Statics and Dynamics of Soft Wetting

Abstract

The laws of wetting are well known for drops on rigid surfaces but change dramatically when the substrate is soft and deformable. The combination of wetting and the intricacies of soft polymeric interfaces have provided many rich examples of fluid–structure interactions, both in terms of phenomenology and from a fundamental perspective. In this review we discuss experimental and theoretical progress on the statics and dynamics of soft wetting. In this context we critically revisit the foundations of capillarity, such as the nature of solid surface tension, the microscopic mechanics near the contact line, and the dissipative mechanisms that lead to unexpected spreading dynamics.