Adhesion–Triboelectric–Corona–Maillard (ATCM) Model: A Naturalistic, Testable Mechanism for Image Formation in Linen Fibres

The Adhesion–Triboelectric–Corona–Maillard (ATCM) Model proposes a unified physicochemical mechanism in which time‑dependent adhesion, triboelectric charge generation, micro‑corona discharge, cold‑plasma activation, and low‑temperature Maillard chemistry interact to produce a superficial, distance‑encoded image on linen fibres. As resinous compounds, salts, and skin analogues partially dry, adhesion strengthens across a heterogeneous interface. When the cloth is later lifted or tensioned, this interface ruptures abruptly in a moving peel front, generating triboelectric charge and creating transient micro‑gaps. Field enhancement at natural asperities drives these micro‑gaps into nanosecond, non‑thermal micro‑corona discharges that activate the starch‑sizing layer without thermal damage. Over subsequent hours to days, these activated sites undergo slow Maillard development, forming faint melanoidin pigments confined to the outermost fibrils. The model integrates adhesion science, triboelectric physics, plasma chemistry, and organic surface reactions into a single testable framework. A multi‑phase experimental roadmap is presented, enabling empirical validation or falsification of each pillar of the mechanism.