Spreading of molecularly thin wetting films on solid interfaces

In this paper we study kinetics of spreading of thin liquid films on solid interfaces. We present an overview of current experimental picture and discuss available theoretical approaches and their limitations. We report some new experimental results on spreading of molecularly thin liquid films and propose an analytically solvable microscopic model, which reproduces experimentally observed behaviors and provides a seemingly plausible explanation of the underlying physical processes.

S. F. Burlatsky, A. M. Cazabat, M. Moreau, G. Oshanin, S. Villette · 1996