Fluctuation-driven instability of nanoscale liquid films on chemically heterogeneous substrates

The instability and dewetting of bounded liquid films at the nanoscale are shown to strongly depend on thermal fluctuations. In this work, fluctuation-driven a chemically heterogeneous substrate is investigated both by stochastic lubrication equation (SLE), which models fluctuations with white noise, molecular dynamics (MD). Linear analysis for SLE, considering slip intermolecular forces substrates, employed derive spectrum capillary waves their corresponding interface roughness, then quantitatively confirmed numerical solutions SLE MD. found be enhanced forces, latter becoming dominant toward final rupture. Moreover, results suggest that can approximated as homogeneous one effective (averaged) lengths Hamaker constants forces. gradients due heterogeneities not affect significantly.