Conformational Properties of an Adsorbed Charged Polymer

Abstract

The behavior of a strongly charged polymer adsorbed on an oppositely charged surface of low-dielectric constant is formulated by the functional integral method. By separating the translational, conformational, and fluctuational degrees of freedom, the scaling behaviors for both the height of the polymer and the thickness of the diffusion layer are determined. Unlike the results predicted by scaling theory, we identified the continuous crossover from the weak compression to the compression regime. All teh analytical results are found to be consistent with Monte-Carlo simulations. Finally, an alternative (operational) definition of a charged polymer adsorption is proposed.