triboelectricity

Triboelectricity is a type of static electricity that is generated by friction between two different materials. When two objects come into contact and then are separated, one material may gain electrons while the other loses electrons. This transfer of electrons results in a net positive charge on one object and a net negative charge on the other. The magnitude of the charge transfer depends on the materials involved, the surface area of contact, and the pressure applied. This phenomenon is commonly observed when rubbing a balloon on hair, causing the balloon to stick to a wall, or when walking across a carpet and then touching a doorknob, resulting in a small shock. The principle behind triboelectricity is related to the triboelectric effect, which describes the tendency of different materials to gain or lose electrons when brought into contact. This effect can be quantified using a triboelectric series, which ranks materials based on their propensity to become positively or negatively charged. Triboelectricity has practical applications in areas such as electrostatic dust removal, photocopiers, and emerging technologies like triboelectric nanogenerators, which aim to harvest energy from ambient mechanical motion.