In our preoccupation with thc dramatic developments in the numerous fields of modern physics with their beautiful instrumentation and exciting revelations, we tend to forget our profound ignorance of some of the longest known pheno mena of physics. Among these were, until the middle nineteen hundred and thir ties, ferromagnetism, friction, lightning stroke, the common electric spark, and static electrification. The first two have now been pretty weIl clarified and the und erst an ding of both of these phenomena have contributed greatly to our under standing of the structure of matter and surface physics. The lightning stroke and common spark are weH on their way to clarification. Strangely despite the ever expanding importance of static electrification in industry affecting as it does, a wide diversity of processes either as a useful tool or adversely and extending even to the realms of meteorology, this field has awakened little curiosity and stimulated little investigation in recent years except in so far as the immediate industrial problems it invoked required an immediate and often make-shift remedy. Trained in his early years as a chemist, and brought into contact with some aspects of colloidal chemistry involving electrokinetic potentials, cataphoresis, and spray electrification, thc author had his curiosity aroused by a number of these strange phenomena. Entering physics as a life career coincident with the development of the earl)' studies in atomic structure, in part through his teacher, R. A.
Sprache
Verlagsort
Verlagsgruppe
Illustrationen
20 s/w Abbildungen
XII, 240 p. 20 illus.
Dateigröße
ISBN-13
978-3-642-88243-2 (9783642882432)
DOI
10.1007/978-3-642-88243-2
Schweitzer Klassifikation
I. Static electrification by electrolytic process.- A. Basic principles in terms of galvanic action from metal surfaces.- B. Nature of systems leading to charge separation and their limitations.- C. Do adequate aqueous surface films exist for electrolytic charging ?.- D. Past evidence of electrolytic charging.- E. Electrical endosmosis, streaming potentials, and cataphoresis (Verified aspects of electrolytic charging).- F. The more accurate calculation of the double layer characteristics including ions of both signs.- G. The Workman-Reynolds freezing potential.- H. Summary and conclusions.- II. The contact potential difference or volta potential.- A. Introduction.- B. The metallic state energy bands, the Fermi law and basic principles.- C. Surface structure and the work function in relation to the Fermi level.- D. Influences modifying the work function.- E. The contact potential difference.- F. The measurement of contact potential and/or work function.- G. Discussion and conclusion.- III. Static charging by spray electrification.- A. Introduction.- B. The Existence of an electrical double layer at gas-liquid interfaces.- C. Relative potentials in double layers of water in relation to surface tension, for salt, acid and organic solutes.- D. The spray electrification phenomena.- E. Spray electrification of water in relation to thunderstorm electrification.- F. Homogeneous or symmetrical charging of liquid droplets on dispersion.- G. Asymmetric charge distribution of droplets of micron size from bursting of small air bubbles in concentrated solutions.- H. Conclusions.- IV. Mechanisms of electrification on solid-solid contact.- A. Introduction.- B. Quantitative measuring techniques and the influence of electrical fields.- C. Initial investigation of controlled contact electrification of metal-inorganic insulator systems.- D. Electrification of dusts on dispersion and impact on surfaces.- E. The contact charging by rolling of inorganic insulator spheres on metal surfaces.- F. Extension of Peterson's investigations by Wagner.- G. Contact charging of ice on ice.- H. Other possible charge transfer mechanisms.- V. The generation of static charges by processes involving ionization of gases and miscellaneous other matters.- A. Introduction.- B. Various gaseous electronic mechanisms.- C. Static elimination.- D. Thunderstorm electrification.- E. Protection against lightning stroke.- Author Index.
