Abstract
Adhesive interfaces store significant energy due to interlocking molecular chain entanglement and van der Waals forces. When two adhesive surfaces are separated, triboelectric effects induce charge transfer, generating a strong electric field at the peeling interface. This effect offers different opportunities for initiating chemical reactions. Here, we report that the stick-slip friction involved in peeling tape produces electric fields on the order of 10(9) V/m, as measured by the vibrational Stark shift observed by confocal Raman spectroscopy during tape peeling. This field is sufficiently strong to ionize water and produce the H(4)O(2)(+) cation, a hydroxyl radical adduct with a hydronium ion. We further demonstrate that this electric field can drive a variety of electron transfer reactions. Our findings suggest that tribocharging presents a promising, energy-efficient avenue for electric-field-driven green chemistry.