Particles in the
surface region of a phase are subjected to orienting forces as a result of the anisotropic force
field. Polar molecules (e.g. permanent dipoles) may thus be preferentially oriented
in the
surface region, while polarizable molecules may be polarized (induced dipoles). The array of oriented
polar and/or polarized molecules is called the surface dipole layer with which an
electric potential drop is associated, called the surface potential of the phase.
Source:
Cite as:
IUPAC. Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. (the "Gold Book"). Compiled by
A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford (1997).
XML on-line corrected version: http://goldbook.iupac.org (2006-) created by M. Nic,
J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN 0-9678550-9-8.
https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.
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