The enduring mystery of static electricity: An exciting turn in an age-old quest

For centuries, static electricity has been the subject of intrigue and scientific investigation. Now, researchers from the Waitukaitis group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have uncovered a vital clue to this enduring mystery: the contact history of materials controls how they exchange charge.

The groundbreaking findings, now published in Nature, explain the prevailing unpredictability of contact electrification, unveiling order from what has long been considered chaos.

From a tiny electric jolt when touching a doorknob to styrofoam peanuts that cling to a mischievous cat's fur — the well-known and seemingly simple phenomenon of static electricity has puzzled people since antiquity. How could this ubiquitous effect, frequently demonstrated to bedazzled children by rubbing a balloon on their hair, still not be completely understood by scientists?...<<<Read More>>>...