AFM and optical investigations of liquid crystal dewetting: Influence of short and long-range forces

We have investigated the dewetting morphology of thin films of the liquid c rystals 5AB(4) and 5AB(3), from a silicon substrate. For 5AB(4) nucleation and spinodal dewetting can be clearly identified, and from scanning force m icroscopy of the liquid profiles, details of the effective interface potent ial can be quantitatively inferred. Due to peculiarities of the wetting for ces in this system, the analogy to spinodal decomposition is particularly c lose. With 5AB(3), an additional, rather complicated dewetting scenario is observed which is connected to the crystallization of droplets which have f ormed during the initial dewetting process.