Computer simulation studies of liquid lenses at a liquid-liquid interface

We simulate using molecular dynamics the wetting behavior of nanometer scale liquid lenses at a liquid-liquid interface. The spreading of the lens is controlled by changing the lens-liquid surface tension. We have measured the contact angle that the lens makes with the interface for several values of the surface tension. We find that the macroscopic description provided by Neumann's equation describes the wetting behavior of lenses of nanometer size very accurately. In addition Laplace's equation for the pressure difference between the interior of the lens and the liquid phases is obeyed. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(00)51413-5].