Spontaneous ordering of identical materials into a triboelectric series.

ABSTRACT: When two insulating, neutral materials are contacted and separated, they exchange electrical charge¹. Experiments have long suggested that this 'contact electrification' is transitive, with different materials ordering into 'triboelectric series' based on the sign of charge acquired². At the same time, the effect is plagued by unpredictability, preventing consensus on the mechanism and casting doubt on the rhyme and reason that series imply³. Here we expose an unanticipated connection between the unpredictability and order in contact electrification: nominally identical materials initially exchange charge randomly and intransitively, but-over repeated experiments-order into triboelectric series. We find that this evolution is driven by the act of contact it

SUBMITTER: Sobarzo JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11839458 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature