Abstract
Contact-electrification is a universal effect for all existing materials, but it still lacks a quantitative materials database to systematically understand its scientific mechanisms. Using an established measurement method, this study quantifies the triboelectric charge densities of nearly 30 inorganic nonmetallic materials. From the matrix of their triboelectric charge densities and band structures, it is found that the triboelectric output is strongly related to the work functions of the materials. Our study verifies that contact-electrification is an electronic quantum transition effect under ambient conditions. The basic driving force for contact-electrification is that electrons seek to fill the lowest available states once two materials are forced to reach atomically close distance so that electron transitions are possible through strongly overlapping electron wave functions. We hope that the quantified series could serve as a textbook standard and a fundamental database for scientific research, practical manufacturing, and engineering.
Highlights
Contact-electrification is a universal effect for all existing materials, but it still lacks a quantitative materials database to systematically understand its scientific mechanisms
A standard method[6] has been established that allows this material “gene” of triboelectric charge density (TECD) to be quantitatively measured by contacting a tested material with a liquid metal using the output of a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) under fixed conditions
Inorganic materials have different atomic structures and band structures from polymers; it is necessary to quantify the triboelectric series for a wide range of common solid inorganic materials and study their triboelectric series in order to establish a fundamental understanding about their underlying mechanisms
Summary
Contact-electrification is a universal effect for all existing materials, but it still lacks a quantitative materials database to systematically understand its scientific mechanisms. A standard method[6] has been established that allows this material “gene” of triboelectric charge density (TECD) to be quantitatively measured by contacting a tested material with a liquid metal using the output of a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) under fixed conditions. Many studies have been done on the analysis of the amount of the generated charges, including the correlation of charge amount with chemical nature[2], electrochemical reactions[9], work function[10], ion densities[11], thermionic emission[9], triboemission[12,13], charge affinity[14], surface conditions and circumstances[15], and flexoelectricity[16] These studies focus on certain samples and quantitative data measured under various environmental conditions. The only required condition for CE is that the two materials are forced into the atomically close distance so that electronic transitions are possible between strongly overlapping wave functions
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