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Hydrodynamic singularities mimic criticality in dewetting polymer films

Rohit V. Menon, Mithun Madhusudanan, and Mithun Chowdhury*

  • *Contact author: mithunc@iitb.ac.in
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Phys. Rev. E 114, L013402 – Published 30 July, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/9frw-h4j6

Abstract

Dewetting of polymer thin films on nonwettable substrates culminates in a late-stage morphological transition in which a connected fibrillar network fragments into isolated droplets. Because this transformation resembles a depercolation process, it raises the question of whether the network-droplet transition represents a genuine critical phenomenon. We address this question by defining a connectivity-based order parameter and analyzing spatial correlations of the evolving morphology. Although the order parameter exhibits a sharp decrease suggestive of critical behavior, the correlation length of the polymer-rich phase remains finite, evolves through irregular fluctuations, and shows no divergence near the transition. We explain this by noting that the length scales at which the Plateau-Rayleigh instabilities act are much smaller than the large-scale correlations encapsulated in the structure's correlation length. In addition, nondimensionalized order-parameter curves measured at different observation scales fail to collapse onto a universal master curve. These results demonstrate that the breakup of the fibrillar network is governed by localized Plateau-Rayleigh rupture events rather than system-spanning cooperative dynamics. The late-stage transition in dewetting films therefore mimics a hydrodynamic singularity-driven pseudocritical crossover rather than a true critical transition.

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Phys. Rev. E 114, L013402– Published 30 July, 2026
  • Received 5 March 2026
  • Accepted 13 July 2026
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