A two-dimensional two-phase lattice-Boltzmann model is presented and used for the study of interfacial phenomena under static and flow conditions. The model is based on the nonideal lattice-Boltzmann model proposed originally by Swift, Osborn, and Yeomans [Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 830 (1995)] and makes it possible to couple a prescribed equation of state with the pressure tensor at the interface and the excess free-energy density formalism. The characteristic feature of the present model is that Galilean invariance is restored in the presence of interfaces without sacrificing any of the merits of the original model and, hence, the Navier-Stokes equation is adequately (to second order) recovered. The fluid properties can be prescribed in a thermodynamically consistent manner, which remains accurate at states close to the critical point. The model is first validated through static equilibrium tests and then applied to flow systems. It is shown that the simulator can reproduce some known two-phase flow configurations, like the motion of deformable droplets under the action of an external flow field. The simulator can also capture some interesting events during jet breakup and can be useful for the parametric study of the process in the two-dimensional case.

Crystalline TiO₂ films were prepared on unheated glass substrates by radio frequency (RF) reactive magnetron sputtering at normal angle of incidence (a = 0°) and at glancing angle (a = 87°). The effect of the glancing angle on the structure, microstructure, and wetting properties of the films was investigated. The inclination of the substrate led to phase transformation of the deposited films from rutile to either rutile/anatase or anatase, depending on the working pressure. Extreme shadowing at 87° results in a remarkable increase of the films’ porosity and surface roughness. The mechanism of the glancing-angle-induced crystalline phase formation is thoroughly discussed based on the thermodynamic, kinetic, and geometrical aspects of the nucleation and is related with the microstructural changes. Both crystalline phase and microstructure significantly affect the wetting properties of the TiO₂ films. Glancing-angle-deposited anatase TiO₂ exhibits a high degree of porosity and roughness, a high rate of UV-induced wettability conversion, and a long-term highly hydrophilic nature in dark. Therefore, anatase TiO₂ is potentially a good candidate for applications as dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC)/perovskite solar cells, microfluidic devices, and self-cleaning surfaces prepared on thermosensitive substrates.