VAN-DER-WAALS STABLE THIN LIQUID-FILMS - CORRELATED UNDULATIONS AND ULTIMATE DEWETTING

The evolution of pre-rupture undulations at the liquid-air interface o f thin nonwetting liquid films spread on a solid substrate was monitor ed in real time by non-perturbative interference microscopy. The spati al distribution of the incipient undulations is non-random and charact erized by a typical wavelength, as predicted for van der Waals unstabl e films, despite the fact that the system is expected to be vdW-stable , and that ultimate dewetting of films appears to take place via a het erogeneous nucleation mechanism.