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Abstract
<p class="first" id="d9072986e141">The model problem examined here is the stability
of a thin liquid film consisting
of two miscible components, resting on a chemically patterned solid substrate and
heated from below. In addition to surface tension gradients, the temperature variations
also induce gradients in the concentration of the film by virtue of thermodiffusion/Soret
effects. We study the stability and dewetting behaviour due to the coupled interplay
between thermal gradients, Soret effects, long-range van der Waals forces, and wettability
gradient-driven flows. Linear stability analysis is first employed to predict growth
rates and the critical Marangoni number for chemically homogeneous surfaces. Then,
nonlinear simulations are performed to unravel the interfacial dynamics and possible
locations of the film rupture on chemically patterned substrates. Results suggest
that appropriate tuning of the Soret parameter and its direction, in conjunction with
either heating or cooling, can help manipulate the location and time scales of the
film rupture. The Soret effect can either potentially aid or oppose film instability
depending on whether the thermal and solutal contributions to flow are cooperative
or opposed to each other.
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