Regulation and influence factors of triboelectricity at the solid-liquid interface

Abstract

Abstract Based on the principle of electric double layer (EDL) theory and the two-step model of electron or/and ion transfer, recent studies have indicated that electron transfer and ion transfer have a dual effect on the contact electrification (CE) of the solid–liquid interface, whereas the interfered contribution of different factors has received little attention. Herein, through a tubular liquid–solid triboelectric nanogenerator, the effects of temperature, ionic concentration, and pH value on the CE are studied, which reveals that the change in the polarity and size of the triboelectricity is attributed to the combined effects on the basis of charge dissipation, counter ion attraction and carrier type. The competitive effect of electrolyte concentration leads to the formation of maximum triboelectric output. Moreover, the change of pH values makes the situation more complicated because the ions adsorbed on the surface have also changed, which causes the maximum output of the triboelectricity to appear twice before and after the isoelectric point (IEP). In addition, CE is also controlled by changes in surface composition. These data can contribute to comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of the CE at the solid–liquid interface.