Alternative Dewetting Pathways of Thin Liquid Films
Rachel Yerushalmi-Rozen,
1
Tobias Kerle,
2
Jacob Klein
2
An alternative pathway for the initiation of dewetting in thin
metastable films of partially miscible liquid mixtures is described. In
this pathway, phase separation is followed by a dewetting process at
the interface between the two phases. Dewetting proceeds (from the
sample edges inward) as holes form. The initially smooth film breaks up
into droplets at rates much faster than those allowed by classical
rupture mechanisms. Marangoni flow appears to be responsible for the
initiation of the flow of the dewetting front, and coupling between the
flow in the two phases leads to accelerated hole formation.
1 Department of Chemical Engineering,
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84105 Beer-Sheva, Israel.
2 Department of Materials and Interfaces, Weizmann
Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot, Israel.
