  We report molecular dynamics simulation results on the equilibrium properties
of polymer thin films adsorbed onto flat and curved substrates. We first
systematically determine the contact angle of polymer droplets on flat
substrates as a function of the substrate-monomer adsorption strength and
degree of polymerization. Focussing on the fully wetted regime, we then
investigate the effect of the substrate's topography on the polymer film
configuration by using substrates with varying mean curvature. We find that
polymer chains close to the substrate are significantly stretched (compressed)
in regions of high negative (positive) mean curvature. Further, we find partial
dewetting near regions of high mean curvature for thin polymer films. For
thicker films, the polymers fully cover the substrate and the shape of the
liquid-vapor interface largely follows the shape of the substrate. As the film
thickness is increased further, the liquid-vapor interface becomes completely
flat. These simulation results are corroborated by analytic calculations using
a simplified continuum model that treats the adsorbed polymers as an
incompressible medium. Our findings show how the substrate topography
influences the conformation of individual chains as well as the shape of the
entire film.
