Recent
research has demonstrated that heterogeneous charge-transfer
reactions are not restricted to conductors and that electrochemical
reactions can occur on the surface of statically charged insulators.
However, the exact mechanism by which insulators gain and lose electrical
charges remains controversial. Herein we have studied quantitatively
the reduction of silver ions on intrinsic amorphous silicon surfaces
that are statically charged by contact against plastic polymers. We
have quantified the magnitude of the redox work done by the tribocharged
silicon surface as a function of its adhesion and hardness, with these
two variables being tuned using covalent SiC monolayer chemistries.
We observed that metallic particles grow preferentially over surfaces
that are relatively soft (low DMT modulus) and highly adhesive, hence
indirectly proving that the triboelectrification of an insulator–insulator
dynamic contact is caused by the exchange of ionic fragments, rather
than by the movement of free electrons. This work clarifies the origin
of triboelectricity, devises a surface-chemistry method to maximize
tribocharging with immediate scope in single-electrode electrochemistry,
and describes a concept potentially suitable for the mask-free and
bias-free patterning of metal nanoparticles on photoconductors.
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