• Editors' Suggestion
  • Open Access

Molecular simulation of thin liquid films: Thermal fluctuations and instability

Yixin Zhang, James E. Sprittles, and Duncan A. Lockerby
Phys. Rev. E 100, 023108 – Published 16 August 2019

Abstract

The instability of a thin liquid film on a solid surface is studied both by molecular dynamics simulations (MD) and a stochastic thin-film equation (STF), which models thermal fluctuations with white noise. A linear stability analysis of the STF allows us to derive a power spectrum for the surface fluctuations, which is quantitatively validated against the spectrum observed in MD. Thermal fluctuations are shown to be critical to the dynamics of nanoscale films. Compared to the classical instability mechanism, which is driven by disjoining pressure, fluctuations (a) can massively amplify the instability, (b) cause the fluctuation wavelength that is dominant to evolve in time (a single fastest-growing mode does not exist), and (c) decrease the critical wavelength so that classically stable films can be ruptured.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 6 March 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.100.023108

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Fluid DynamicsStatistical Physics & Thermodynamics

Authors & Affiliations

Yixin Zhang1, James E. Sprittles2,*, and Duncan A. Lockerby1,†

  • 1School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
  • 2Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom

  • *J.E.Sprittles@Warwick.ac.uk
  • D.Lockerby@Warwick.ac.uk

Article Text

Click to Expand

References

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 100, Iss. 2 — August 2019

Reuse & Permissions
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review E

Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

×

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×