EFFECT OF INTERMOLECULAR FORCES ON THIN FILM INSTABILITY

We consider the effect of van der Waals intermolecular forces on instability problems occurring in thin liquid film pattern formation induced by an electric field. The physical setup is a layer of thin liquid film sandwiched between two electrodes and separated by an air gap from the top mask electrode. We formulate the nonlinear parabolic fourth order thin film equation by deriving van der Waals forces, electric induced forces and incorporate the surface tension in the model. In the long wavelength limit, we find that perturbations at the interface undergo regulated dynamics and the initial film thickness plays a critical role in the pattern formation process. AMS Subject Classification: 35B36, 65P40, 76A20, 76E17