Kelvin equation for bridging transitions
arXiv:2403.11889 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.109.034801
Abstract
We study bridging transitions between a pair of non-planar surfaces. We show that the transition can be described using a generalized Kelvin equation by mapping the system to a slit of finite length. The proposed equation is applied to analyze the asymptotic behaviour of the growth of the bridging film, which occurs when the confining walls are gradually flattened. This phenomenon is characterized by a power-law divergence with geometry-dependent critical exponents that we determine for a wide class of walls' geometries. In particular, for a linear-wedge model, a covariance law revealing a relation between a geometric and Young's contact angle is presented. These predictions are shown to be fully in line with the numerical results obtained from a microscopic (classical) density functional theory.
References in corpus (11)
- Filling transition for a wedge
- Geometry dominated fluid adsorption on sculptured substrates
- Universality for 2D Wedge Wetting
- Wetting at Non-Planar Substrates: Unbending & Unbinding
- Complete Wetting of Pits and Grooves
- Edge contact angle and modified Kelvin equation for condensation in open pores
- Edge Contact Angle, Capillary Condensation, and Meniscus Depinning
- Filling and wetting transitions on sinusoidal substrates: a mean-field study of the Landau-Ginzburg model
- Phase behaviour of fluids in undulated nanopores
- Capillary Condensation and Depinning Transitions in Open Slits
- Meniscus osculation and adsorption on geometrically structured walls