Frictional Electrification on Polymeric Flat Surfaces

The electrostatic charge on nylon, polypropylene (PP), and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) after rubbing against stainless steel and against each other was examined using a newly developed rubbing device with automated features. It is observed that the charge generated on PTFE and PP increases as the contact force increases, while the charge generated on nylon is not affected by the contact force. It is also found that the charge generated on PTFE and nylon due to friction is more than that due to repeated contacts and separations, however, this difference was not observed on PP. Furthermore, the charge generated on these three polymers is not affected by the rubbing speed at the levels of 27, 47, 95 mm/min. In addition, the triboelectric series of these three polymers and stainless steel is investigated by rubbing against each other.