Temperature Effect on Dissipation of Triboelectric Charge into Air from Textile Surfaces

Abstract

Triboelectric charges on textiles dissipate through a charge conduction mechanism and also by accompanying water molecules evaporating into air. The latter dissipation is less extensive than the former, but can be measured quantitatively under highly insulated experimental conditions. Rate constants of charge dissipation into the air at 20°C have been reported as a function of the ambient humidity and water content of fabrics. In this study, the rate constants are analyzed at temperatures above or below 20°C. Two kinds of water molecules, free and bound, are known to be present in the textile surface from charge dissipation analysis. Though free water is involved in atmospheric charge dissipation, the condition of water molecules in the fibers cannot be classified so simply. Rate constants of charge dissipation depend on the ambient absolute humidity and water content of sample fabrics for all the temperatures of these experiments.