Short commentary: Theoretical considerations on concentrated polymer interfaces: an attempt to explain dewetting of ultra-thin films.
We discuss the dewetting of ultra-thin molten polymer films within the framework of the Cahn-Hilliard theory for liquid interfaces. We argue that a) we need a pair of descriptors to characterize the bulk liquid of polymer chains (rather than the monomer density alone), b) the so-called loop density S, first introduced to describe polymer layers, may be a good scalar candidate for the configurational descriptor, c) the results found for the variation of S with distance might suggest an explanation for dewetting of ultra-thin polymer films.
Sektion Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Theresienstr. 37, 80333 München, Germany.
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M
Manghi
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Aubouy