Wetting of topographically structured surfaces by crystalline phases

The physics of wetting phenomena at structured surfaces by crystalline layers as investigated by theory, computer simulation and experiments is reviewed. Both realizations on the molecular scale and more mesoscopic realizations in colloidal models systems are included. We explore how a crystalline wall pattern affects the wetting by a crystalline phase in the context of a simple hard sphere model relevant for sterically stabilized colloids. We further discuss decoration lattices generated by adsorption of colloidal particles on stripe-patterned substrates. For molecular systems, the influence of a rough and preplated surface on triple-point wetting of hydrogen is calculated. Finally, we present data for fluid layering in primitive model simulations of charged colloids near neutral walls.