Designing the Shock Factor: Enhancing Contact-Separation Electrification with Interface Design

Have you ever felt that surprising jolt when you walk across a rug and then touch a doorknob? It's a classic case of Contact-Separation Electrification — an interesting phenomenon where static electricity builds up and suddenly discharges, giving you that unmistakable "shock" moment. Herein, I explore the other side of the coin, which means designing an interface that can provide a controlled enhancement in the electrification process, which can be harvested to power self-sustained devices autonomously. For example, adding a monolayer with electron-withdrawing or electron-donating groups to the surface of the metal, oxides, and polymer materials. This functionalization facilitates the prediction and quantification of the charging mechanism. Additionally, it shows a significant amount of charging. Fundamental understanding of the electronic structure of these interfaces presents the basis for designing efficient surfaces for large-scale applications in triboelectricity.