Static Charge & Samples: Exploding Limits

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the practical limits of imparting static charge to a gold sample, specifically a 1cm³ volume. Participants explore the implications of adding extra electrons to individual gold atoms and the resultant structural integrity of the material. It is established that while calculating the repulsive forces from excess electrostatic charge is straightforward, understanding the attractive forces, such as tensile strength and atomic density, is crucial for determining the threshold before structural failure occurs.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of electrostatic forces and their calculations
  • Knowledge of tensile strength and atomic density concepts
  • Familiarity with materials science principles, particularly regarding metals
  • Basic grasp of atomic structure and electron behavior
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the tensile strength of gold and its atomic density
  • Learn about electrostatic charging methods and their limitations
  • Investigate the effects of excess electrons on material properties
  • Explore case studies of materials under extreme electrostatic conditions
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Materials scientists, physicists, and engineers interested in the effects of electrostatic charge on metal samples, particularly in applications involving gold and other conductive materials.

gareth
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Hi,
How much static charge can you practically impart on a sample before it changes structurally or explodes completely?

e.g. if you had a gold sample of 1cm^3, and you wanted to give each atom an extra electron via elctrostatic charging, would the repulsion of these like forces be too great and destroy the material. In practice what would be achievable in this scenario, 1 extra conduction electron per 1 atom, 1 extra to 1 million atoms etc?

Thanks for the help
 
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How strongly is gold held together? It's fairly straight forward to calculate the repulsive force due to excess electrostatic charge, so you need to know the attractive force. You could estimate that by looking up tensile strength (combined with the atomic density).
 

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