# Molecular attraction/static cling

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/molecular-attraction-static-cling/585950>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 18, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/molecular-attraction-static-cling/585950 "2011-06-18T17:54:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/molecular-attraction-static-cling/585950/1 "2011-06-18T17:54:08Z")

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You know those plastic films that people stick to glass? For example, [sun shades](http://sportys.com/Pilotshop/product/15751) or [reading lenses](http://sportys.com/Pilotshop/product/10025). What is the actual mechanism that makes them work? London dispersion forces? Dipole-dipole attraction? Something else?

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**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/molecular-attraction-static-cling/585950/2 "2011-06-19T17:18:17Z")

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I don’t think static cling, meaning coloumbic attraction, is important. For one thing, glass isn’t that prone to static generation and tends to bleed off static charge because it’s pretty hygroscopic and carries a bit of a water film.

I think it’s some combination of the van der Waals forces.

I think glass is pretty polar and probably provides lots of local charge variation on a nanometer scale and imagine that would help.

This is just thinking out loud, however.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/molecular-attraction-static-cling/585950/3 "2011-06-19T17:19:44Z")

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I just used ‘static cling’ because that’s what it said in the sun shade description.