Foam Static Electricity

Static electricity, contact history

Static electricity depends on materials' contact history, physicists show

For centuries, static electricity has been the subject of intrigue and scientific investigation. Now, researchers from the Waitukaitis group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have uncovered a vital clue to this enduring mystery: the contact history of materials controls how they exchange charge.

Science News · 2d

Squishy materials reveal new physics of static electricity

The work could be a step toward understanding the effects behind the phenomenon of static electricity, in which electric charge accumulates on materials after they are rubbed or touched together. Although static electricity is a daily phenomenon,

Physics World · 2d

Memory of previous contacts affects static electricity on materials

According to Sobarzo’s and colleagues, this problem has been confounded by the diverse array of variables associated with a material’s contact electrification. These include its electronic properties, pH, hydrophobicity, and mechanochemistry, to name just a few.

Scientists unlock vital clue to strange quirk of static electricity

Now scientists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have identified a critical factor explaining that ...

The Debrief2d

Static Electricity Gets a Jolt as Scientists Solve Decades-Old Mystery

Static electricity affects everyday life in familiar ways—the shock from touching a doorknob, a balloon sticking to a child’s ...

Hackaday4mon

Static Electricity And The Machines That Make It

Static electricity often just seems like an everyday annoyance when a wool sweater crackles as you pull it off, or when a doorknob delivers an unexpected zap. Regardless, the phenomenon is much ...

17don MSN

What causes static electricity?

The Bakken Museum in South Minneapolis allows people to learn about the awkward and sometimes painful feeling.

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