The interacting electrostatic charge model on the shape formation of monolayer domains at the air-water interface comprised of tilted dipoles with orientational deformation

The electrostatic energy in a dipolar monolayer domain with orientational deformation has been analyzed for the study of monolayer shapes. It is demonstrated that a monolayer domain is viewed as a system of interacting induced electric charges distributed at the inside and boundary of a domain. Since induced charge distribution is determined by orientational deformation and domain shape, the electrostatic energy is represented in the form of Frank splay elastic energy with spontaneous splay and curvature elastic energy with spontaneous curvature. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.