Peeling tape produces strong electric fields via stick–slip friction that drive chemical reactions
Abstract
Adhesive interfaces store significant energy due to interlocking molecular chain entanglement and van der Waals forces. When two adhesive surfaces are separated, triboelectric effects induce charge transfer, generating a strong electric field at the peeling interface. This effect offers different opportunities for initiating chemical reactions. Here, we report that the stick–slip friction involved in peeling tape produces electric fields on the order of 10 9 V/m, as measured by the vibrational Stark shift observed by confocal Raman spectroscopy during tape peeling. This field is sufficiently strong to ionize water and produce the H 4 O 2 + cation, a hydroxyl radical adduct with a hydronium ion. We further demonstrate that this electric field can drive a variety of electron transfer reactions. Our findings suggest that tribocharging presents a promising, energy-efficient avenue for electric-field-driven green chemistry.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (10)
Xufeng Gao
College of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Chemical Power Sources, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai University
Peng Zhou
Xu Yuan
College of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Chemical Power Sources, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter
Xiaoxu Li
Bowen Li
Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Yu Xia
Yifan Meng
College of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Chemical Power Sources, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter
Richard N. Zare
Stanford University , , , ,
Tingting Zheng
Xinxing Zhang
Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai University , , , ,