In situ quantitative study of nanoscale triboelectrification and patterning
Journal
Nano letters
Journal Volume
13
Journal Issue
6
Pages
2771
Date Issued
2013-06-12
Author(s)
Abstract
By combining contact-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning Kevin probe microscopy (SKPM), we demonstrated an in situ method for quantitative characterization of the triboelectrification process at the nanoscale. We systematically characterized the triboelectric charge distribution, multifriction effect on charge transfer, as well as subsequent charge diffusion on the dielectric surface: (i) the SiO2 surface can be either positively or negatively charged through triboelectric process using Si-based AFM probes with and without Pt coating, respectively; (ii) the triboelectric charges accumulated from multifriction and eventually reached to saturated concentrations of (-150 ± 8) μC/m(2) and (105 ± 6) μC/m(2), respectively; (iii) the charge diffusion coefficients on SiO2 surface were measured to be (1.10 ± 0.03) × 10(-15) m(2)/s for the positive charge and (0.19 ± 0.01) × 10(-15) m(2)/s for the negative charges. These quantifications will facilitate a fundamental understanding about the triboelectric and de-electrification process, which is important for designing high performance triboelectric nanogenerators. In addition, we demonstrated a technique for nanopatterning of surface charges without assistance of external electric field, which has a promising potential application for directed self-assembly of charged nanostructures for nanoelectronic devices.
Subjects
Triboelectric; atomic force microscopy; scanning Kelvin probe microscopy; nanogenerators; TENG; CONTACT ELECTRIFICATION; SURFACE-CHARGE; SEPARATION; PHYSICS
Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
Type
journal article