Recent progress in understanding the microscopic origin of triboelectricity from mechanochemistry to thermoelectricity

Triboelectricity has long been discussed from ancient Greece to modern times in daily life experiences as well as in the earliest stages of planet formation and the cutting-edge triboelectric nanogenerator technology. Despite the numerous efforts from scientists and engineers, fundamental understanding of the friction-driven static electrification has remained elusive. Here, we review recent progress in understanding the microscopic origin of triboelectricity, directly associated with frictional energy dissipation at the interface, from mechanochemistry, strain-driven polarization, and tribo-tunneling to thermoelectricity. Noticeably, we note that the microscopic thermoelectric charging mechanism due to interfacial frictional heat offers a generally applicable, but exactly solvable triboelectric model in the weakly interacting regime, implying many opportunities in triboelectric based science and technology in the future.