Abstract
Fluid jets destabilize into droplets according to the well–known Rayleigh–Plateau (RP) instability. The applicability of the RP model to a nanoscale liquid metal supported on a substrate (a so–called rivulet) was investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations as it has important implications for nanoscale materials assembly. Stochastic fluctuations were found to affect rivulet stability and dynamics when compared with microscopic predictions of rivulet break–up; here a broad and delayed distribution of break–up times was observed. Yet, hallmark characteristics of the RP theory were observed; (1) a critical wavelength demarcating stability, (2) stable and unstable growth modes and (3) neck formation induced by axial pressure gradients. Notably, MD simulations implementing synthetic perturbations, yielded significantly reduced dispersion in the final nanodroplet spacing and clearly revealed the underlying physics driving rivulet break–up.
