Question

We can charge materials by adding or removing electrons, but can we charge materials by adding or removing protons? Why?Please note, this isn't a school question so I'd really appreciate it if you'd dig into it.

Answer 1

To charge any material, the electrons are added or removed from the material.

The material can be partially charged by unbalanced charge distribution on the material with the charging by induction.

As the electrons are revolving around the nucleus, thus, the amount of energy required to remove the charge is used to overcome the electrostatic attractive force between the nucleus and electrons.

In the case of protons,

The protons are present inside the nucleus under a strong nuclear force.

It is not easy to remove the proton from the nucleus as compared to the electrons from the orbit.

Thus, the charging of the material is carried by the removal or addition of electrons due to their more mobility than protons and their weak holding force.