---
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: hybrid
PlanS_conform: '1'
_id: '21485'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Insulating oxides are among the most abundant solid materials in the universe1,2,3.
Of the many ways in which they influence natural phenomena, perhaps the most consequential
is their capacity to transfer electrical charge during contact4,5,6,7,8,9,10—which
occurs even between samples of the same oxide—yet the symmetry-breaking parameter
that causes this remains unidentified11,12. Here we show that adventitious carbonaceous
molecules adsorbed from the environment are the symmetry-breaking factor in same-material
oxide contact electrification (CE). We use acoustic levitation to measure charge
exchange between a sphere and a plate composed of identical amorphous silicon
dioxide (SiO2). Although charging polarity is random for co-prepared samples,
we control it with baking or plasma treatment. Observing the charge-exchange relaxation
afterwards, we see dynamics over a timescale of hours and connect this directly
to the presence of adventitious carbon with time-of-flight mass spectrometry,
low-energy ion scattering and infrared spectroscopy. Going further, we confirm
that adventitious carbon can even determine charge exchange among different oxides.
Our results identify the symmetry-breaking parameter that causes insulating oxides
to exchange charge in settings ranging from desert sands4 to volcanic plumes5,6,
while simultaneously highlighting an overlooked factor in CE more broadly.
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: M-Shop
- _id: NanoFab
- _id: ScienComp
- _id: LifeSc
acknowledgement: This project has received support from the European Research Council
(ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
(grant agreement no. 949120) and from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme (grant
agreement no. 754411). We acknowledge the state of Lower Austria and the European
Regional Development Fund under grant no. WST3-F-542638/004-2021. N.M. acknowledges
support from grant Fondecyt 1221597. G.G. is a Serra Húnter fellow. This research
was supported by the Scientific Service Units of the Institute of Science and Technology
Austria through resources provided by the Miba Machine Shop, Nanofabrication Facility,
Scientific Computing facility and Lab Support Facility. We thank the Modic group
for the use of the Laue camera, T. Zauner for the photography of the experimental
set-up and R. Möller for insightful discussions. Open access funding provided by
Institute of Science and Technology (IST Austria).
article_processing_charge: Yes (via OA deal)
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Galien M
full_name: Grosjean, Galien M
id: 0C5FDA4A-9CF6-11E9-8939-FF05E6697425
last_name: Grosjean
orcid: 0000-0001-5154-417X
- first_name: Markus
full_name: Ostermann, Markus
last_name: Ostermann
- first_name: Markus
full_name: Sauer, Markus
last_name: Sauer
- first_name: Michael
full_name: Hahn, Michael
last_name: Hahn
- first_name: Christian M.
full_name: Pichler, Christian M.
last_name: Pichler
- first_name: Florian
full_name: Fahrnberger, Florian
last_name: Fahrnberger
- first_name: Felix
full_name: Pertl, Felix
id: 6313aec0-15b2-11ec-abd3-ed67d16139af
last_name: Pertl
orcid: 0000-0003-0463-5794
- first_name: Daniel
full_name: Balazs, Daniel
id: 302BADF6-85FC-11EA-9E3B-B9493DDC885E
last_name: Balazs
orcid: 0000-0001-7597-043X
- first_name: Mason M.
full_name: Link, Mason M.
last_name: Link
- first_name: Seong H.
full_name: Kim, Seong H.
last_name: Kim
- first_name: Devin L.
full_name: Schrader, Devin L.
last_name: Schrader
- first_name: Adriana
full_name: Blanco, Adriana
last_name: Blanco
- first_name: Francisco
full_name: Gracia, Francisco
last_name: Gracia
- first_name: Nicolás
full_name: Mujica, Nicolás
last_name: Mujica
- first_name: Scott R
full_name: Waitukaitis, Scott R
id: 3A1FFC16-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Waitukaitis
orcid: 0000-0002-2299-3176
citation:
ama: Grosjean GM, Ostermann M, Sauer M, et al. Adventitious carbon breaks symmetry
in oxide contact electrification. Nature. 2026;651(8106):626-631. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-10088-w
apa: Grosjean, G. M., Ostermann, M., Sauer, M., Hahn, M., Pichler, C. M., Fahrnberger,
F., … Waitukaitis, S. R. (2026). Adventitious carbon breaks symmetry in oxide
contact electrification. Nature. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-10088-w
chicago: Grosjean, Galien M, Markus Ostermann, Markus Sauer, Michael Hahn, Christian
M. Pichler, Florian Fahrnberger, Felix Pertl, et al. “Adventitious Carbon Breaks
Symmetry in Oxide Contact Electrification.” Nature. Springer Nature, 2026.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-10088-w.
ieee: G. M. Grosjean et al., “Adventitious carbon breaks symmetry in oxide
contact electrification,” Nature, vol. 651, no. 8106. Springer Nature,
pp. 626–631, 2026.
ista: Grosjean GM, Ostermann M, Sauer M, Hahn M, Pichler CM, Fahrnberger F, Pertl
F, Balazs D, Link MM, Kim SH, Schrader DL, Blanco A, Gracia F, Mujica N, Waitukaitis
SR. 2026. Adventitious carbon breaks symmetry in oxide contact electrification.
Nature. 651(8106), 626–631.
mla: Grosjean, Galien M., et al. “Adventitious Carbon Breaks Symmetry in Oxide Contact
Electrification.” Nature, vol. 651, no. 8106, Springer Nature, 2026, pp.
626–31, doi:10.1038/s41586-025-10088-w.
short: G.M. Grosjean, M. Ostermann, M. Sauer, M. Hahn, C.M. Pichler, F. Fahrnberger,
F. Pertl, D. Balazs, M.M. Link, S.H. Kim, D.L. Schrader, A. Blanco, F. Gracia,
N. Mujica, S.R. Waitukaitis, Nature 651 (2026) 626–631.
corr_author: '1'
date_created: 2026-03-23T15:04:00Z
date_published: 2026-03-18T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-04-28T12:06:01Z
day: '18'
ddc:
- '540'
department:
- _id: ScWa
- _id: GradSch
- _id: LifeSc
doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-10088-w
ec_funded: 1
external_id:
pmid:
- '41851325'
file:
- access_level: open_access
checksum: dafef9ed575b44be4263e948a47ae056
content_type: application/pdf
creator: dernst
date_created: 2026-03-24T06:57:08Z
date_updated: 2026-03-24T06:57:08Z
file_id: '21494'
file_name: 2026_Nature_Grosjean.pdf
file_size: 12245694
relation: main_file
success: 1
file_date_updated: 2026-03-24T06:57:08Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: ' 651'
issue: '8106'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '03'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: 626-631
pmid: 1
project:
- _id: 0aa60e99-070f-11eb-9043-a6de6bdc3afa
call_identifier: H2020
grant_number: '949120'
name: 'Tribocharge: a multi-scale approach to an enduring problem in physics'
- _id: 260C2330-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
call_identifier: H2020
grant_number: '754411'
name: ISTplus - Postdoctoral Fellowships
publication: Nature
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 1476-4687
issn:
- 0028-0836
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Nature
quality_controlled: '1'
related_material:
link:
- description: News on ISTA website
relation: press_release
url: https://ista.ac.at/en/news/colliding-dust-and-the-sparks-of-creation/
status: public
title: Adventitious carbon breaks symmetry in oxide contact electrification
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: ba8df636-2132-11f1-aed0-ed93e2281fdd
volume: 651
year: '2026'
...
---
DOAJ_listed: '1'
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: gold
PlanS_conform: '1'
_id: '20295'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: 'Scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) is a powerful technique for macroscopic
imaging of the electrostatic potential above a surface. Though most often used
to image work-function variations of conductive surfaces, it can also be used
to probe the surface charge on insulating surfaces. In both cases, relating the
measured potential to the underlying signal is non-trivial. Here, general relationships
are derived between the measured SKPM voltage and the underlying source, revealing
either can be cast as a convolution with an appropriately scaled point spread
function (PSF). For charge that exists on a thin insulating layer above a conductor,
the PSF has the same shape as what would occur from a work-function variation
alone, differing by a simple scaling factor. This relationship is confirmed by:
(1) backing it out from finite-element simulations of work-function and charge
signals, and (2) experimentally comparing the measured PSF from a small work-function
target to that from a small charge spot. This scaling factor is further validated
by comparing SKPM charge measurements with Faraday cup measurements for highly
charged samples from contact-charging experiments. These results highlight a heretofore
unappreciated connection between SKPM voltage and charge signals, offering a rigorous
recipe to extract either from experimental data.'
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: M-Shop
- _id: NanoFab
- _id: ScienComp
- _id: LifeSc
acknowledgement: This project received funding from the European Research Council
(ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
(Grant agreement No. 949120). This research was supported by the Scientific Service
Units of The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) through resources
provided by the Miba Machine Shop, Nanofabrication Facility, Scientific Computing
Facility, and Lab Support Facility. The authors wish to thank Dmytro Rak and Juan
Carlos Sobarzo for letting us use their equipment. The authors wish to thank Evgeniia
Volobueva for advice in preparing PFIB samples. The authors wish to thank the contributions
of the whole Waitukaitis group for useful discussions and feedback.
article_number: e00521
article_processing_charge: Yes
article_type: original
arxiv: 1
author:
- first_name: Isaac C
full_name: Lenton, Isaac C
id: a550210f-223c-11ec-8182-e2d45e817efb
last_name: Lenton
orcid: 0000-0002-5010-6984
- first_name: Felix
full_name: Pertl, Felix
id: 6313aec0-15b2-11ec-abd3-ed67d16139af
last_name: Pertl
orcid: 0000-0003-0463-5794
- first_name: Lubuna B
full_name: Shafeek, Lubuna B
id: 3CD37A82-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Shafeek
orcid: 0000-0001-7180-6050
- first_name: Scott R
full_name: Waitukaitis, Scott R
id: 3A1FFC16-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Waitukaitis
orcid: 0000-0002-2299-3176
citation:
ama: Lenton IC, Pertl F, Shafeek LB, Waitukaitis SR. A duality between surface charge
and work function in scanning Kelvin probe microscopy. Advanced Materials Interfaces.
2025;12(19). doi:10.1002/admi.202500521
apa: Lenton, I. C., Pertl, F., Shafeek, L. B., & Waitukaitis, S. R. (2025).
A duality between surface charge and work function in scanning Kelvin probe microscopy.
Advanced Materials Interfaces. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202500521
chicago: Lenton, Isaac C, Felix Pertl, Lubuna B Shafeek, and Scott R Waitukaitis.
“A Duality between Surface Charge and Work Function in Scanning Kelvin Probe Microscopy.”
Advanced Materials Interfaces. Wiley, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202500521.
ieee: I. C. Lenton, F. Pertl, L. B. Shafeek, and S. R. Waitukaitis, “A duality between
surface charge and work function in scanning Kelvin probe microscopy,” Advanced
Materials Interfaces, vol. 12, no. 19. Wiley, 2025.
ista: Lenton IC, Pertl F, Shafeek LB, Waitukaitis SR. 2025. A duality between surface
charge and work function in scanning Kelvin probe microscopy. Advanced Materials
Interfaces. 12(19), e00521.
mla: Lenton, Isaac C., et al. “A Duality between Surface Charge and Work Function
in Scanning Kelvin Probe Microscopy.” Advanced Materials Interfaces, vol.
12, no. 19, e00521, Wiley, 2025, doi:10.1002/admi.202500521.
short: I.C. Lenton, F. Pertl, L.B. Shafeek, S.R. Waitukaitis, Advanced Materials
Interfaces 12 (2025).
corr_author: '1'
date_created: 2025-09-07T22:01:33Z
date_published: 2025-10-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2025-12-30T09:31:25Z
day: '01'
ddc:
- '530'
department:
- _id: ScWa
- _id: NanoFab
doi: 10.1002/admi.202500521
ec_funded: 1
external_id:
arxiv:
- '2506.07187'
isi:
- '001560163400001'
file:
- access_level: open_access
checksum: 906fcc7733be8ce8a83600427b82cd5a
content_type: application/pdf
creator: dernst
date_created: 2025-12-30T09:31:11Z
date_updated: 2025-12-30T09:31:11Z
file_id: '20908'
file_name: 2025_AdvMaterialsInterfaces_Lenton.pdf
file_size: 1830117
relation: main_file
success: 1
file_date_updated: 2025-12-30T09:31:11Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: ' 12'
isi: 1
issue: '19'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '10'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
project:
- _id: 0aa60e99-070f-11eb-9043-a6de6bdc3afa
call_identifier: H2020
grant_number: '949120'
name: 'Tribocharge: a multi-scale approach to an enduring problem in physics'
publication: Advanced Materials Interfaces
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 2196-7350
publication_status: published
publisher: Wiley
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: A duality between surface charge and work function in scanning Kelvin probe
microscopy
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 12
year: '2025'
...
---
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: hybrid
PlanS_conform: '1'
_id: '20481'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: 'Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) is widely used in stationary and dynamic
studies of contact electrification. An obvious question that connects these two
has been overlooked: when are charge dynamics too fast for stationary studies
to be meaningful? Using a rapid transfer system to quickly perform KPFM after
contact, we find the dynamics are too fast in all but the best insulators. Our
data further suggest that dynamics are caused by bulk as opposed to surface conductivity,
and that charge-transfer heterogeneity is less prevalent than previously suggested.'
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: M-Shop
- _id: NanoFab
- _id: LifeSc
acknowledgement: This project has received funding from the European Research Council
(ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
(Grant agreement No. 949120). This research was supported by the Scientific Service
Units of The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) through resources
provided by the Miba Machine Shop, the Nanofabrication Facility and Lab Support
Facility.
article_number: '146202'
article_processing_charge: Yes (via OA deal)
article_type: original
arxiv: 1
author:
- first_name: Felix
full_name: Pertl, Felix
id: 6313aec0-15b2-11ec-abd3-ed67d16139af
last_name: Pertl
orcid: 0000-0003-0463-5794
- first_name: Isaac C
full_name: Lenton, Isaac C
id: a550210f-223c-11ec-8182-e2d45e817efb
last_name: Lenton
orcid: 0000-0002-5010-6984
- first_name: Tobias
full_name: Cramer, Tobias
last_name: Cramer
- first_name: Scott R
full_name: Waitukaitis, Scott R
id: 3A1FFC16-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Waitukaitis
orcid: 0000-0002-2299-3176
citation:
ama: 'Pertl F, Lenton IC, Cramer T, Waitukaitis SR. No time for surface charge:
How bulk conductivity hides charge patterns from Kelvin probe force microscopy
in contact-electrified surfaces. Physical Review Letters. 2025;135(14).
doi:10.1103/lcsm-xxty'
apa: 'Pertl, F., Lenton, I. C., Cramer, T., & Waitukaitis, S. R. (2025). No
time for surface charge: How bulk conductivity hides charge patterns from Kelvin
probe force microscopy in contact-electrified surfaces. Physical Review Letters.
American Physical Society. https://doi.org/10.1103/lcsm-xxty'
chicago: 'Pertl, Felix, Isaac C Lenton, Tobias Cramer, and Scott R Waitukaitis.
“No Time for Surface Charge: How Bulk Conductivity Hides Charge Patterns from
Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy in Contact-Electrified Surfaces.” Physical Review
Letters. American Physical Society, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1103/lcsm-xxty.'
ieee: 'F. Pertl, I. C. Lenton, T. Cramer, and S. R. Waitukaitis, “No time for surface
charge: How bulk conductivity hides charge patterns from Kelvin probe force microscopy
in contact-electrified surfaces,” Physical Review Letters, vol. 135, no.
14. American Physical Society, 2025.'
ista: 'Pertl F, Lenton IC, Cramer T, Waitukaitis SR. 2025. No time for surface charge:
How bulk conductivity hides charge patterns from Kelvin probe force microscopy
in contact-electrified surfaces. Physical Review Letters. 135(14), 146202.'
mla: 'Pertl, Felix, et al. “No Time for Surface Charge: How Bulk Conductivity Hides
Charge Patterns from Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy in Contact-Electrified Surfaces.”
Physical Review Letters, vol. 135, no. 14, 146202, American Physical Society,
2025, doi:10.1103/lcsm-xxty.'
short: F. Pertl, I.C. Lenton, T. Cramer, S.R. Waitukaitis, Physical Review Letters
135 (2025).
corr_author: '1'
date_created: 2025-10-16T13:13:29Z
date_published: 2025-09-30T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2025-12-01T14:57:53Z
day: '30'
ddc:
- '530'
department:
- _id: ScWa
doi: 10.1103/lcsm-xxty
ec_funded: 1
external_id:
arxiv:
- '2502.12718'
isi:
- '001587263900003'
file:
- access_level: open_access
checksum: 7e45e89b8db0b7f01e63185c68e4b0f9
content_type: application/pdf
creator: dernst
date_created: 2025-10-23T09:32:31Z
date_updated: 2025-10-23T09:32:31Z
file_id: '20522'
file_name: 2025_PhysReviewLetters_Pertl.pdf
file_size: 1692251
relation: main_file
success: 1
file_date_updated: 2025-10-23T09:32:31Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: ' 135'
isi: 1
issue: '14'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '09'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
project:
- _id: 0aa60e99-070f-11eb-9043-a6de6bdc3afa
call_identifier: H2020
grant_number: '949120'
name: 'Tribocharge: a multi-scale approach to an enduring problem in physics'
publication: Physical Review Letters
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 1079-7114
issn:
- 0031-9007
publication_status: published
publisher: American Physical Society
quality_controlled: '1'
related_material:
record:
- id: '20523'
relation: research_data
status: public
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: 'No time for surface charge: How bulk conductivity hides charge patterns from
Kelvin probe force microscopy in contact-electrified surfaces'
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 135
year: '2025'
...
---
OA_place: repository
OA_type: green
_id: '20523'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: 'Includes all data and Python code needed to reproduce figures for the publication:
No Time for Surface Charge: How Bulk Conductivity Hides Charge Patterns from Kelvin
Probe Force Microscopy in Contact-Electrified Surfaces.'
article_processing_charge: No
author:
- first_name: Felix
full_name: Pertl, Felix
id: 6313aec0-15b2-11ec-abd3-ed67d16139af
last_name: Pertl
orcid: 0000-0003-0463-5794
citation:
ama: 'Pertl F. No Time for Surface Charge: How Bulk Conductivity Hides Charge Patterns
from Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy in Contact-Electrified Surfaces. 2025. doi:10.5281/ZENODO.14888054'
apa: 'Pertl, F. (2025). No Time for Surface Charge: How Bulk Conductivity Hides
Charge Patterns from Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy in Contact-Electrified Surfaces.
Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.14888054'
chicago: 'Pertl, Felix. “No Time for Surface Charge: How Bulk Conductivity Hides
Charge Patterns from Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy in Contact-Electrified Surfaces.”
Zenodo, 2025. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.14888054.'
ieee: 'F. Pertl, “No Time for Surface Charge: How Bulk Conductivity Hides Charge
Patterns from Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy in Contact-Electrified Surfaces.”
Zenodo, 2025.'
ista: 'Pertl F. 2025. No Time for Surface Charge: How Bulk Conductivity Hides Charge
Patterns from Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy in Contact-Electrified Surfaces, Zenodo,
10.5281/ZENODO.14888054.'
mla: 'Pertl, Felix. No Time for Surface Charge: How Bulk Conductivity Hides Charge
Patterns from Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy in Contact-Electrified Surfaces.
Zenodo, 2025, doi:10.5281/ZENODO.14888054.'
short: F. Pertl, (2025).
corr_author: '1'
date_created: 2025-10-23T09:34:58Z
date_published: 2025-02-18T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2025-12-01T14:57:52Z
day: '18'
ddc:
- '530'
department:
- _id: ScWa
doi: 10.5281/ZENODO.14888054
ec_funded: 1
has_accepted_license: '1'
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
url: https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.14888054
month: '02'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
project:
- _id: 0aa60e99-070f-11eb-9043-a6de6bdc3afa
call_identifier: H2020
grant_number: '949120'
name: 'Tribocharge: a multi-scale approach to an enduring problem in physics'
publisher: Zenodo
related_material:
record:
- id: '20481'
relation: used_in_publication
status: public
status: public
title: 'No Time for Surface Charge: How Bulk Conductivity Hides Charge Patterns from
Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy in Contact-Electrified Surfaces'
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
short: CC BY (4.0)
type: research_data_reference
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
year: '2025'
...
---
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: hybrid
_id: '19278'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: 'When two insulating, neutral materials are contacted and separated, they
exchange electrical charge1. Experiments have long suggested that this ‘contact
electrification’ is transitive, with different materials ordering into ‘triboelectric
series’ based on the sign of charge acquired2. At the same time, the effect is
plagued by unpredictability, preventing consensus on the mechanism and casting
doubt on the rhyme and reason that series imply3. Here we expose an unanticipated
connection between the unpredictability and order in contact electrification:
nominally identical materials initially exchange charge randomly and intransitively,
but—over repeated experiments—order into triboelectric series. We find that this
evolution is driven by the act of contact itself—samples with more contacts in
their history charge negatively to ones with fewer contacts. Capturing this ‘contact
bias’ in a minimal model, we recreate both the initial randomness and ultimate
order in numerical simulations and use it experimentally to force the appearance
of a triboelectric series of our choosing. With a set of surface-sensitive techniques
to search for the underlying alterations contact creates, we only find evidence
of nanoscale morphological changes, pointing to a mechanism strongly coupled with
mechanics. Our results highlight the centrality of contact history in contact
electrification and suggest that focusing on the unpredictability that has long
plagued the effect may hold the key to understanding it.'
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: M-Shop
- _id: NanoFab
- _id: ScienComp
- _id: EM-Fac
- _id: LifeSc
acknowledgement: This project has received financing from the European Research Council
grant agreement no. 949120 under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and
innovation programme. The Analytical Instrumentation Center of the TU Wien acknowledges
support by the FFG project ‘ELSA’ under grant no. 884672. C.M.P. and M.O. acknowledge
the state of Lower Austria and the European Regional Development Fund under grant
no. WST3-F-542638/004-2021. This research was supported by the Scientific Service
Units of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria through resources provided
by the Miba Machine Shop, Nanofabrication Facility, Scientific Computing facility,
Electron Microscopy Facility and Lab Support Facility. We thank J. Garcia-Suarez
and G. Anciaux for the suggestion to look into the roughness power spectral density.
We thank I.-M. Strugaru for help with testing the device for Young’s modulus measurements.
Open access funding provided by Institute of Science and Technology (IST Austria).
article_number: 664-669
article_processing_charge: Yes (via OA deal)
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Juan Carlos A
full_name: Sobarzo Ponce, Juan Carlos A
id: 4B807D68-AE37-11E9-AC72-31CAE5697425
last_name: Sobarzo Ponce
- first_name: Felix
full_name: Pertl, Felix
id: 6313aec0-15b2-11ec-abd3-ed67d16139af
last_name: Pertl
orcid: 0000-0003-0463-5794
- first_name: Daniel
full_name: Balazs, Daniel
id: 302BADF6-85FC-11EA-9E3B-B9493DDC885E
last_name: Balazs
orcid: 0000-0001-7597-043X
- first_name: Tommaso
full_name: Costanzo, Tommaso
id: D93824F4-D9BA-11E9-BB12-F207E6697425
last_name: Costanzo
orcid: 0000-0001-9732-3815
- first_name: Markus
full_name: Sauer, Markus
last_name: Sauer
- first_name: Annette
full_name: Foelske, Annette
last_name: Foelske
- first_name: Markus
full_name: Ostermann, Markus
last_name: Ostermann
- first_name: Christian M.
full_name: Pichler, Christian M.
last_name: Pichler
- first_name: Yongkang
full_name: Wang, Yongkang
last_name: Wang
- first_name: Yuki
full_name: Nagata, Yuki
last_name: Nagata
- first_name: Mischa
full_name: Bonn, Mischa
last_name: Bonn
- first_name: Scott R
full_name: Waitukaitis, Scott R
id: 3A1FFC16-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Waitukaitis
orcid: 0000-0002-2299-3176
citation:
ama: Sobarzo Ponce JCA, Pertl F, Balazs D, et al. Spontaneous ordering of identical
materials into a triboelectric series. Nature. 2025;638(8051). doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08530-6
apa: Sobarzo Ponce, J. C. A., Pertl, F., Balazs, D., Costanzo, T., Sauer, M., Foelske,
A., … Waitukaitis, S. R. (2025). Spontaneous ordering of identical materials into
a triboelectric series. Nature. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08530-6
chicago: Sobarzo Ponce, Juan Carlos A, Felix Pertl, Daniel Balazs, Tommaso Costanzo,
Markus Sauer, Annette Foelske, Markus Ostermann, et al. “Spontaneous Ordering
of Identical Materials into a Triboelectric Series.” Nature. Springer Nature,
2025. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08530-6.
ieee: J. C. A. Sobarzo Ponce et al., “Spontaneous ordering of identical materials
into a triboelectric series,” Nature, vol. 638, no. 8051. Springer Nature,
2025.
ista: Sobarzo Ponce JCA, Pertl F, Balazs D, Costanzo T, Sauer M, Foelske A, Ostermann
M, Pichler CM, Wang Y, Nagata Y, Bonn M, Waitukaitis SR. 2025. Spontaneous ordering
of identical materials into a triboelectric series. Nature. 638(8051), 664–669.
mla: Sobarzo Ponce, Juan Carlos A., et al. “Spontaneous Ordering of Identical Materials
into a Triboelectric Series.” Nature, vol. 638, no. 8051, 664–669, Springer
Nature, 2025, doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08530-6.
short: J.C.A. Sobarzo Ponce, F. Pertl, D. Balazs, T. Costanzo, M. Sauer, A. Foelske,
M. Ostermann, C.M. Pichler, Y. Wang, Y. Nagata, M. Bonn, S.R. Waitukaitis, Nature
638 (2025).
corr_author: '1'
date_created: 2025-03-02T23:01:52Z
date_published: 2025-02-20T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-04-28T13:44:56Z
day: '20'
ddc:
- '530'
department:
- _id: ScWa
- _id: LifeSc
- _id: EM-Fac
doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08530-6
ec_funded: 1
external_id:
isi:
- '001428076100015'
pmid:
- '39972227'
file:
- access_level: open_access
checksum: fecf302274dd3218d3e7dd22f39a6c0c
content_type: application/pdf
creator: dernst
date_created: 2025-03-04T10:05:18Z
date_updated: 2025-03-04T10:05:18Z
file_id: '19289'
file_name: 2025_Nature_Sobarzo.pdf
file_size: 3807415
relation: main_file
success: 1
file_date_updated: 2025-03-04T10:05:18Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: ' 638'
isi: 1
issue: '8051'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '02'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
pmid: 1
project:
- _id: 0aa60e99-070f-11eb-9043-a6de6bdc3afa
call_identifier: H2020
grant_number: '949120'
name: 'Tribocharge: a multi-scale approach to an enduring problem in physics'
publication: Nature
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 1476-4687
issn:
- 0028-0836
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Nature
quality_controlled: '1'
related_material:
link:
- description: News on ISTA website
relation: press_release
url: https://ista.ac.at/en/news/an-electrifying-turn-in-an-age-old-quest/
record:
- id: '20203'
relation: dissertation_contains
status: public
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Spontaneous ordering of identical materials into a triboelectric series
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: ba8df636-2132-11f1-aed0-ed93e2281fdd
volume: 638
year: '2025'
...
---
_id: '17373'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) is a powerful technique for investigating
the electrostatic properties of material surfaces, enabling the imaging of variations
in work function, topology, surface charge density, or combinations thereof. Regardless
of the underlying signal source, SKPM results in a voltage image, which is spatially
distorted due to the finite size of the probe, long-range electrostatic interactions,
mechanical and electrical noise, and the finite response time of the electronics.
In order to recover the underlying signal, it is necessary to deconvolve the measurement
with an appropriate point spread function (PSF) that accounts the aforementioned
distortions, but determining this PSF is difficult. Here, we describe how such
PSFs can be determined experimentally and show how they can be used to recover
the underlying information of interest. We first consider the physical principles
that enable SKPM and discuss how these affect the system PSF. We then show how
one can experimentally measure PSFs by looking at well-defined features, and that
these compare well to simulated PSFs, provided scans are performed extremely slowly
and carefully. Next, we work at realistic scan speeds and show that the idealized
PSFs fail to capture temporal distortions in the scan direction. While simulating
PSFs for these situations would be quite challenging, we show that measuring PSFs
with similar scan conditions works well. Our approach clarifies the basic principles
and inherent challenges to SKPM measurements and gives practical methods to improve
results.
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: M-Shop
- _id: NanoFab
- _id: LifeSc
- _id: ScienComp
acknowledgement: This project has received funding from the European Research Council
(ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Grant
Agreement No. 949120). This research was supported by the Scientific Service Units
of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) through resources provided
by the Miba Machine Shop, Nanofabrication Facility, Scientific Computing Facility,
and Lab Support Facility. The authors wish to thank Dmytro Rak and Juan Carlos Sobarzo
for letting us use their equipment. The authors wish to thank the contributions
of the whole Waitukaitis Group for useful discussions and feedback.
article_number: '045305'
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Isaac C
full_name: Lenton, Isaac C
id: a550210f-223c-11ec-8182-e2d45e817efb
last_name: Lenton
orcid: 0000-0002-5010-6984
- first_name: Felix
full_name: Pertl, Felix
id: 6313aec0-15b2-11ec-abd3-ed67d16139af
last_name: Pertl
orcid: 0000-0003-0463-5794
- first_name: Lubuna B
full_name: Shafeek, Lubuna B
id: 3CD37A82-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Shafeek
orcid: 0000-0001-7180-6050
- first_name: Scott R
full_name: Waitukaitis, Scott R
id: 3A1FFC16-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Waitukaitis
orcid: 0000-0002-2299-3176
citation:
ama: 'Lenton IC, Pertl F, Shafeek LB, Waitukaitis SR. Beyond the blur: Using experimentally
determined point spread functions to improve scanning Kelvin probe imaging. Journal
of Applied Physics. 2024;136(4). doi:10.1063/5.0215151'
apa: 'Lenton, I. C., Pertl, F., Shafeek, L. B., & Waitukaitis, S. R. (2024).
Beyond the blur: Using experimentally determined point spread functions to improve
scanning Kelvin probe imaging. Journal of Applied Physics. AIP Publishing.
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0215151'
chicago: 'Lenton, Isaac C, Felix Pertl, Lubuna B Shafeek, and Scott R Waitukaitis.
“Beyond the Blur: Using Experimentally Determined Point Spread Functions to Improve
Scanning Kelvin Probe Imaging.” Journal of Applied Physics. AIP Publishing,
2024. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0215151.'
ieee: 'I. C. Lenton, F. Pertl, L. B. Shafeek, and S. R. Waitukaitis, “Beyond the
blur: Using experimentally determined point spread functions to improve scanning
Kelvin probe imaging,” Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 136, no. 4. AIP
Publishing, 2024.'
ista: 'Lenton IC, Pertl F, Shafeek LB, Waitukaitis SR. 2024. Beyond the blur: Using
experimentally determined point spread functions to improve scanning Kelvin probe
imaging. Journal of Applied Physics. 136(4), 045305.'
mla: 'Lenton, Isaac C., et al. “Beyond the Blur: Using Experimentally Determined
Point Spread Functions to Improve Scanning Kelvin Probe Imaging.” Journal of
Applied Physics, vol. 136, no. 4, 045305, AIP Publishing, 2024, doi:10.1063/5.0215151.'
short: I.C. Lenton, F. Pertl, L.B. Shafeek, S.R. Waitukaitis, Journal of Applied
Physics 136 (2024).
corr_author: '1'
date_created: 2024-08-04T22:01:21Z
date_published: 2024-07-28T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2025-09-08T08:47:42Z
day: '28'
ddc:
- '530'
department:
- _id: ScWa
- _id: NanoFab
doi: 10.1063/5.0215151
ec_funded: 1
external_id:
isi:
- '001281681100003'
file:
- access_level: open_access
checksum: 6141d05cd68d540a7446dce9490975db
content_type: application/pdf
creator: dernst
date_created: 2024-08-05T08:19:58Z
date_updated: 2024-08-05T08:19:58Z
file_id: '17386'
file_name: 2024_JourApplPhysics_Lenton.pdf
file_size: 2537502
relation: main_file
success: 1
file_date_updated: 2024-08-05T08:19:58Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: ' 136'
isi: 1
issue: '4'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '07'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
project:
- _id: 0aa60e99-070f-11eb-9043-a6de6bdc3afa
call_identifier: H2020
grant_number: '949120'
name: 'Tribocharge: a multi-scale approach to an enduring problem in physics'
publication: Journal of Applied Physics
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 1089-7550
issn:
- 0021-8979
publication_status: published
publisher: AIP Publishing
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: 'Beyond the blur: Using experimentally determined point spread functions to
improve scanning Kelvin probe imaging'
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by_nc_nd.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
(CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
short: CC BY-NC-ND (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 317138e5-6ab7-11ef-aa6d-ffef3953e345
volume: 136
year: '2024'
...
---
_id: '12109'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) is a powerful tool for studying contact
electrification (CE) at the nanoscale, but converting KPFM voltage maps to charge
density maps is nontrivial due to long-range forces and complex system geometry.
Here we present a strategy using finite-element method (FEM) simulations to determine
the Green's function of the KPFM probe/insulator/ground system, which allows us
to quantitatively extract surface charge. Testing our approach with synthetic
data, we find that accounting for the atomic force microscope (AFM) tip, cone,
and cantilever is necessary to recover a known input and that existing methods
lead to gross miscalculation or even the incorrect sign of the underlying charge.
Applying it to experimental data, we demonstrate its capacity to extract realistic
surface charge densities and fine details from contact-charged surfaces. Our method
gives a straightforward recipe to convert qualitative KPFM voltage data into quantitative
charge data over a range of experimental conditions, enabling quantitative CE
at the nanoscale.
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: M-Shop
- _id: NanoFab
- _id: ScienComp
acknowledgement: "This project has received funding from the European Research Council
(ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
(Grant Agreement\r\nNo. 949120). This research was supported by the Scientific Service
Units of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) through resources
provided by the Miba Machine\r\nShop, the Nanofabrication Facility, and the Scientific
Computing Facility. We thank F. Stumpf from Park Systems for useful discussions
and support with scanning probe microscopy.\r\nF.P. and J.C.S. contributed equally
to this work."
article_number: '125605'
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
arxiv: 1
author:
- first_name: Felix
full_name: Pertl, Felix
id: 6313aec0-15b2-11ec-abd3-ed67d16139af
last_name: Pertl
orcid: 0000-0003-0463-5794
- first_name: Juan Carlos A
full_name: Sobarzo Ponce, Juan Carlos A
id: 4B807D68-AE37-11E9-AC72-31CAE5697425
last_name: Sobarzo Ponce
- first_name: Lubuna B
full_name: Shafeek, Lubuna B
id: 3CD37A82-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Shafeek
orcid: 0000-0001-7180-6050
- first_name: Tobias
full_name: Cramer, Tobias
last_name: Cramer
- first_name: Scott R
full_name: Waitukaitis, Scott R
id: 3A1FFC16-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Waitukaitis
orcid: 0000-0002-2299-3176
citation:
ama: Pertl F, Sobarzo Ponce JCA, Shafeek LB, Cramer T, Waitukaitis SR. Quantifying
nanoscale charge density features of contact-charged surfaces with an FEM/KPFM-hybrid
approach. Physical Review Materials. 2022;6(12). doi:10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.6.125605
apa: Pertl, F., Sobarzo Ponce, J. C. A., Shafeek, L. B., Cramer, T., & Waitukaitis,
S. R. (2022). Quantifying nanoscale charge density features of contact-charged
surfaces with an FEM/KPFM-hybrid approach. Physical Review Materials. American
Physical Society. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.6.125605
chicago: Pertl, Felix, Juan Carlos A Sobarzo Ponce, Lubuna B Shafeek, Tobias Cramer,
and Scott R Waitukaitis. “Quantifying Nanoscale Charge Density Features of Contact-Charged
Surfaces with an FEM/KPFM-Hybrid Approach.” Physical Review Materials.
American Physical Society, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.6.125605.
ieee: F. Pertl, J. C. A. Sobarzo Ponce, L. B. Shafeek, T. Cramer, and S. R. Waitukaitis,
“Quantifying nanoscale charge density features of contact-charged surfaces with
an FEM/KPFM-hybrid approach,” Physical Review Materials, vol. 6, no. 12.
American Physical Society, 2022.
ista: Pertl F, Sobarzo Ponce JCA, Shafeek LB, Cramer T, Waitukaitis SR. 2022. Quantifying
nanoscale charge density features of contact-charged surfaces with an FEM/KPFM-hybrid
approach. Physical Review Materials. 6(12), 125605.
mla: Pertl, Felix, et al. “Quantifying Nanoscale Charge Density Features of Contact-Charged
Surfaces with an FEM/KPFM-Hybrid Approach.” Physical Review Materials,
vol. 6, no. 12, 125605, American Physical Society, 2022, doi:10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.6.125605.
short: F. Pertl, J.C.A. Sobarzo Ponce, L.B. Shafeek, T. Cramer, S.R. Waitukaitis,
Physical Review Materials 6 (2022).
corr_author: '1'
date_created: 2023-01-08T23:00:53Z
date_published: 2022-12-29T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-04-07T11:50:54Z
day: '29'
department:
- _id: ScWa
- _id: NanoFab
doi: 10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.6.125605
ec_funded: 1
external_id:
arxiv:
- '2209.01889'
isi:
- '000908384800001'
intvolume: ' 6'
isi: 1
issue: '12'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
url: ' https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2209.01889'
month: '12'
oa: 1
oa_version: Preprint
project:
- _id: 0aa60e99-070f-11eb-9043-a6de6bdc3afa
call_identifier: H2020
grant_number: '949120'
name: 'Tribocharge: a multi-scale approach to an enduring problem in physics'
publication: Physical Review Materials
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 2475-9953
publication_status: published
publisher: American Physical Society
quality_controlled: '1'
related_material:
record:
- id: '20203'
relation: dissertation_contains
status: public
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Quantifying nanoscale charge density features of contact-charged surfaces with
an FEM/KPFM-hybrid approach
type: journal_article
user_id: 4359f0d1-fa6c-11eb-b949-802e58b17ae8
volume: 6
year: '2022'
...