Weak solutions to lubrication systems describing the evolution of bilayer thin films (Q743935)

The existence of non-negative weak solutions is shown for the following system of fourth-order degenerate parabolic equations describing morphology and dynamics of a layered system of two viscous and immiscible nanoscopic Newtonian fluids evolving on a solid substrate. Denoting the thickness of the lower and upper thin liquid films by \(u\) and \(v\) their evolution is described by \[ \partial_t u = \partial_x \left( M_{11} \partial_x p_1 + M_{12} \partial_x p_2 \right)\;, \quad \partial_t v = \partial_x \left( M_{12} \partial_x p_1 + M_{22} \partial_x p_2 \right)\;, \] for \((t,x)\in (0,\infty)\times (0,1)\) supplemented with the boundary conditions \[ \partial_x u = \partial_x v = \partial_x^3 u = \partial_x^3 v = 0\;, \quad (t,x)\in (0,\infty)\times \{0,1\}\;, \] and non-negative initial conditions in \(H^1(0,1)\). The pressures \(p_1\) and \(p_2\) are given by \[ p_1 = - (\sigma+1) \partial_x^2 u - \partial_x^2 v + \Pi_1(u) + \Pi_3(u+v)\;, \quad p_2 = - \partial_x^2 u - \partial_x^2 v + \Pi_2(v) + \Pi_3(u+v)\;. \] Here \(\sigma\) is a positive real number, while the terms involving \(\Pi_k\), \(k=1,2,3\), account for intermolecular interactions between the solid substrate, the lower fluid, and the upper fluid, and read \(\Pi_k(s) = s^{-n} - \gamma_k s^{-m}\) for some \(0<n<m\) and \(\gamma_k>0\). Finally the mobility matrix \(M=(M_{ij})_{1\leq i,j\leq 2}\) is given by \(M_{11}=u^3/(3\mu)\) (resp. \(u^2/\mu\)), \(M_{12} = u^2 v/(2\mu)\) (resp. \(uv/\mu\)), and \(M_{22}=(\mu v^3+ uv^2)/\mu\) (resp. \((1+\beta) v^2/\mu\)) according to the relative magnitude of the slip lengths and is positive semi-definite. The existence of non-negative weak solutions is proved in both cases in the absence of intermolecular forces (\(\Pi_1=\Pi_2=\Pi_3=0\)) and in the first case when intermolecular forces are taken into account and the parameters \((n,m)\) satisfy \(0<n<m\) and \(m\geq 3\). For the latter case it is further shown that intermolecular forces guarantee the positivity of \(u\) and \(v\). The existence proof relies on a compactness approach and the availability of an energy functional and an entropy functional.