Forces between chemically structured substrates mediated by critical fluids.
We consider binary liquid mixtures close to their critical points confined by two parallel, geometrically flat, and chemically structured substrates. Universal order parameter profiles are calculated within mean field theory for periodic patterns of stripes with alternating preferences for the two species of the mixture and with different relative positions of the two substrates. From the order parameter profiles the effective forces between the two plates are derived. The tuning of Casimir amplitudes is discussed.
Sprenger
Monika
M
Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung, Heisenbergstrasse 3, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany. sprenger@mf.mpg.de
Schlesener
Frank
F
Dietrich
S
S