Tribocharging of Granular Materials Dictated by Geometric and Thermoelectric Effects
Abstract
Tribocharging of granular materials is a widespread phenomenon ranging from volcanic eruptions and dust storms to pharmaceutical processing, yet its underlying mechanism remains elusive. Recent thermoelectric models have provided a quantitative framework for triboelectric charge transfer, but they have difficulty accounting for charging between identical materials. In this Letter, we propose a theory of granular tribocharging based on the interplay between particle geometry and thermoelectric response. Collision-induced frictional heating produces a size-dependent temperature asymmetry between particles, generating a thermoelectric voltage that drives charge transfer. The sign of the Seebeck coefficient determines the charging polarity, while particle size and thermal properties set its magnitude. Our multi-collision theory explains the experimentally observed size- and material-dependent reversal of charging polarity, as in quartz and nylon.
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BibTeX
@misc{kang2026tribocharging,
title = {{Tribocharging of Granular Materials Dictated by Geometric and Thermoelectric Effects}},
author = {Donggeun Kang and Ji-Ho Mun and Seungil Baek and Jaeuk Seo and Sirichok Jungthawan and Yong Woon Kim and Yong-Hyun Kim},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.36757},
eprint = {2610.36757},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.36757},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Tribocharging of Granular Materials Dictated by Geometric and Thermoelectric Effects
AU - Donggeun Kang
AU - Ji-Ho Mun
AU - Seungil Baek
AU - Jaeuk Seo
AU - Sirichok Jungthawan
AU - Yong Woon Kim
AU - Yong-Hyun Kim
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.36757
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.36757
AB - Tribocharging of granular materials is a widespread phenomenon ranging from volcanic eruptions and dust storms to pharmaceutical processing, yet its underlying mechanism remains elusive. Recent thermoelectric models have provided a quantitative framework for triboelectric charge transfer, but they have difficulty accounting for charging between identical materials. In this Letter, we propose a theory of granular tribocharging based on the interplay between particle geometry and thermoelectric response. Collision-induced frictional heating produces a size-dependent temperature asymmetry between particles, generating a thermoelectric voltage that drives charge transfer. The sign of the Seebeck coefficient determines the charging polarity, while particle size and thermal properties set its magnitude. Our multi-collision theory explains the experimentally observed size- and material-dependent reversal of charging polarity, as in quartz and nylon.
ER -