What is Static Electricity?

January 31,2019

All materials are made of atoms, which are electrically neutral in their normal state, with equal numbers of positively charged protons and negatively charged electrons.

When two materials with different electrical properties come into contact—such as dragging a plastic comb through your hair, petting a cat, or walking across a floor—their surface molecules interact, forming an electrical bond.

As the materials separate, friction pulls electrons from one material to the other, creating an electrical imbalance. The material losing electrons becomes positively charged, while the material gaining electrons becomes negatively charged.

This process, known as tribo-electrification, is more commonly referred to as static electricity.