Physics – Condensed Matter – Soft Condensed Matter
Scientific paper
2010-03-26
Nature Physics, 6, 364-368 (2010)
Physics
Condensed Matter
Soft Condensed Matter
In press in Nature Physics
Scientific paper
Grains in desert sandstorms spontaneously generate strong electrical charges; likewise volcanic dust plumes produce spectacular lightning displays. Charged particle clouds also cause devastating explosions in food, drug, and coal processing industries. Despite the wide-ranging importance of granular charging in both nature and industry, even the simplest aspects of its causes remain elusive, for it is difficult to understand how inert grains in contact with little more than other inert grains can generate the large charges observed. In this paper, we present a simple yet predictive explanation for the charging of granular materials in collisional flows. We argue from very basic considerations that charge transfer can be expected in collisions of identical dielectric grains, and we confirm the model's predictions using discrete element simulations and a tabletop granular experiment.
Herrmann Hans Jürgen
Pähtz Thomas
Shinbrot Troy
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