Collapse of semi-flexible brushes in poor solvents: Tilting and bending

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1999 EDP Sciences
, , Citation J. N. Bright and D. R. M. Williams 1999 EPL 48 540 DOI 10.1209/epl/i1999-00103-6

0295-5075/48/5/540

Abstract

We study the problem of a semi-flexible polymer brush immersed in a poor solvent and show that the brush is unstable to collapse. We are able to solve the problem exactly by mapping it onto one of a classical particle in a known potential. In contrast to the case of flexible chains, the free-energy costs of bending may result in a sharp transition to a stable tilted and bent phase.

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10.1209/epl/i1999-00103-6