Random copolymer adsorption: Morita approximation compared to exact numerical simulations.
We study the adsorption of ideal random lattice copolymers with correlations in the sequences on homogeneous substrates with two different methods: An analytical solution of the problem based on the constrained annealed approximation introduced by Morita in 1964 and the generating function technique, and direct numerical simulations of lattice chains averaged over many realizations of random sequences. Both methods allow to calculate the free energy and different conformational characteristics of the adsorbed chain. The comparison of the results for random copolymers with different degree of correlations and different types of nonadsorbing monomers (neutral or repelling from the surface) shows not only qualitative but a very good quantitative agreement, especially in the cases of Bernoullian and quasialternating random sequences.
Polotsky
Alexey
A
Institute of Macromolecular Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences, 31 Bolshoy pr., 199004 St. Petersburg, Russia. alexey.polotsky@gmail.com
Degenhard
Andreas
A
Schmid
Friederike
F
D000327:Adsorption; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
D011108:Polymers