Practical Insights to Thin Film Dewetting

TL;DR

This paper uses lattice Boltzmann simulations within lubrication theory to analyze thin film dewetting, revealing how material and surface parameters influence rupture dynamics and long-term morphology, aiding coating design.

Contribution

It introduces a systematic lubrication-based modeling approach to predict dewetting behavior and morphological evolution in thin liquid films.

Findings

Dewetting time scales follow a power-law dependence on film thickness.

Post-rupture coverage reaches a plateau influenced by material properties.

Long-time coarsening obeys classical scaling laws with surface energy effects.

Abstract

Thin liquid films exhibit rich instability and rupture dynamics that critically impact coating performance across many applications. In this work, we use the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) simulations within a lubrication-theory framework to systematically quantify how film thickness, surface energy, wettability, and intermolecular forces govern dewetting kinetics and long-time morphology. Master-curve scalings are identified for the time to dewet, revealing a strong power-law sensitivity to film thickness and a comparatively weak dependence on moderate variations in the contact angle. Following rupture, the film reaches a physically meaningful coverage plateau, whose magnitude correlates with material parameters and provides a practical window for morphological stabilization prior to coarsening. Long-time evolution obeys classical coarsening scaling laws, with surface energy controlling domain density. These results demonstrate that lubrication-based models can deliver predictive design guidance for evaluating coating robustness and forming materials and surface engineering strategies. Source code is available at https://github.com/Zitzeronion/Swalbe.jl.