The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has funded a new research project, which aims to predict triboelectrification from the solid-state molecular base to resolve troublesome issues, such as cohesive arching, caking, segregation and in extreme cases fire and explosion. This is relevant to manufacturing of particulate products and advancing Tribo-Electric Nano-Generator (TENG) technology from a fundamental basis. The project is led by Professor Mojtaba Ghadiri from the University of Leeds, co-investigated by Professors Jerry Heng (Imperial College London), Michael Bryant, Simon Connell, Andrew Scott, Xiaodong Jia and Wei Pin Goh from the University of Leeds.

The inaugural meeting of the project was held on the 20th of October 2023, and attended by our industrial partners and academic collaborators. The meeting set to mark the start of this three-year research project and provide an opportunity to discuss the strategic planning of the project. The participants shared their expertise and expectations on the topic of triboelectrification, a phenomenon which is prevalent in powders and grains, in areas such as pharmaceuticals and foods, and also of great current interest in energy harvesting, sensors, and nanomaterials applications.

 Professor Mojtaba Ghadiri, the principal investigator of the project, said: “We are very excited to launch this project, which will advance our fundamental understanding of triboelectrification and explore its novel applications. We are grateful to the EPSRC for their support and to our industrial and academic partners for their collaboration. We look forward to working together to achieve our research goals and deliver impactful outcomes.”

 The project will involve experimental and theoretical studies on triboelectrification at different scales, from molecular to bulk levels. The project will also develop new methods and tools for measuring and controlling triboelectrification, as well as designing and testing triboelectric devices for various purposes such as tribo-electric nanogenerator (TENG).

 The next meeting of the project is scheduled for January 2024, where the progress and results of the first year will be presented and discussed. The project website (https://triboelectrification.org/) will provide more information and updates on the project activities and outputs.