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  • Featured in Physics
  • Open Access

Unifying Same- and Different-Material Particle Charging through Stochastic Scaling

Holger Grosshans1,2,*, Gizem Ozler1,2, Vyshnavi Veeravalli1,2, and Simon Jantač1

  • *Contact author: holger.grosshans@ptb.de
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Phys. Rev. X 16, 011023 – Published 11 February, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/k45s-g74h

Abstract

Triboelectric charging of insulating particles through contact is critical in diverse physical and engineering processes, from dust storms and volcanic eruptions to industrial powder handling. However, many experiments over the years have consistently revealed counterintuitive charging patterns, including variable impact charge under identical conditions, charge sign reversal with repeated impacts, and bipolar charging of differently sized particles. Existing computational models cannot predict these patterns; they either rely on oversimplified heuristics or require inaccessible detailed surface properties. We present a stochastic scaling model (SSM) for particle charging that unifies same-material (particle-particle) and different-material (particle-wall) charging in a single theoretical framework. The model is grounded in a physics-based stochastic closure by the mean, variance, skewness, and minimum impact charge measured in a highly controlled reference experiment. To test the SSM, we implemented it in an open-source Lagrangian-Eulerian computational fluid dynamics solver. When simulating 300 000 insulating particles transported by turbulent wall-bounded flows, the SSM takes less than 0.01% of the CPU time. By scaling the statistical parameters of the reference impact to each collision, the new model reproduces the complex charging patterns observed in experiments without requiring surface-level first-principles inputs. The SSM offers a physically grounded route to large-scale simulations of electrostatic effects across many fields of particle-laden flows.

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synopsis

A New Model for Particle Charging

Published 11 February, 2026

A statistical approach yields a fast, flexible model for how particles in a powder acquire electric charge from each other and their surroundings.

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Popular Summary

When small particles collide, they can transfer electric charge in a process called triboelectric charging. Triboelectric charging is important in natural events like volcanic eruptions and dust storms, as well as in industrial processes such as handling powder, where it can lead to problems like fouling or even explosions. In most particle flows, particles collide with other particles of the same material and with surrounding surfaces of different materials. Yet existing charging models for large-scale simulations cannot predict both charging types at the same time. We introduce a model that predicts charging for same-material and different-material collisions by unified scaling laws. This model captures the randomness of charge transfer, charge reversal, and size-dependent charging, as observed in experiments. Our model is unique in that it enables realistic simulations of electrostatic effects in natural and industrial particle flows, providing insight into a wide range of problems.

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Phys. Rev. X 16, 011023– Published 11 February, 2026
  • Received 14 May 2025
  • Accepted 16 December 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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