We investigate properties of minimizers of a variational model describing the shape of charged liquid droplets. The model, proposed by Muratov and Novaga, takes into account the regularizing effect due to the screening of free counterionions in the droplet. In particular we prove partial regularity of minimizers, a first step toward the understanding of further properties of minimizers.
We deduce that charged liquid droplets minimizing Debye-Hückel-type free energy are spherical in the small charge regime. The variational model was proposed by Muratov and Novaga in 2016 to avoid the ill-posedness of the classical one. By combining a recent (partial) regularity result with Selection Principle of Cicalese and Leonardi, we prove that the ball is the unique minimizer in the small charge regime.
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