Exact results for the adsorption of a semiflexible copolymer chain in three dimensions

Abstract

Lattice model of directed self-avoiding walk has been solved analytically to investigate adsorption–desorption phase transition behaviour of a semiflexible sequential copolymer chain on a two-dimensional impenetrable surface perpendicular to the preferred direction of the walk of the copolymer chain in three dimensions. The stiffness of the chain has been accounted by introducing an energy barrier for each bend in the walk of the copolymer chain. Exact value of adsorption–desorption transition points have been determined using the generating function method for the cases in which one type of monomer is having interaction with the surface, namely (i) no interaction (ii) attractive interaction and (iii) repulsive interaction. Results obtained in each of the case show that for stiffer copolymer chain adsorption transition occurs at a smaller value of monomer surface attraction than a flexible copolymer chain. These features are similar to that of a semiflexible homopolymer chain adsorption.