Everything about Contact Electrification totally explained
In the late
18th century, scientists developed sensitive instruments for detecting 'electrification', otherwise known as
electrostatic charge imbalance. The phenomenon of electrification by contact, or
contact electrification or
contact tension, was quickly discovered. When two objects were touched together, sometimes the objects became spontaneously charged. One object developed a net negative charge, while the other developed an equal and opposite positive charge. It is an
obsolete scientific theory that attempted to explain how electricity is generated in an
electric battery or, as it was then called, the
Voltaic pile.
Contact electrification phenomenon allowed the construction of so-called 'frictional' electrostatic generators such as Ramsden's or Winter's machines, but it also led directly to the development of most modern electrical technology such as
batteries,
fuel cells,
electroplating,
thermocouples, and semiconductor junction devices including
radio detector diodes,
photocells,
LEDs, and
thermoelectric cells.
History
The theory held that static electricity was generated by means of contact between dissimilar materials, and was in close agreement with the principles of
static electricity as then understood. It was eventually replaced by the current theory of
electrochemistry, namely, that electricity is generated by the action of
chemistry and the exchange of
electrons between
atoms making up the battery. An important fact leading to the rejection of the theory of contact tension was the observation that
corrosion, that is, the chemical degradation of the battery, seemed unavoidable with its use, and that the more electricity was drawn from the battery, the faster the corrosion proceeded.
In fact, the Volta effect does correspond to a weak
electric potential developed by the contact of different metals. This effect was first discovered by
Alessandro Volta, and can be measured using a
capacitance electroscope comprised of different metals. However, the actual effect isn't sufficiently strong to account for the action of electric batteries.
A number of
high voltage dry piles were invented between the early 1800s and the 1830s in an attempt to determine the answer to this question, and specifically to support Volta’s hypothesis of contact tension. The
Oxford Electric Bell is one example.
Triboelectric contact
Main article: Triboelectric effect
If two different
insulators are touched together, such as when a piece of rubber is touched against a piece of glass, then the surface of the rubber will acquire an excess negative charge, and the glass will acquire an equal positive charge. If the surfaces are then pulled apart, a very
high voltage is produced. This so-called "tribo" or "rubbing" effect isn't well understood. It may be caused by electron-stealing via
quantum tunneling, or by transfer of surface ions. Friction isn't required, although in many situations it greatly increases the phenomenon. Certain phenomena related to frictionally generated electrostatic charges have been known since antiquity, though of course the modern theory of electricity was developed after the
Scientific Revolution.
Electrolytic-metallic contact
If a piece of metal is touched against an
electrolytic material, the metal will spontaneously become charged, while the electrolyte will acquire an equal and opposite charge. Upon first contact, a chemical reaction called a '
half-cell reaction' occurs on the metal surface. As metal ions are transferred to or from the electrolyte, and as the metal and electrolyte become oppositely charged, the increasing voltage at the thin insulating
layer between metal and electrolyte will oppose the motion of the flowing ions, causing the chemical reaction to come to a stop. If a second piece of a different type of metal is placed in the same electrolyte bath, it'll charge up and rise to a different voltage. If the first metal piece is touched against the second, the voltage on each metal piece will be forced to a different level, and the chemical reactions will run constantly. In this way the 'contact electrification' becomes continuous. At the same time, an electric current will appear, with the path forming a closed loop which lead from one metal part to the other, and leading out through the chemical reactions on the metal surface, through the electrolyte, then back into the chemical reactions on the second metal surface. In this way, contact electrification leads to the invention of the
Galvanic cell or
battery.
See also: Dry pile
Metallic contact
If two metals having differing
work functions are touched together, one steals electrons from the other, and the opposite net charges grow larger and larger; this is the
Volta effect. The process is halted when the voltage between the two metals reaches a particular value (the difference in work function values; usually less than one volt.)
Semiconductor contact
If metal touches a semiconductive material, or if two different semiconductors are placed into contact, one becomes charged slightly positive and the other slightly negative. It is found that if this junction between semiconductors is connected to a power supply, and if the power supply is set to a voltage slightly higher than the natural voltage appearing because of contact electrification, then for one polarity of voltage there will be a current between the two semiconductor parts, but if the polarity is reversed, the current stops. Thus contact electrification leads to the invention of the
diode or
rectifier and triggers the revolution in
Semiconductor electronics and
physics.
In materials with a
direct band gap, if bright light is aimed at one part of the contact area between the two semiconductors, the voltage at that spot will rise, and an electric current will appear. When light meets contact electrification, the light energy is changed directly into electrical energy, allowing creation of
solar cells. Later it was found that the same process can be reversed, and if a current is forced backwards across the contact region between the semiconductors, sometimes light will be emitted, allowing creation of the
LED.
Further Information
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