Statistical thermodynamics of isolated rigid rod-like molecules near a surface

The configurational behaviour and thermodynamic properties of a dilute gas of rigid rod-like molecules in the vicinity of a macroscopic planar adsorption surface are investigated using statistical mechanics. The interaction energy between the surface and a rod-like molecule is determined as a function of both its molecular centre of mass separation R and its orientation relative to the surface. In calculating this interaction energy, each rod segment and molecule comprising the surface is assumed to interact through a Lennard-Jones pair potential. The average molecular order parameter is then determined as a function of R. We find that an isolated rod-like molecule tends to align nearly parallel to the surface for small separations. However, as R increases the order parameter first passes through a maximum then decays to zero as R ^-5 for large R. The configurational behaviour of an isolated rod-like molecule located between two parallel adsorption surfaces is also considered briefly. The surface spreading pressure, excess surface energy and entropy are also obtained for a dilute gas of rod-like molecules near a surface. We find that the extent of surface binding increases nearly exponentially with molecular length at constant temperature and surface density, and that the excess surface energy and entropy are essentially proportional to the molecular length.