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Materials that Cause Static Electricity
by Ron Kurtus (revised 13 April 2008)
Some materials cause or create more static electricity than others. Since static electricity is the collection of electrically charged particles on the surface of a material, various materials have a tendency of either giving up electrons and becoming positive (+) in charge or attracting electrons and becoming negative (−) in charge. The Triboelectric Series is a list of materials, showing which have a greater tendency to become positive (+) and which have a greater tendency to become negative (−). The list is a handy tool to determine which combinations of materials create the most static electricity.
Questions you may have include:
- What are materials in the Triboelectric Series?
- What are the best combinations of materials?
- What are acceptable combinations ?
This lesson will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz near the end of the lesson.
Useful tools: Metric-English Conversion | Scientific Calculator.
Triboelectric Series
Common materials are listed according how well they create static electricity when rubbed with another material, as well as what charge the material will possess.
Become positive in charge
The following materials will tend to give up electrons when brought in contact with other materials. They are listed from those with the greatest tendency to give electrons to those that barely give up electrons.
Materials that gain a positive (+) electrical charge |
|
| Dry human skin | Greatest tendency to giving up electrons and becoming highly positive (+) in charge |
Leather |
|
Rabbit fur |
Fur is often used to create static electricity |
Glass |
The glass on your TV screen gets charged and collects dust |
Human hair |
"Flyaway hair" is a good example of having a moderate positive (+) charge |
Nylon |
|
Wool |
|
Lead |
A surprise that lead would collect as much static electricity as cat fur |
Cat fur |
|
Silk |
|
Aluminum |
Gives up some electrons |
Paper |
|
Neutral
There are very few materials that do not tend to readily attract or give up electrons when brought in contact or rubbed with other materials.
Materials that are relatively neutral |
|
Cotton |
Best for non-static clothes |
Steel |
Not useful for static electricity |
Become negative in charge
The following materials will tend to attract electrons when brought in contact with other materials. They are listed from those with the least tendency to attract electrons to those that readily attract electrons.
Materials that gain a negative (−) electrical charge |
|
Wood |
Attracts some electrons, but is almost neutral |
Amber |
|
Hard rubber |
Some combs are made of hard rubber |
Nickel, Copper |
Copper brushes used in Wimshurst electrostatic generator |
Brass, Silver |
|
Gold, Platinum |
It is surprising that these metals attract electrons almost as much as polyester |
Polyester |
Clothes have static cling |
Styrene (Styrofoam) |
Packing material seems to stick to everything |
Saran Wrap |
You can see how Saran Wrap will stick to things |
Polyurethane |
|
Polyethylene (like Scotch Tape) |
Pull Scotch Tape off surface and it will become charged |
Polypropylene |
|
Vinyl (PVC) |
Many electrons will collect on PVC surface |
Silicon |
|
Teflon |
Greatest tendency of gathering electrons on its surface and becoming highly negative (−) in charge |
Best Combinations
The best combinations of materials to create static electricity would be one from the positive charge list and one from the negative charge list.
Skin and polyester clothes
A common complaint people have in the winter is that they shoot sparks when touching objects. This is typically caused because they have dry skin, which can become highly positive (+) in charge, especially when the clothes they wear are made of polyester material, which can become negative (−) in charge.
People that build up static charges due to dry skin are advised to wear all-cotton clothes, which is neutral. Also, moist skin reduces the collection of charges.
Combing your hair
Human hair becomes positive (+) in charge when combed. A hard rubber or plastic comb will collect negative (−) charges on its surface. Since similar charges repel, the hair strands will push away from each other, especially if the hair is very dry. This is called "flyaway" hair. Since the comb is negatively charged, it will attract object with a positive charge—like hair. It will also even attract material with no charge—like small pieces of paper.
Fur and plexiglas rod
Rubbing a plexiglas rod with rabbit fur or wool will give the rod a negative charge. Although the rod can be used to pick up scraps of paper, the fur and wool quickly lose their charge.
Moderate combinations
When two materials that tend to give up electrons are rubbed together, the one with the greatest tendency will moderately become positive (+) in charge. Likewise, when two materials that tend to attract electrons are rubbed together, the one with the greatest tendency will moderately become negative (−) in charge.
Silk and glass
Rubbing a glass rod with a silk cloth will charge the glass with positive charges. The silk does not retain any charges for long.
Saran Wrap
Unrolling a piece of Saran Wrap or similar plastic wrap creates negative charges on the sheet. It will tend to stick to neutral items.
Summary
Various materials have a tendency of either giving up electrons and becoming positive (+) in charge or attracting electrons and becoming negative (−) in charge. The Triboelectric Series is a list of materials, showing the relative tendency to become charged. This list can be used to determine which combinations of materials create the most static electricity.
Be considerate of others and you will succeed
Resources
The following resources provide information on this subject:
Websites
Triboelectric effect - from Wikipedia free Encyclopedia
Triboelectric Charging of Common Objects - applications from the University of Rochester
Background of Triboelectric Effect - from Harvard University
Books
Top-rated
books on Static Electricity
Mini-quiz to check your understanding
If you got all three correct, you are on your way to becoming a Champion in Physics. If you had problems, you had better look over the material again.
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Materials that Cause Static Electricity