Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: The triboelectric effect, charge transfer during sliding, is well established but the thermodynamic driver is not well understood. We hypothesize here that flexoelectric potential differences induced by inhomogeneous strains at nanoscale asperities drive tribocharge separation. Modeling single asperity elastic contacts suggests that nanoscale flexoelectric potential differences of ±1-10 V or larger arise during indentation and pull-off. This hypothesis agrees with several experimental observations, including bipolar charging during stick slip, inhomogeneous tribocharge patterns, charging between similar materials, and surface charge density measurements.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Authors: C. A. Mizzi, A. Y. W. Lin, L. D. Marks
Institution: Northwestern University
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2941934658