A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study on the Mechanisms Behind Tribocharging Phenomenon and the Influence of Triboemission

This work describes recent research into the mechanisms behind tribocharging and the influence of triboemission. The term tribocharging is a type of contact-induced electrification and refers to the transfer of charge between rubbing components. The term triboemission, on the other hand, refers to e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Tribology Online 2019/12/15, Vol.14(5), pp.367-374
Main Authors: Ciniero, Alessandra, Fatti, Giulio, Righi, Maria Clelia, Dini, Daniele, Reddyhoff, Tom
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Charge transfer
Charging
Density functional theory
DFT
diamond
Diamonds
Electrification
Industrial applications
Lubricant films
Lubricants
Lubrication
Rubbing
silica amorphous
Silicon dioxide
Sliding contact
Surface charge
tribocharging
Triboemission
Vacuum gages
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Summary:This work describes recent research into the mechanisms behind tribocharging and the influence of triboemission. The term tribocharging is a type of contact-induced electrification and refers to the transfer of charge between rubbing components. The term triboemission, on the other hand, refers to emission of electrons, ions and photons generated when surfaces are rubbed together. The understanding of tribocharging is of wide interest for several industrial applications and in particular the combination of tribocharging and triboemission may be important in lubricated contacts in the formation of boundary lubricant films. We report the use of a unique vacuum measurement system that enables to measure surface charge variations while simultaneously recording triboemission events during the sliding of a diamond tip on silica specimens. Results show for the first time that tribocharging and triboemission behavior are linked and depend on the surface wear. The contribution of contact-induced electrification to the charging of the surface is then described by means of density functional theory (DFT). Results give insight into the transfer of charge from the SiO2 amorphous surface (silica) to the C(111) surface (diamond ) and into the variation of charging during simulated sliding contact.
ISSN:1881-2198
1881-218X
1881-2198
DOI:10.2474/trol.14.367