Wetting beyond equilibrium

Subjects Statistical physicsSurfaces, interfaces and thin films Wetting is well understood for equilibrium conditions. Simulations probing wetting by active matter now demonstrate the emergence of stabilizing particle currents and provide the basis for a formalism describing wetting for non-equilibrium systems. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access options Access through your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $32.99 / 30 days cancel any time Learn more Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 print issues and online access $259.00 per year only $21.58 per issue Learn more Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from$1.95 to$39.95 Learn more Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Fig. 1: Extending the Young–Dupré equation to active fluids. ReferencesDe Gennes, P.-G., Brochard-Wyart, F. & Quéré, D. Capillarity and Wetting Phenomena: Drops, Bubbles, Pearls, Waves 1st edn (Springer, 2004).Zhao, Y. et al. Nat. Phys. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03208-4 (2026).Article Google Scholar Bechinger, C. et al. Rev. Mod. Phys. 88, 045006 (2016).Article ADS MathSciNet Google Scholar Soni, V. et al. Nat. Phys. 15, 1188–1194 (2019).Article Google Scholar Pérez-González, C. et al. Nat. Phys. 15, 79–88 (2019).Article Google Scholar Cates, M. E. & Tailleur, J. Annu. Rev. Condens. Matter Phys. 6, 219–244 (2015).Article ADS Google Scholar Solon, A. P. et al. Nat. Phys. 11, 673–678 (2015).Article Google Scholar Bialké, J., Siebert, J. T., Löwen, H. & Speck, T. Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 098301 (2015).Article ADS Google Scholar Omar, A. K., Wang, Z.-G. & Brady, J. F. Phys. Rev. E 101, 012604 (2020).Article ADS Google Scholar Marchetti, M. C. et al. Rev. Mod. Phys. 85, 1143–1189 (2013).Article ADS Google Scholar Download referencesAuthor informationAuthors and AffiliationsDepartment of Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USATakumi MatsuzawaAuthorsTakumi MatsuzawaView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarCorresponding authorCorrespondence to Takumi Matsuzawa.Ethics declarations Competing interests The author declares no competing interests. Rights and permissionsReprints and permissionsAbout this articleCite this articleMatsuzawa, T. Wetting beyond equilibrium. Nat. Phys. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03252-0Download citationPublished: 10 April 2026Version of record: 10 April 2026DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03252-0Share this articleAnyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:Get shareable linkSorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.Copy shareable link to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative Wetting by active fluids Yongfeng ZhaoRuben ZakineFrédéric van Wijland Nature Physics Article 03 Apr 2026