Spreading and wetting at the microscopic scale:: Recent developments and perspectives

In both the experimental and numerical approaches of wettability, the spreading phenomenon is now understood as the consequence of the competition between a driving term (i.e. the affinity of the liquid for the solid) and the friction of the liquid molecules on the substrate. The aim of this article is to review how the combination of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and of microscopic scale experiments leads to a better understanding of the physico-chemical properties of the solid/liquid interface and to present the most recent developments achieved in the complete wetting regime. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.