Charge generation and saturation on polymer particles due to single and repeated particle-metal contacts

The development of an electrostatic model for particle-wall contact charging requires a good understanding of the charge generation mechanism for insulative particles. Single and repeated-contact experiments were performed with various particles, including commercial linear low-density polyethylene, to determine their rates of charging as well as their charge saturation limits. Plotting the charge saturation value of the particles against their respective surface areas revealed a linear trend which could be used to calculate the charge saturation of the particle for a given particle size. Additional studies include the effect of initial charge, collision frequency, particle type and impurities on particle charging.