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Dewetting: Film Rupture by Nucleation in the Spinodal Regime

Journal Article · · Physical Review Letters
Unstable thin liquid films on solid substrates dewet by hole nucleation on defects or by a linear surface instability (spinodal dewetting). A system with destabilizing short-range and stabilizing long-range molecular interactions is investigated. We show that, for a subrange within the linearly unstable film thickness range, nucleation determines the final structure, whereas spinodal dewetting is of negligible influence. The results are also applicable to the spinodal decomposition of binary mixtures.
Sponsoring Organization:
(US)
OSTI ID:
40204748
Journal Information:
Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 87; ISSN 0031-9007
Publisher:
The American Physical Society
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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