Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 11, 2025

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level
Published on: September 26, 2016
Polydisperse polymers near a solid surface: Analytical mean-field theory
A F den Ouden1,2, R Tuinier1,2, M Vis1,2
1Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
None:
A linearized mean-field theory is presented, which provides algebraic expressions for the segment density profiles and surface tension of polydisperse polymers near a flat surface. The main finding is that surface properties of polydisperse polymers in solution are well-described by the average degree of polymerization N̄, independent of the shape or variance σ2 of the chain length distribution. Polymers with longer chain lengths are found to preferentially adsorb at the surface in the weak adsorption regime. Analytical expressions are derived for the adsorbed amount and surface tension. The results are in quantitative agreement with numerical self-consistent field computations, as long as the ratio σ2/N̄3 is small compared to the static structure factor of Gaussian chains. The analytical expressions are shown to be valid for polymer solutions and for polymer melts. For the case of polymer melts, we show that our theoretical predictions are in agreement with experimental results.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Polymers: Molecular Weight Distribution
Potential Due to a Polarized Object
Polymer Classification: Crystallinity
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
Polymers: Defining Molecular Weight
The number average molecular weight (Mn) is the summation of the number...
Van der Waals Interactions
Mean free path and Mean free time

