Abstract
The critical properties of polymer solutions confined in thin-film environments is studied with simple scaling arguments and a molecular theory. For purely repulsive surfaces, the critical volume fraction is a universal function of x = N 1/2/L, where N is the chain length and L is the film thickness. The critical volume fraction is nonmonotonic in x and shows a deep minimum at a film thickness several times larger than the chain's radius of gyration. This nonmonotonic behavior results from the interplay between the surface-polymer entropic repulsion and the tendency of the film to avoid large density gradients. The critical temperature is a monotonically increasing function of L, as L goes from the two-dimensional limit to the three-dimensional limit.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1849-1853 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of Polymer Science, Part B: Polymer Physics |
Volume | 43 |
Issue number | 14 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 15 2005 |
Keywords
- Phase behavior
- Theory
- Thin films
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- Polymers and Plastics
- Materials Chemistry