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Surface Contamination and Contact Electrification

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Abstract

When two materials are touched together and then separated, we find, in general, that charge has transferred between them. This phenomenon is known as contact electrification or contact charging. It is most apparent when one or both of the contacting materials is an insulator, because of the ability of an insulator to retain charge. Contact charging is one of the oldest studied phenomena in physics but is still incompletely understood. Despite this, considerable use is made of these effects in industrial processes. It is the basis of xerography, electrostatic precipitators, electrostatic paint and crop spraying, and ink jet printing and is made use of in a wide variety of other applications. Contact charging can also be a considerable nuisance, causing irritating electric shocks in the home and office environment. Many semiconductor devices are highly susceptible to damage from acquired static charges. The buildup of static charges and their subsequent discharge can be extremely hazardous in flammable and explosive environments.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Joint Laboratory of Physics and Electrical Engineering, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, Sackville Street, Manchester 1, UK

    K. P. Homewood

  2. Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 5XH, UK

    K. P. Homewood

Authors
  1. K. P. Homewood
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. IBM Corporate Technical Institutes, Thornwood, New York, USA

    K. L. Mittal

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© 1987 Plenum Press, New York

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Homewood, K.P. (1987). Surface Contamination and Contact Electrification. In: Mittal, K.L. (eds) Treatise on Clean Surface Technology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-9126-5_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-9126-5_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-9128-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-9126-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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