Wetting of elastic solids on nanopillars.
Solids and liquids are both known to exhibit Cassie-Baxter states, where a drop or a solid nanoparticle is maintained on top of pillars due to wetting forces. We point out that due to elastic strain, solid nanocrystals exhibit a behavior different from that of liquids. First, the equilibrium Cassie-Baxter state on a single pillar exhibits a spontaneous symmetry breaking due to elastic effects. The second consequence of elasticity is the existence of stable partially impaled states, resulting from a compromise between wetting forces which favor impalement and elastic strain which resists impalement. Based on kinetic Monte Carlo simulations which include elastic strain, we discuss these effects and we propose a global phase diagram for the stability of nanocrystals on nanopillars.
ILM, University Lyon 1, 43 Boulevard du 11 novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne, France.
M
M
Ignacio
Department of Physics, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohma 223-8522, Japan.
Y
Y
Saito
Department of Mathematics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
P
P
Smereka
ILM, University Lyon 1, 43 Boulevard du 11 novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne, France.
O
O
Pierre-Louis