Phase transitions, interfacial fluctuations and hidden symmetries for fluids near structured walls

Abstract

Fluids adsorbed at micro-patterned and geometrically structured substrates can exhibit novel phase transitions and interfacial fluctuation effects distinct from those characteristic of wetting at planar, homogeneous walls. We review recent theoretical progress in this area paying particular attention to filling transitions pertinent to fluid adsorption near wedges, which have highlighted a deep connection between geometrical and contact angles. We show that filling transitions are not only characterized by large scale interfacial fluctuations leading to universal critical singularities but also reveal hidden symmetries with short-ranged critical wetting transitions and properties of dimensional reduction. We propose a non-local interfacial model which fulfills all these properties and throws light on long-standing problems regarding the order of the 3D short-range critical wetting transition.