Electric-field-induced patterns in soft viscoelastic films: from long waves of viscous liquids to short waves of elastic solids

Abstract

We show that the electric field driven surface instability of visco-elastic films has two distinct regimes: (1) The visco-elastic films behaving like a liquid display long wavelengths governed by applied voltage and surface tension, independent of its elastic storage and viscous loss moduli, and (2) the films behaving like a solid require a threshold voltage for the instability whose wavelength always scales as ˜4×film thickness, independent of its surface tension, applied voltage, loss and storage moduli. Wavelength in a narrow transition zone between these regimes depends on the storage modulus.