulcanized rubber, and the vulcanized rubber is a vulcanized product of a composition which comprises i) a binder polymer comprising a polymer having a butadiene skeleton and ii) carbon black as an electrically conductive particle dispersed in the binder polymer; wherein the polymer having a butadiene skeleton has a molecular terminal modified with an atomic group represented by the following general formula (1) or (2): wherein X represents OH or SH, and R11 to R15 and R21 to R25 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a monovalent substituent; or wherein Y represents OH or SH, and R3 to R5 each represent a hydrogen atom or a monovalent substituent; and wherein the carbon black is chemically bonded to the binder polymer.