Self-organization in dry photopolymerized acrylate films .1. Irreversible thermodynamics analysis

Space and time instabilities can appear as very general phenomena at the surface of liquid or viscous films submitted to constraints. In the case of dry photopolymerized acrylate films, the surface relief at the monomer-polymer interface is examined within the framework of theories of irreversible process thermodynamics. A classical model as a function of time is adapted for linear behaviour for reaction and diffusion at the surface. This approach places the surface modification, irrespective of the medium in contact with the acrylate film, in a general thermodynamic sense of hydrodynamic instability, where marginal states are involved, and permits a prevision of the stability to be envisaged. A numerical application is proposed.