Hydrodynamics of Thin Viscous Films

TLDR: In this paper, the authors introduce the concepts from hydrodynamics of thin films and explain how thin-film equations can be derived for different regimes of surface slip, as well as their application to experiments of dewetting polymer films.

Abstract: Chapter 4 mirrors Chap. 2 of Part I: while the latter developed the concepts from statistical mechanics, the present chapter introduces the concepts from hydrodynamics of thin films. While the key theoretical tool for the statistical mechanics aspects is the effective interface potential, a similar key role in the hydrodynamics of thin films is played by the lubrication approximation. Chapter 4 explains how thin film equations can be derived for different regimes of surface slip. Mathematical properties of the thin film equation and its numerics are discussed, as well as their application to experiments of dewetting polymer films.