arXiv · 1612.02409
Van der Waals interaction between a moving nano-cylinder and a liquid thin film
Abstract
We study the static and dynamic interaction between a horizontal cylindrical nano-probe and a thin liquid film. The effects of the physical and geometrical parameters, with a special focus on the film thickness, the probe speed, and the distance between the probe and the free surface are analyzed. Deformation profiles have been computed numerically from a Reynolds lubrication equation, coupled to a modified Young-Laplace equation, which takes into account the probe/liquid and the liquid/substrate non-retarded van der Waals interactions. We have found that the film thickness and the probe speed have a significant effect on the threshold separation distance below which the jump-to-contact instability is triggered. These results encourage the use of horizontal cylindrical nano-probes to scan thin liquid films, in order to determine either the physical or geometrical properties of the latter, through the measurement of interaction forces.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
René Ledesma-Alonso, Elie Raphaël, Thomas Salez, Philippe Tordjeman, Dominique Legendre. 2016-12-07. Van der Waals interaction between a moving nano-cylinder and a liquid thin film. https://arxiv.org/abs/1612.02409
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.