Adhesion of charged particles

The adhesion properties of charged particles are of considerable importance in the electrophotographic process. Measurements on irregularly-shaped, pigmented particles, called toner in the electrophotographic industry, show that adhesion increases with toner charge but that the magnitude is much larger than expected from a simplified electrostatic image force model. An enhanced electrostatic adhesion is also seen in electric field detachment measurements on spherical charged particles. In both cases, this unexpected large adhesion can be attributed to a nonuniform distribution of charge on the surfaces of the particles.