DYNAMICS OF SPREADING AND WETTING - A STATISTICAL-MECHANICAL POINT-OF-VIEW

Recent experiments have revealed the possible layering of the advancing interface during the spreading of a drop at a molecular level. This paper is devoted to a presentation of related statistical models on a lattice (solid-on-solid and Ising models) and to a comparison with phenomenology and experimental results. It is shown, in particular, that Ising models lead to a precursor film which grows diffusively.