Crossover from First-Order to Critical Wetting in Methanol on Alkanes

Published

May 20, 2002

Author(s)

J O. Indekeu, A I. Posazhennikova, David J. Ross, D Bonn, J Meunier

Abstract

A mean-field theory is presented which describes the basic observations of recent experiments revealing rich wetting behaviour of n-alkane/methanol mixtures at the liquid-vapour interface. The theory is based on a microscopic lattice-gas model from which a Cahn-Landau phenomenological approach is derived. Besides the physics associated with the short-range components of the intermolecular interactions, the effects of the long-range tails of the net van der Waals forces between interfaces are also taken into account. The tricritical wetting transition, which is featured in the theory when long-range forces are ignored, is replaced by a critical prewetting transition when these forces are included. The experimental observations agree to a large extent with the predictions of the theory for short-range tricritical wetting.

Proceedings Title

Journal of Physics-Condensed Matter

Volume

14

Issue

19

Conference Dates

July 10-14, 2001

Conference Location

Oaxaca, MX

Conference Title

3rd International Workshop on Current Problems in Complex Fluids: Self-Assembling Systems

Pub Type

Conferences

Keywords

mean field theory, wetting transition

Citation

Indekeu, J. , Posazhennikova, A. , Ross, D. , Bonn, D. and Meunier, J. (2002), Crossover from First-Order to Critical Wetting in Methanol on Alkanes, Journal of Physics-Condensed Matter, Oaxaca, MX (Accessed October 4, 2025)