Continuous Wetting Transitions in Xe Adsorbed on NaF and on Plated Cs and Rb Substrates

Abstract

A continuous wetting transition, long observed in model calculations but yet to be found experimentally, is predicted for Xe adsorbed on NaF as well as for Xe adsorbed on Cs and Rb substrates plated with one or more layers of a variety of other materials, including gold, copper, and silver. It is shown that, excluding plated systems, the Xe-NaF system is unique as a candidate for showing continuous wetting in a large class of systems consisting of inert liquids adsorbed on metals or insulators. Critical exponents are given.