Patent ID: 7510813

Claim:
A resin-coated carrier for an electrophotographic developer, comprising: a core material; and a resin coating layer containing a polyhydroxyalkanoate containing one or more units each represented by the following chemical formula (1) in a molecule, the resin coating layer being placed on the core material: (in the formula: R represents -A 1 -SO 2 R 1 ; R 1 represents OH, a halogen atom, ONa, OK, or OR 1a ; and R 1a and A 1 each independently represent a group having a substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic hydrocarbon structure, a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic ring structure, or a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic structure; in addition, with regard to l, m, Z 1a , and Z 1b in the formula: l is 0 or an integer from 2-4; Z 1a represents nothing or a methylene group; when l represents an integer selected from 2 to 4, Z 1a represents nothing or a methylene group, Z 1b represents a hydrogen atom, and m represents an integer selected from 0 to 8; when l represents 0 and Z 1a represents a methylene group, the methylene group may be substituted by a linear or branched alkyl group, or an alkyl group containing a residue having any one of a phenyl structure, a thienyl structure, and a cyclohexyl structure at a terminal thereof, Z 1b represents a linear or branched alkyl group, aryl group, or aralkyl group which may be substituted by an aryl group, and m is 0; and when l represents 0 and Z 1a represents nothing, Z 1b represents a linear or branched alkyl group, aryl group, or aralkyl group which may be substituted by an aryl group, and m is 0; in addition, when multiple units exist, R, R 1 , R 1a , A 1 , Z 1a , Z 1b , l, and m each independently have the above meaning for each unit).