Abstract
Ellipsometric measurements of a nematic drop spreading on a rough surface are reported. The thickness profile of the drop shows two typical lengths belonging to the microscopic and to the mesoscopic scales (a few tens and some hundreds of Å, respectively). No intermediate thicknesses are observed during the spreading. A simple model involving the balance among elastic, anchoring, and spreading energies is used to interpret the results.
- Received 21 December 1995
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.77.1994
©1996 American Physical Society