Adsorption of star polymers studied by a new numerical mean field theory

We present a systematic theoretical investigation of star-like polymers of various architectures near adsorbing surface, using a new numerical self-consistent mean field theory. The comparison of the experimentally reported adsorption profiles with the predictions of our method shows excellent agreement. The study of the structural properties of the formed brushes indicates that as the number of branches is increased the number of adsorbed polymers is significantly reduced. Mixtures of different kinds of star polymers show interesting behaviors as the more branched polymers try to develop in the outer region of brush. We also estimate the forces obtained when curved surfaces come close as a function of the distance between the surfaces. [Display omitted]