---
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: hybrid
_id: '22602'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Contact electrification occurs ubiquitously in nature, but the identity of
    charge carriers in most situations remains uncertain, with electrons, ions, or
    nanoscopic material fragments as viable candidates. One material where the species
    transferred seems more certain is ionomers, i.e., polymers that contain mobile
    ions balanced by fixed counter‐charges. When ionomers touch a neutral surface,
    the latter becomes charged in the sign of the mobile ion, strongly suggesting
    ion transfer. However, the mechanism and governing factors of transfer remain
    poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that binding affinity between mobile ion
    and ionomer controls charge transfer with ionomers. We use ionomers with fixed
    anions and cations and perform ion exchange to create samples with a series of
    transferrable ions. We observe a strong binding‐affinity dependence for the anionic
    ionomer, such that mobile cations with the highest affinity transfers the least
    charge. Weaker, yet clear dependence was measured for the cationic ionomer, which
    follows the hydration free energy of the mobile anion. Using inductively coupled
    plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP‐OES), we confirm transfer of the mobile
    ions to the counter sample's surface. Our results confirm the identify and mechanism
    of charge transfer with ionomeric materials, with potential implications for contact
    electrification more broadly.
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: LifeSc
acknowledgement: "This research was supported by the Scientific Service Units (SSU)
  of IST-Austria through resources provided by the Lab Support Facility (LSF).\r\nOpen
  Access funding provided by Institute of Science and Technology Austria."
article_number: e5487708
article_processing_charge: Yes (via OA deal)
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: John R
  full_name: Hoffman Jr, John R
  id: 0cf4072c-94e2-11ee-bdf9-90a13138901e
  last_name: Hoffman Jr
- first_name: Stefan Alexander
  full_name: Freunberger, Stefan Alexander
  id: A8CA28E6-CE23-11E9-AD2D-EC27E6697425
  last_name: Freunberger
  orcid: 0000-0003-2902-5319
- 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: 'Hoffman Jr JR, Freunberger SA, Waitukaitis SR. Ion transfer during ionomer
    contact electrification: Binding affinity controls charging. <i>Angewandte Chemie
    International Edition</i>. 2026. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.5487708">10.1002/anie.5487708</a>'
  apa: 'Hoffman Jr, J. R., Freunberger, S. A., &#38; Waitukaitis, S. R. (2026). Ion
    transfer during ionomer contact electrification: Binding affinity controls charging.
    <i>Angewandte Chemie International Edition</i>. Wiley. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.5487708">https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.5487708</a>'
  chicago: 'Hoffman Jr, John R, Stefan Alexander Freunberger, and Scott R Waitukaitis.
    “Ion Transfer during Ionomer Contact Electrification: Binding Affinity Controls
    Charging.” <i>Angewandte Chemie International Edition</i>. Wiley, 2026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.5487708">https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.5487708</a>.'
  ieee: 'J. R. Hoffman Jr, S. A. Freunberger, and S. R. Waitukaitis, “Ion transfer
    during ionomer contact electrification: Binding affinity controls charging,” <i>Angewandte
    Chemie International Edition</i>. Wiley, 2026.'
  ista: 'Hoffman Jr JR, Freunberger SA, Waitukaitis SR. 2026. Ion transfer during
    ionomer contact electrification: Binding affinity controls charging. Angewandte
    Chemie International Edition., e5487708.'
  mla: 'Hoffman Jr, John R., et al. “Ion Transfer during Ionomer Contact Electrification:
    Binding Affinity Controls Charging.” <i>Angewandte Chemie International Edition</i>,
    e5487708, Wiley, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.5487708">10.1002/anie.5487708</a>.'
  short: J.R. Hoffman Jr, S.A. Freunberger, S.R. Waitukaitis, Angewandte Chemie International
    Edition (2026).
corr_author: '1'
das_tickbox: '1'
dataavailabilitystatement: The data that support the findings of this study are available
  from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
date_created: 2026-07-28T18:04:19Z
date_published: 2026-07-21T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-07-29T11:25:58Z
day: '21'
ddc:
- '540'
department:
- _id: StFr
- _id: ScWa
doi: 10.1002/anie.5487708
external_id:
  pmid:
  - '42478784'
has_accepted_license: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.5487708
month: '07'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
pmid: 1
publication: Angewandte Chemie International Edition
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1521-3773
  issn:
  - 1433-7851
publication_status: epub_ahead
publisher: Wiley
quality_controlled: '1'
researchdata_availability: upon request
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
supplementarymaterial: yes
title: 'Ion transfer during ionomer contact electrification: Binding affinity controls
  charging'
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
year: '2026'
...