High Voltages in Sliding Water Drops

• Published in: The journal of physical chemistry letters Vol. 14; no. 49; pp. 11110 - 11116
• Main Authors: Bista, Pravash, Ratschow, Aaron D., Butt, Hans-Jürgen, Weber, Stefan A. L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 14-12-2023
• Subjects: Letter; Physical Insights into Chemistry, Catalysis, and Interfaces
• ISSN: 1948-7185; 1948-7185
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02864

Water drops on insulating hydrophobic substrates can generate electric potentials of kilovolts upon sliding for a few centimeters. We show that the drop saturation voltage corresponds to an amplified value of the solid–liquid surface potential at the substrate. The amplification is given by the substrate geometry, the drop and substrate dielectric properties, and the Debye length within the liquid. Next to enabling an easy and low-cost way to measure surface- and zeta- potentials, the high drop voltages have implications for energy harvesting, droplet microfluidics, and electrostatic discharge protection.