Eur. Phys. J. E (2006) 20: 267-271
https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2006-10018-0

Regular Article

Slip vs. viscoelasticity in dewetting thin films

¹ Biological Nanosystems, Interdisciplinary Research Institute, c/o IEMN Avenue Poincaré, BP 60069, F-59652, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
² Institute of Mathematics, Humboldt University of Berlin, D-10099, Berlin, Germany
³ Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung, Heisenbergstr. 3, D-70569, Stuttgart, Germany
⁴ ITAP, Universität Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, D-70569, Stuttgart, Germany
⁵ Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS), Mohrenstr. 39, D-10117, Berlin, Germany

^* e-mail: ralf.blossey@iemn.univ-lille1.fr

Received: 30 March 2006
Accepted: 6 June 2006
Published online: 23 June 2006

Abstract

Ultrathin polymer films on non-wettable substrates display dynamic features which have been attributed to either viscoelastic or slip effects. Here we show that in the weak- and strong-slip regime, effects of viscoelastic relaxation are either absent or essentially indistinguishable from slip effects. Strong slip modifies the fastest unstable mode in a rupturing thin film, which questions the standard approach to reconstruct the effective interface potential from dewetting experiments.