  The hydrodynamic phase field model is applied to the problem of film
spreading on a solid surface. The disjoining potential, responsible for
modification of the fluid properties near a three-phase contact line, is
computed from the solvability conditions of the density field equation with
appropriate boundary conditions imposed on the solid support. The equation
describing the motion of a spreading film are derived in the lubrication
approximation. In the case of quasi-equilibrium spreading, is shown that the
correct sharp-interface limit is obtained, and sample solutions are obtained by
numerical integration. It is further shown that evaporation or condensation may
strongly affect the dynamics near the contact line, and accounting for kinetic
retardation of the interphase transport is necessary to build up a consistent
theory.
