How does ethane wet different substrates?

TL;DR

This study uses computer simulations to explore how ethane interacts with different substrates, revealing how surface properties influence wetting and adsorption behaviors.

Contribution

It demonstrates the impact of substrate homogeneity and stripe width on ethane adsorption mechanisms and phase transitions.

Findings

Layering transition temperatures match experimental data for ethane on graphite.

Inhomogeneous substrates exhibit a prewetting transition influenced by stripe width.

Surface potential strength controls wetting behavior on homogeneous surfaces.

Abstract

Computer simulations are employed to investigate the adsorption mechanisms of ethane on both homogeneous and inhomogeneous substrates. For homogeneous surfaces, the full range of surface phase transitions - from incomplete to complete wetting - can be accessed by tuning the strength of the surface potential. The resulting layering transition temperatures show excellent agreement with experimental measurements of ethane on graphite. By contrast, although all inhomogeneous substrates exhibit a prewetting transition, the adsorption mechanisms are strongly influenced by the stripe width.