The impact of the crystallinity of
organic solid materials on their
tribocharging propensity is well reported. However, no unequivocal
explanation about the potential underlying mechanism(s) could be found
so far in the literature. This study reports the effect that different
degrees of crystalline disorder has on the tribocharging propensity
of a small molecular organic material, salbutamol sulfate (SS). Ball-milling
was used to induce structural transformations in the crystalline structure
of SS. Particles with different nanostructures were produced and analyzed
for their solid-state, particle properties, and tribocharging. It
was found that differences in the amorphous content among the processed
particles and related moisture levels had an impact on powder tribocharging.
A correlation between the latter and the nanostructural properties
of the particles was also established. The presence of interfaces
between nanodomains of different densities and shorter average lengths
within the phases seems to lead to a mitigation of charge. This suggests
that undetected, subtle nanostructural differences of materials can
affect powder handling and processability by altering their tribocharging.
The present findings demonstrate the nanostructural implications of
powder triboelectrification, which can help toward the rational design
of a wide variety of organic solids.