Formation of Nanopillar Arrays in Ultrathin Viscous Films: The Critical Role of Thermocapillary Stresses
- 13 August 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review Letters
- Vol. 103 (7), 074501
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.103.074501
Abstract
Experiments by several groups during the past decade have shown that a molten polymer nanofilm subject to a large transverse thermal gradient undergoes spontaneous formation of periodic nanopillar arrays. The prevailing explanation is that coherent reflections of acoustic phonons within the film cause a periodic modulation of the radiation pressure which enhances pillar growth. By exploring a deformational instability of particular relevance to nanofilms, we demonstrate that thermocapillary forces play a crucial role in the formation process. Analytic and numerical predictions show good agreement with the pillar spacings obtained in experiment. Simulations of the interface equation further determine the rate of pillar growth of importance to technological applications.Keywords
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