Microscopic and macroscopic structure of the precursor layer in spreading viscous drops

H. Pirouz Kavehpour, Ben Ovryn, Gareth H. McKinley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

111 Scopus citations

Abstract

We study the spreading of viscous nonvolatile liquids on smooth horizontal substrates using a phase-modulated interference microscope with sufficient dynamic range to enable the simultaneous measurement of both the inner (“microscopic”) length scale and the outer (“macroscopic”) flow scale in addition to the intermediate matching region. The resulting measurements of both the apparent contact angle and the lateral scale of the precursor “wetting” film agree quantitatively with theoretical predictions for a van der Waal’s liquid over a wide range of capillary numbers.

Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume91
Issue number19
DOIs
StatePublished - 2003

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Physics and Astronomy

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Microscopic and macroscopic structure of the precursor layer in spreading viscous drops'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this