Liquid dewetting under a thin elastic film
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Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Large Area Substrate-Based Nanofabrication of Controllable and Customizable Gold Nanoparticles Via Capped Dewetting
Published on: February 26, 2019
Rafael D Schulman1, John F Niven, Michiel A Hack
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W., Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1, Canada. dalnoki@mcmaster.ca.
Abstract:
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 controlled by changing the boundary conditions and tension in the capping film. When the capping film is prepared with a biaxial tension, holes form with a non-circular shape elongated along the high tension axis. With suitable choice of elastic boundary conditions, samples can even be designed such that square holes appear.
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