Charge Partitioning at Gas−Solid Interfaces: Humidity Causes Electricity Buildup on Metals

Isolated metals within Faraday cages spontaneously acquire charge at relative humidity above 50%: aluminum and chrome-plated brass become negative, stainless steel is rendered positive, and copper remains almost neutral. Isolated metal charging within shielded and grounded containers confirms that t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inLangmuir Vol. 26; no. 17; pp. 13763 - 13766
Main Authors Ducati, Telma R. D, Simões, Luís H, Galembeck, Fernando
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington, DC American Chemical Society 07.09.2010
Subjects
Chemistry
Exact sciences and technology
General and physical chemistry
Surface physical chemistry
Relative humidity
Electric charge
Ion transfer
Brass
Reservoir
Transition metal
Aluminium
Solid
Reproducibility
Stainless steel
Atmosphere
Humidity
Gas solid interface
Copper
Electrostatics
Interface
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Summary:Isolated metals within Faraday cages spontaneously acquire charge at relative humidity above 50%: aluminum and chrome-plated brass become negative, stainless steel is rendered positive, and copper remains almost neutral. Isolated metal charging within shielded and grounded containers confirms that the atmosphere is an electric charge reservoir where OH− and H+ ions transfer to gas−solid interfaces, producing net current. The electricity buildup dependence on humidity, or hygroelectricity, acts simultaneously but in opposition to the well-known charge dissipation due to the increase in surface conductance of solids under high humidity. Acknowledging this dual role of humidity improves the reproducibility of electrostatic experiments.
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ISSN:0743-7463
1520-5827
DOI:10.1021/la102494k