SKM 2023 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 26: Poster: New Methods

O 26.3: Poster

Monday, March 27, 2023, 18:00–20:00, P2/EG

Dynamics of contact electrification — •Andre Mölleken, Hermann Nienhaus, and Rolf Möller — Fakultät für Physik, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Germany

Although the electrical charging of objects brought into contact has been observed for centuries, the details of the underlying mechanism are still not yet fully understood. We have developed an experimental method to follow the charge of a small sphere bouncing on a grounded planar electrode on a time scale down to 1 μs. In case of a contact between two metals, it reveals that the sphere is discharged in the moment of contact, which lasts about 6 to 8 μs. However, at the very moment of disruption of the electrical contact, it regains charge far beyond the expectation according to the contact potential difference. The excess charge rises with increasing contact area.

[1] M. Kaponig, A. Mölleken, H. Nienhaus, R. Möller, Dynamics of contact electrification, Sci. Adv. 2021, 7 (22), eabg7595.