How does a thin volatile film move?
When a water film evaporates from a mica substrate, an interface similar to a solidification front develops, separating two films of different thicknesses. We show experimentally that the evolution dynamics is controlled mainly by material diffusion through the vapor phase rather than by hydrodynamic flow through the film. Our results illustrate the role of different contributions to pattern formation of volatile liquid films.
Leizerson
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Lipson
S G
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