Quantifying hydrodynamic slip : a comprehensive analysis of dewetting profiles

Abstract

To characterize non-trivial boundary conditions of a liquid flowing past a solid, the slip length is commonly used as a measure. From the profile of a retracting liquid front as measured, e.g., with atomic force microscopy, the slip length as well as the capillary number can be extracted by the help of the Stokes model for a thin liquid film dewetting from a solid substrate. Specifically, we use a lubrication model derived from the Stokes model for strong slippage and linearize the film profile around the flat, unperturbed film, and, for small slip lengths a Taylor approximation of the linearisation for the full Stokes model. Furthermore, from the capillary number and the knowledge of the liquid front velocity and the surface tension, we can obtain the viscosity of the fluid film. We compare theoretical and experimental results, test the consistency and the validity of the models/approximations, and give an easy-to-follow manual of how they can be used to analyze experiments.