Electric quadrupole model on the formation of molecular chirality dependent domain shapes of lipid monolayers at the air-water interface

J Chem Phys. 2007 Mar 28;126(12):125106. doi: 10.1063/1.2709644.

Abstract

Shapes and orientational deformation of a lipid monolayer domain have been analyzed taking into account the surface pressure, line tension, and electrostatic energy due to the spontaneous polarization and electric quadrupole density generated from the domain. The electrostatic energy due to the generation of spontaneous polarization and electric quadrupole density contributes to the formation of orientational deformation as the Frank elastic energy and spontaneous splay, respectively. Since the orientational configuration of the electric quadrupole density and in-plane spontaneous polarization is dependent on the molecular chirality, and the positive splay deformation of electric quadrupole density is induced by the spontaneous splay, the bending direction of in-plane spontaneous polarization depends on the chirality of constituent lipids. The electrostatic energy due to the in-plane spontaneous polarization is dependent on the orientational deformation of in-plane spontaneous polarization, and bends the domain shape towards the bending direction of the in-plane spontaneous polarization. It has been demonstrated that the chiral dependence of the domain shapes of lipid monolayers originated from the chiral dependence of orientational structure due to the electric quadrupole density.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Air*
  • Lipids / chemistry*
  • Lipids / physiology*
  • Models, Chemical*
  • Stereoisomerism
  • Water*

Substances

  • Lipids
  • Water