<ul><li>Scientists have discovered the key to understanding the unpredictability of contact electrification, also known as the triboelectric effect.</li><li>The contact history of materials determines how they exchange charges in contact electrification.</li><li>This finding sheds light on the long-standing mystery of why materials either self-order or appear completely random in their charge exchange.</li><li>The study was conducted by scientists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and was published in the journal Nature.</li></ul>

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