Freshly formed soap films, soap bubbles, or foam films display iridescent colors due to thin film interference that changes as squeeze flow drives drainage and a progressive decrease in film thickness. Ultrathin (thickness <100 nm) freestanding films of soft matter containing micelles, particles, polyelectrolyte–surfactant complexes, or other supramolecular structures or liquid crystalline phases display drainage via stratification. A fascinating array of thickness variations and transitions, including stepwise thinning and coexistence of thick–thin flat regions, arise in micellar foam films that undergo drainage via stratification. In this tutorial, we describe the IDIOM (interferometry digital imaging optical microscopy) protocols that combine the conventional interferometry principle with digital filtration and image analysis to obtain nanometer accuracy for thickness determination while having high spatial and temporal resolution. We provide fully executable image analysis codes and algorithms for the analysis of nanotopography and summarize some of the unique insights obtained for stratified micellar foam films.

中文翻译：

---

超薄泡沫薄膜的纳米形貌和厚度转变的时空映射

新形成的肥皂膜、肥皂泡或泡沫膜由于薄膜干涉而呈现虹彩颜色，薄膜干涉随着挤压流驱动排水和薄膜厚度的逐渐减小而变化。含有胶束、颗粒、聚电解质-表面活性剂复合物或其他超分子结构或液晶相的软物质超薄（厚度<100 nm）独立薄膜通过分层显示排水。通过分层进行排水的胶束泡沫薄膜中出现了一系列令人着迷的厚度变化和过渡，包括逐步变薄和厚薄平坦区域的共存。在本教程中，我们描述了 IDIOM（干涉测量数字成像光学显微镜）协议，该协议将传统干涉测量原理与数字滤波和图像分析相结合，以获得纳米精度的厚度测定，同时具有高空间和时间分辨率。我们提供完全可执行的图像分析代码和算法，用于分析纳米形貌，并总结了针对分层胶束泡沫薄膜获得的一些独特见解。