Eur. Phys. J. B 3, 217-223 (1998)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s100510050306

Polymer adsorption on heterogeneous surfaces

Max-Planck-Institut für Polymerforschung, Postfach 3148, 55021 Mainz, Germany

Corresponding author: ^a vilgis@mpip-mainz.mpg.de

Received: 29 October 1997
Revised: 19 December 1997
Accepted: 6 March 1998
Published online: 15 May 1998

Abstract

The adsorption of a single ideal polymer chain on energetically heterogeneous and rough surfaces is investigated using a variational procedure introduced by Garel and Orland (Phys. Rev. B 55, 226 (1997)). The mean polymer size is calculated perpendicular and parallel to the surface and is compared to the Gaussian conformation and to the results for polymers at flat and energetically homogeneous surfaces. The disorder-induced enhancement of adsorption is confirmed and is shown to be much more significant for a heterogeneous interaction strength than for spatial roughness. This difference also applies to the localization transition, where the polymer size becomes independent of the chain length. The localization criterion can be quantified, depending on an effective interaction strength and the length of the polymer chain.