The electrostatic charge on exuded liquid drops

Abstract

Fluid triboelectrification, also known as flow electrification, remains an under-explored yet ubiquitous phenomenon with potential applications from material science to planetary evolution. Building upon previous efforts to position water within the triboelectric series, we investigate the charge on individual, millimetric water drops falling through air. Our experiments measured the charge and mass of each drop using a Faraday cup mounted on a mass balance, and connected to an electrometer. For pure water in a glass syringe with a grounded metal tip, we find the charge per drop (Δqm) was approximately −5 pC g−1 to −1 pC g−1. This was independent of the release height of the drop, tip diameter and length, tip cleaning preparation, and whether the experiment was shielded with a Faraday cage. Biasing the tip to different voltages allowed for linear control of the drop charge, and the results were consistent with known electrochemical effects, namely the Volta potential expected between most metals and bulk water (≈−0.5 V). Introducing insulating plastic materials into the experiment (from the syringe body or tip) imparted large amounts of charge on the drops with systematic charge evolution. Together these results show that the flow electrification of water is more complex than previously reported, and is driven by material-dependent electrostatic processes.

Graphical abstract: The electrostatic charge on exuded liquid drops

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Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 Jan 2025
Accepted
16 May 2025
First published
19 May 2025
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Soft Matter, 2025, Advance Article

The electrostatic charge on exuded liquid drops

S. Arn, P. Illing, J. M. Harper and J. C. Burton, Soft Matter, 2025, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D5SM00089K

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