Such collected ions as Robin describes are most likely to be attracted to plates that would provide a net neutralization of the electret. In other words, this ion current from the air would be a leakage path for the electret and not a benefactor. Such ion current leakage exists, yet electrets overcome this to provide a net charge. Like many electrostatic phenomena, electrets are more easily observed in a dry atmosphere where the device potentials are protected from such ion discharge.
Note also that the electret phenomenon has been around for more than 100 years before man created radio waves. The fact that electrets exist means that it is distinguished from an ordinary capacitor - once discharged a capacitor remains discharged. The mere fact that an electret can restore its charge after it has been discharged means that it has done work. Maybe it is only a little work. Maybe the sum total work that can be extracted from an electret is less than the work required to form the electret. I have no direct experience in measuring the work available from an electret, but obviously Steorn does. Perhaps the electret stack will just turn out to be a good battery with a well defined energy storage. It will be interesting to see the results when the devices are independently tested. On Mon, Jan 25, 2016 at 9:39 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > In reply to Eric Walker's message of Mon, 25 Jan 2016 22:27:53 -0600: > Hi, > >Hi Robin, > > > >I understand you to be suggesting that ions in the air might restore the > >state of the Orbo by removing electrons from one plate through > >de-ionization. > > ...and also adding them to the other plate. When an atom is ionized, the > free > electron has to go somewhere, so it is likely to attach itself to a neutral > molecule, forming a negative ion to compensate for the positive ion left > behind. > Overall the atmosphere should be a dilute mixture of positive and negative > ions. > > >An ion comes along and picks up an electron, becoming > >electrically neutral and restoring the original potential by a small > amount. > > > >On Mon, Jan 25, 2016 at 8:43 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >Many of these do not recombine immediately, because dry air is a poor > >> conductor. > > > > > >On this theory, would you expect the Orbo to work less effectively in a > >humid environment? > > > >Eric > > At first blush I might be inclined to say yes, but ions created in the > upper > atmosphere may be carried to lower levels by precipitation, wind currents, > &/or > dust, which complicates the picture. > > Also direct sunlight is not the only source of ions. Background radiation > also > plays a role, as do extreme electric fields in thunderstorms. > > Regards, > > Robin van Spaandonk > > http://rvanspaa.freehostia.com/project.html > >
