Electrostatics and tribocharging

COLL 156

George M. Whitesides, A. Winkleman, L. McCarty, B. Gryzbowski, and E. Tran. Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
Electrostatic charging is an important phenomenon in small devices. Because electrostatic forces are large, and because small devices have a high ratio of surface to volume, electrostatic forces can overpower the actions for which these devices are designed. Electrostatic charging (by static or sliding contact, or simply by proximity) has been studied for centuries, but is surprisingly undefined at the atomistic/molecular level. This talk will outline early results from a program designed to understand and manipulate electrostatic interactions in small objects.