Static Cling - why is its effect permanent ?

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Static cling products, such as decals, utilize a static charge to adhere to surfaces. The effectiveness of these products is attributed to their poor conductivity, which prevents grounding and neutralization of the static charge. Electrons remain localized near the surface of the material, creating sufficient attraction for adhesion. This phenomenon raises interesting questions about the physics behind static electricity. The discussion highlights the complexity of static cling and invites further exploration of the topic.
ramonegumpert
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Hi,

I did some search on Static Cling products like decals .
They work using a static charge concept.
But static charge can easily be grounded and cause the charges to be neutralized.
So, why is it that static cling products do not lose their static effects?
Any ideas?

Thanks for reading.

regards
Ramone
 
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I think it has something to do with the decal being a particularly poor conductor. So poor that you can't effectively ground it.
The electrons are not free to move around through the material, but they are free to crowd near the surface - enough to provide an attraction.

This is naught but an educated guess.
 
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DaveC426913 said:
I think it has something to do with the decal being a particularly poor conductor. So poor that you can't effectively ground it.
The electrons are not free to move around through the material, but they are free to crowd near the surface - enough to provide an attraction.

This is naught but an educated guess.

Thank you sir.

Glad to see that my question has merit. Its not a simple question after all :)
Hope to hear more responses.
Physics is fun!
 
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So I know that electrons are fundamental, there's no 'material' that makes them up, it's like talking about a colour itself rather than a car or a flower. Now protons and neutrons and quarks and whatever other stuff is there fundamentally, I want someone to kind of teach me these, I have a lot of questions that books might not give the answer in the way I understand. Thanks
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