Effect of a fluid-wall interaction on a drying layer.

Density profiles of Lennard-Jones liquid confined in slit pore with weakly attractive or hard walls are studied along the pore coexistence curve. In the large pores, the thickness L0 of a drying layer increases approximately as the bulk correlation length xi- when approaching the bulk critical temperature Tc. Strengthening of the fluid-wall interaction suppresses the thickness of a drying layer and yields a logarithmic growth of L0 with tau=1-T/Tc. Existence of the two distinct regimes in the temperature behavior of L0 may reflect a partial drying transition expected for the weak long-range fluid-wall interactions. Confinement in small pores suppresses strongly the drying layer and its thickness grows as approximately ln(tau) upon heating with subsequent saturation. The sharpness of the interface between a liquid and a drying layer is studied in dependence on the fluid-wall interaction and pore width.