Dewetting of thin polymer films near the glass transition.
Dewetting of ultrathin polymer films near the glass transition exhibits unexpected front morphologies [G. Reiter, Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 186101 (2001)]. Here, we present the first theoretical attempt to understand these features, focusing on the shear-thinning behavior of these films. We analyze the profile of the dewetting film, and characterize the time evolution of the dry region radius, R(d)(t), and of the rim height, h(m)(t). After a transient time, depending on the initial thickness, h(m)(t) grows like square root[t] while R(d)(t) increases like exp(square root[t]). Different regimes of growth are expected, depending on the initial film thickness and experimental time range.
Saulnier
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Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée, CNRS UMR 7125, Collège de France 11, place Marcelin Berthelot, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France. florent.saulnier@college-de-france.fr
Raphaël
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De Gennes
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