Contact electrification occurs when two isolated objects come into contact. Such a phenomenon led humans to first realization of the existence of electricity. Until now, the main causes of the triboelectric charging phenomenon have generally been thought to be the transfer of electrons, ions, and materials. This article, however, is limited to electron transfer on the surface, which is regarded as a general case not limited to specific situations. The contact between two objects occurs between the two surfaces; therefore, the surface properties of the material under examination are the most important properties in triboelectric charge transfer. The surface properties may include the types of materials in contact, their energy states, the roughnesses of their surfaces, and their elastic moduli. In this regard, we introduce here the current understanding of the energy band structures involved in the different types of materials, the method of measurement, an analysis of surface charges, and related applications.
Understanding contact electrification at liquid–solid interfaces from surface electronic structure