Triboelectric effect

The triboelectric effect (also known as triboelectricity, triboelectric charging, triboelectrification, or tribocharging) describes electric charge transfer between two objects when they contact or slide against each other. It can occur with different materials, such as the sole of a shoe on a carpet, or between two pieces of the same material. It occurs with differing amounts of charge transfer (tribocharge) for all solid materials and all contacts and sliding. There is evidence that tribocharging can also occur between combinations of solids, liquids and gases. Often static electricity is a consequence of the triboelectric effect when the charge stays on one or both of the objects and is not conducted away. The term triboelectricity has been used to refer to the field of study or the general phenomenon of the triboelectric effect, or to the static electricity that results from it. When there is no sliding, tribocharging is sometimes called contact electrification, and any static electricity generated is sometimes called contact electricity. The terms are often used interchangeably, and may be confused. Triboelectric charge plays a major role in industries ranging from xerography to packaging of pharmaceutical powders, and in many processes such as dust storms and planetary formation. It can also increase friction and adhesion. While many aspects of the triboelectric effect are now understood and extensively documented, significant disagreements remain in the current literature about the underlying details. Timeline of electromagnetism and classical opticsHistory of electromagnetic theory and Electric charge#History The historical development of triboelectricity is interwoven with work on static electricity and electrons themselves. Experiments involving triboelectricity and static electricity occurred before the discovery of the electron. The name ēlektron comes from the Greek word for amber, which in turn is connected to the recording of electrostatic charging by Thales of Miletus around 585 BCE, and possibly others even earlier.