Control of triboelectric charges on common polymers by photoexcitation of organic dyes

Abstract

Triboelectric charging of insulators, also known as contact charging in which electrical charges develop on surfaces upon contact, is a significant problem that is especially critical for various industries such as polymers, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and space. Several methods of tribocharge mitigation exist in practice; however, none can reach the practicality of using light in the process. Here we show a light-controlled manipulation of triboelectric charges on common polymers, in which the tribocharges are mitigated upon illumination with appropriate wavelengths of light in presence of a mediator organic dye. Our method provides spatial and temporal control of mitigation of static charges on common polymer surfaces by a mechanism that involves photoexcitation of organic dyes, which also allows additional control using wavelength. This control over charge mitigation provides a way to manipulate macroscopic objects by tribocharging followed by light-controlled discharging.

Tribochemistry, Mechanical Alloying, Mechanochemistry: What is in a Name?

“…Important phenomena such as triboelectric charging ( Matsusaka et al, 2010 ; Cezan et al, 2019 ) and the mechanical generation of exposed surfaces ( Belenguer et al, 2016 ; Schneider-Rauber et al, 2021 ) or defects are equally likely to occur in inorganic, organic, and polymeric compounds. It is probable that such phenomena involving defect formation ( Boldyrev, 1973 ; Yelsukov et al, 2013 ) play a central role in most solid-state mechanochemical transformations, even if they are often overlooked and subsumed by explanations of “mere mixing”.…”

“…11,186 This represents a critical difference between inorganic and organic 'solid state' transformations under mechanochemical action. 133 Important phenomena such as triboelectric charging 158,187 and the mechanical generation of exposed surfaces 188,189 or defects are equally likely to occur in inorganic, organic, and polymeric compounds. It is probable that such phenomena involving defect formation 190 play a central role in most solid state mechanochemical transformations, even if they are often overlooked and subsumed by explanations of "mere mixing".…”

Natural and Eco-Friendly Materials for Triboelectric Energy Harvesting

“…During the motion process (sliding or separation), opposite charges on the surface of materials are produced, whose amount will significantly increase if the surface area increases and changes according to the different composition and structure of materials [24,25]. Several studies have been conducted to understand the charge formation mechanisms, and they also provided the basis for measurements standards [26][27][28]. In another work, Zou et al [29] demonstrated how to measure triboelectricity by using several polymers as examples.…”

3D‐Printed Triboelectric Nanogenerators: State of the Art, Applications, and Challenges

“…[ 27 ] To this end, the triboelectric series is widely used to choose appropriate triboelectric materials. [ 7 ] A material found at the bottom of the series, when in friction with a material found at the top of the series, will acquire more electrons. The further the distance between the two materials in the series, the greater is the charge transfer that occurs in the TENG.…”

“…In recent years, personal electronic devices have become smaller and more portable in a smart fashion. [1] Researchers are striving to develop smaller-sized wearable [2] and implantable sensors [3] to monitor physiological and environmental signs including, but not limited to, pressure, [4] proximity, [5] motion, [6] chemistry, [7] optics, [8,9] biologics, [10] humidity, [11] temperature, [12] gas, [13] acoustics, [14] neural, [15] and cochlear. [16] In the near future, on average, each person will carry dozens of such small electronic devices, which will require a portable power source.…”