Electrostatic charge generation and buildup during contact and frictional electrification of woven textile fabrics

Abstract

Woven textile fabrics of cotton, polyester, nylon and polypropylene have been tested for contact and frictional electrification under similar experimental conditions. These fabrics are contacted and rubbed with steel and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) for investigating electrostatic charge generation and dissipation properties between polymer-metal and polymer-polymer materials. Measurements have been made for the charge buildup after first initial contact/rubbing; the charge buildup during 50 contact/rubbing cycles; and the half-life discharge time. It is observed that the charge generation during rubbing and contact with steel is less than that with PTFE. It is also observed that the samples charged by rubbing decay quickly as compared to the contact charged samples. The findings indicate that with a few exceptions, the charge magnitude and polarity follow the triboelectric series.