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Wetting Layers and Dispersion Forces for a Fluid in Contact with a Vertical Wall

Published

Author(s)

Richard F. Kayser, James W. Schmidt, Michael R. Moldover

Abstract

When a liquid wets a vertical wall, wetting layers form on the wall high above the liquid-vapor meniscus. These layers are stabilized against gravity by dispersion forces. For SF_6 in contact with fused silica, we find layers between 20 and 40 nm thick in a range of temperatures below critical. Our results support the predictions of Dzyaloshinskii, Lifshitz, and Pitaevskii, in contrast to recent experiments which are much harder to reconcile with theory.
Citation
Physical Review Letters
Volume
54
Issue
7

Citation

Kayser, R. , Schmidt, J. and Moldover, M. (1985), Wetting Layers and Dispersion Forces for a Fluid in Contact with a Vertical Wall, Physical Review Letters, [online], https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.54.707, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=925215 (Accessed March 19, 2024)
Created February 17, 1985, Updated October 12, 2021