title: Phase separation in antisymmetric films: a molecular dynamics study.
abstract: We have used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study phase-separation kinetics in a binary fluid mixture (AB) confined in an antisymmetric thin film. One surface of the film (located at z = 0) attracts the A-atoms, and the other surface (located at z = D) attracts the B-atoms. We study the kinetic processes which lead to the formation of equilibrium morphologies subsequent to a deep quench below the miscibility gap. In the initial stages, one observes the formation of a layered structure, consisting of an A-rich layer followed by a B-rich layer at z = 0; and an analogous structure at z = D. This multi-layered morphology is time-dependent and propagates into the bulk, though it may break up into a laterally inhomogeneous structure at a later stage. We characterize the evolution morphologies via laterally averaged order parameter profiles; the growth laws for wetting-layer kinetics and layer-wise length scales; and the scaling properties of layer-wise correlation functions.
authors.affiliation: School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India.
authors.forename: Raishma
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krishnan
authors.forename: Prabhat K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Jaiswal
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Puri