Thermodynamic and kinetic factors in adsorption of polymers on a plane lattice

The rate of formation of an adsorbed polystyrene monolayer onto silica/carbon tetrachloride interfaces is studied by a radioactive tracer method with exp 3 H-labeled polymers. The influence of the temperature on the amount of the polymer adsorbed is determined, and the kinetic law of the adsorption is formulated. At low solution concentrations, the polymer adsorbs with a very flattened conformation, and the kinetic parameter of the adsorption process is quantitatively analyzed with use of a mechanism corresponding to a two-dimensional lattice filling. This process may be regarded as a "solution" process such as the mixing on a molecular scale, which involves, beside surface forces, local conformational changes and entropy of mixing effects. At higher solution concentrations, loops and/or tails emerge from the surface at a very low rate. 30 ref.--AA