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Film Control to Study Contributions of Waves to Droplet Impact Dynamics on Thin Flowing Liquid Films
07:08

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Published on: August 18, 2018

Labyrinthine instability in thin liquid films.

P Neogi1

  • 1Chemical and Biological Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO 65409-1230, USA. neogi@mst.edu

Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal
|March 10, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Thin liquid films break down into wavy patterns when reaching a critical thickness. This study models wavy instability using magnetic film methods, finding satisfactory agreement with experimental liquid crystal data.

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Area of Science:

  • Physics
  • Materials Science
  • Physical Chemistry

Background:

  • Thin liquid films on solid surfaces can exhibit complex breakdown patterns.
  • Wavy instability is a phenomenon observed during the breakdown of such films.
  • This instability shares similarities with labyrinthine instability in magnetic films.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To model and understand the wavy instability in thin liquid films.
  • To compare the wavy instability in liquid films with labyrinthine instability in magnetic films.
  • To derive characteristic length scales and validate with experimental data.

Main Methods:

  • Modeling the system using procedures adapted from magnetic film studies.
  • Decomposing the wavy instability pattern into equilibrium thick-thin and thin-thin film configurations.
  • Minimizing free energy to derive expressions for system length scales.
  • Performing stability analysis.

Main Results:

  • The wavy instability pattern was successfully modeled as a coexistence of thick-thin and thin-thin films.
  • Expressions for characteristic length scales of the system were derived.
  • Model predictions showed satisfactory agreement with experimental results for nematic liquid crystals.
  • Equilibrium film thicknesses, including those with non-zero capillary pressure, were accurately predicted.

Conclusions:

  • The free energy minimization approach provides a robust framework for understanding thin film breakdown.
  • The proposed tiled structure model effectively explains the labyrinthine form of wavy instability.
  • The study validates the applicability of magnetic system modeling techniques to liquid film instabilities.