Structure of a bidisperse polymer brush: Monte Carlo simulation and self-consistent field results

Using the bond-fluctuation model, Monte Carlo simulations are performed for polymer brushes composed of chains of two different chain lengths under good solvent condition. Profiles of monomer density and free end density, chain linear dimensions, and average monomer position along a chain are studied. Quantities measured in the simulations are derived from the analytic self-consistent field (SCF) theory and compared with the simulation data. The structural properties can be quite accurately described by the theory only when both the long and short chains are stretched

Polyelectrolytes Grafted to Curved Surfaces

We present a scaling theory to describe equilibrium conformations of weakly charged polyelectrolyte molecules grafted at one end onto impermeable surfaces of various morphologies (spheres, cylinders) and of arbitrary curvature. We focus on the case of sufficiently densely grafted chains, i.e., on curved polyelectrolyte brushes. Different regimes of the behavior of curved polyelectrolyte brushes can be distinguished, depending on grafting density, surface curvature, and chain length. We present phase diagrams of the system describing these regimes and discuss the crossover conditions. We also analyze the effect of charge annealing in curved polyelectrolyte brushes.

Monte Carlo test of the self-consistent field theory of a polymer brush