Abstract:
We study the adsorption cross-over of ideal polymer chains in an environment of disordered traps. Starting from the assumption of an optimal cluster size of traps (optimal fluctuation method) we derive a general scaling form of the free energy function for arbitrary spatial dimensions. For small concentrations of traps we find a cross-over from localized (adsorbed) behavior to delocalized behavior depending on the chain's length and on the depth of the traps; this is connected with the non-monotonic behavior of the chain's extension. In terms of the free energy of the chain this cross-over resembles a first order transition scenario, the chain gets localized at many traps at once.
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Received 18 November 1998
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Sommer, JU. Adsorption of polymer chains by disordered traps. Eur. Phys. J. B 10, 537–542 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s100510050883
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s100510050883