Adsorption Profiles of Long‐Chain Polymer in Semidilute Solutions Physisorbed to a Wall

Equilibrium concentration profiles for long macromolecules in solution strongly adsorbed to a flat wall were estimated by a combination of persistent reptation and partial chain regrowth using a configurational bias lattice Monte Carlo method. The profiles were obtained for various concentrations in the semidilute regime and different chain lengths. A master curve exists in a plot of the profile reduced by the bulk concentration as a function of the distance to the wall reduced by the correlation length estimated for the bulk concentration. Near the wall, the master curve follows a power law with an exponent predicted in the scaling theory. Compared to depletion profiles at a repulsive wall that require a small penetration length, no correction of the distance to the wall is needed for the adsorption profiles.

Reduced plot of ϕ(x)/ϕ_bulk vs. x/ξ for chain length N = 1 000 and five bulk concentrations above ϕ* indicated in legend. Slope with the exact exponent from scaling theory is shown for comparison.