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Temperature dependence of nylon and PTFE triboelectrification

Isaac A. Harris, Melody X. Lim, and Heinrich M. Jaeger
Phys. Rev. Materials 3, 085603 – Published 14 August 2019
Physics logo See Synopsis: Static Electricity Needs Water

Abstract

Contact electrification, or tribocharging, is pertinent to a broad range of industrial and natural processes involving dielectric materials. However, the basic mechanism by which charge is transferred between insulators is still unclear. Here, we use a simple apparatus that brings two macroscopic surfaces into repeated contact and measures the charge on the surfaces after each contact. We vary the temperature of the surfaces and find that increasing temperature leads to a decrease in the magnitude of charge transfer. When paired with a Monte Carlo simulation and thermogravimetric analysis measurements, our results support a mechanism where adsorbed surface water is crucial for charge exchange. Our setup is easily extendable to a variety of industrially relevant materials.

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  • Received 10 May 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.3.085603

©2019 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

  1. Research Areas
Polymers & Soft Matter

Synopsis

Key Image

Static Electricity Needs Water

Published 14 August 2019

Experiments pressing two materials together show that static electricity accumulates when surface water lets ions move from one surface to another.

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Authors & Affiliations

Isaac A. Harris, Melody X. Lim, and Heinrich M. Jaeger

  • Department of Physics and James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, 5720 S. Ellis Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA

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Issue

Vol. 3, Iss. 8 — August 2019

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