ﻻ يوجد ملخص باللغة العربية
This study reveals the influence of the surface energy and solid/liquid boundary condition on the breakup mechanism of dewetting ultra-thin polymer films. Using silane self-assembled monolayers, SiO$_2$ substrates are rendered hydrophobic and provide a strong slip rather than a no-slip solid/liquid boundary condition. On undergoing these changes, the thin-film breakup morphology changes dramatically -- from a spinodal mechanism to a breakup which is governed by nucleation and growth. The experiments reveal a dependence of the hole density on film thickness and temperature. The combination of lowered surface energy and hydrodynamic slip brings the studied system closer to the conditions encountered in bursting unsupported films. As for unsupported polymer films, a critical nucleus size is inferred from a free energy model. This critical nucleus size is supported by the film breakup observed in the experiments using high speed emph{in situ} atomic force microscopy.
Structure of polymer electrolytes membranes, e.g., Nafion, inside fuel cell catalyst layers has significant impact on the electrochemical activity and transport phenomena that determine cell performance. In those regions, Nafion can be found as an ul
We study the dewetting of liquid films capped by a thin elastomeric layer. When the tension in the elastomer is isotropic, circular holes grow at a rate which decreases with increasing tension. The morphology of holes and rim stability can be control
We investigate the effect of short chains on slip of highly entangled polystyrenes (PS) during thin film dewetting from non-wetting fluorinated surfaces. Binary and ternary mixtures were prepared from monodisperse PS with weight average molecular wei
Classical hydrodynamic models predict that infinite work is required to move a three-phase contact line, defined here as the line where a liquid/vapor interface intersects a solid surface. Assuming a slip boundary condition, in which the liquid slide
Experiments on dewetting thin polymer films confirm the theoretical prediction that thermal noise can strongly influence characteristic time-scales of fluid flow and cause coarsening of typical length scales. Comparing the experiments with determinis