Static electrification is among the earliest of the sciences, well known to us all and with widespread and important consequences. Yet, its most basic foundations remain poorly understood. For example, after centuries of research, it is still not clear whether electrons, ions or even bulk material transfer is responsible for the observed charging. Recent work has leveraged the most advanced experimental and theoretical approaches, and has addressed the phenomenon from perspectives of quantum mechanics, surface chemistry, mechanochemistry and statistical physics. While the resulting findings have advanced many aspects of our understanding, they have also led to the discovery of new surprises that we are only beginning to appreciate. This Review addresses both recent advances and their accompanying surprises.

静电电气化是科学界最早的技术，它众所周知并且具有广泛而重要的意义。然而，其最基本的基础仍然知之甚少。例如，经过数个世纪的研究，仍不清楚电子，离子或什至是块状物质的转移是否是所观察到的电荷的原因。最近的工作利用了最先进的实验和理论方法，并从量子力学，表面化学，机械化学和统计物理学的角度解决了这一现象。尽管由此产生的发现促进了我们理解的许多方面，但它们还导致发现了我们才开始欣赏的新惊喜。这篇评论既解决了最近的进展，也带来了随之而来的惊喜。