Spreading, shrinking and fingering instability of polymer films in glow discharge

Abstract

Spontaneous spreading of a polymer drop on a solid substrate can be forced by a low pressure gaseous discharge applied between the cathode that supports the drop and a remote electrode. We prone to think that the driving force for this plasma driven spreading is the spatial distribution of the electric field at the cathode. Two distinct effects caused by the gas plasma are observed: spreading of a thin film and shrinking of the rest liquid into a spherical drop upon its own film. The last effect, never reported before, can be addressed to the effect of the electric stresses developed in the ionic double layer formed at the polymer/plasma interface. The spreading front displays a fingering instability similar to that observed earlier in various experimental conditions \cite{troian,melo}. Theoretical analysis shows that the Marangoni stress acts as the driving force for the finger growth.