EFFECT OF CAPILLARY WAVE FLUCTUATIONS ON WETTING TRANSITIONS IN BALANCED AMPHIPHILIC SYSTEMS

Wetting transitions in balanced amphiphilic systems containing only sh ort-range forces are studied. In the absence of fluctuations, a weak c ontinuous wetting transition would take place at three-phase coexisten ce at the disorder line. We argue that capillary wave fluctuations cau se the transition to become first order and to occur on the structured side of the disorder line. With reasonable model parameters, the tran sition occurs in the vicinity of the Lifshitz line where it is observe d experimentally.