Electric field induced instabilities in thin confined bilayers

Abstract

A long wave nonlinear theory and simulations on the electric field induced instability of a thin (<1000 nm thick) viscous bilayer resting on a solid substrate are presented. The instabilities in these systems are initiated by one of the two basic short time modes of deformation at the twin interfaces-in-phase bending or out of phase squeezing. Linear stability analysis (LSA) is carried out to identify the conditions for these modes. It is shown that these modes can be switched and the relative amplitudes of deformation at the interfaces can be profoundly altered by varying the thicknesses, viscosities, interfacial tensions and dielectric constants of the films. Nonlinear simulations are presented to support the results obtained from the LSA. In addition, simulations show a number of interesting interfacial morphologies including: (a) embedded upper layer in the array of lower layer columns, (b) columns of the upper layer grown towards the substrate and sheathed by the lower layer liquid, (c) lower layer columns sheathed by the upper layer liquid leading to concentric core-shell columns, (d) droplets of upper liquid on the largely undisturbed lower layer, (e) symmetry breaking traveling waves at the interfaces, and (f) evolution of two different wavelengths at the two interfaces of a bilayer. The effects of viscous and the capillary resistances on the evolution of instability and morphology are also discussed.