Uncertainty and Irreproducibility of Triboelectricity Based on Interface Mechanochemistry

Giulio Fatti, Hyunseung Kim, Changwan Sohn, Minah Park, Yeong-won Lim, Zhuohan Li, Kwi-Il Park, Izabela Szlufarska, Hyunseok Ko, Chang Kyu Jeong, and Sung Beom Cho

Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 166201 – Published 19 October 2023

Abstract

Triboelectrification mechanism is still not understood, despite centuries of investigations. Here, we propose a model showing that mechanochemistry is key to elucidate triboelectrification fundamental properties. Studying contact between gold and silicate glasses, we observe that the experimental triboelectric output is subject to large variations and polarity inversions. First principles analysis shows that electronic transfer is activated by mechanochemistry and the tribopolarity is determined by the termination exposed to contact, depending on the material composition, which can result in different charging at the macroscale. The electron transfer mechanism is driven by the interface barrier dynamics, regulated by mechanical forces. The model provides a unified framework to explain several experimental observations, including the systematic variations in the triboelectric output and the mixed positive-negative “mosaic” charging patterns, and paves the way to the theoretical prediction of the triboelectric properties.

Received 18 November 2022
Revised 22 May 2023
Accepted 15 September 2023

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.166201

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Composition Pressure effects Surface & interfacial phenomena Tribology

Dielectrics Solid-solid interfaces

Density functional theory First-principles calculations

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Giulio Fatti ¹, Hyunseung Kim^2,3, Changwan Sohn^2,3, Minah Park ², Yeong-won Lim^2,3, Zhuohan Li ⁴, Kwi-Il Park ⁵, Izabela Szlufarska ⁶, Hyunseok Ko ¹, Chang Kyu Jeong ^2,3,7,*, and Sung Beom Cho ^8,9,†

¹Center of Materials Digitalization, Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology (KICET), Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do 52851, Republic of Korea
²Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 54896, Republic of Korea
³Department of Energy Storage/Conversion Engineering of Graduate School and Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research Center, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 54896, Republic of Korea
⁴Materials Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
⁵School of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
⁶Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1595, USA
⁷Department of JBNU-KIST Industry-Academia Convergence Research, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 54896, Republic of Korea
⁸Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 16499, Republic of Korea
⁹Department of Energy Systems Research, Ajou University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 16499, Republic of Korea

^*Corresponding author: ckyu@jbnu.ac.kr
^†Corresponding author: csb@ajou.ac.kr

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Issue

Vol. 131, Iss. 16 — 20 October 2023

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